Board of Education of St. Mary’s County

Meeting of:  Regular Session                                         Held:   October 30, 2007

Board of Education Meeting Room

The regular meeting of the Board of Education of St. Mary’s County was held on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, in the Board of Education Meeting Room, 23160 Moakley Street , Leonardtown.  The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa, chairman.  Present for the meeting were:

            .Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa, Chairman

            .Mr. Bill Mattingly, Vice Chairman

.Ms. Cathy Allen , Member

.Mr. Gary Kessler, Member

.Ms. Mary Washington , Member

.Mr. Praveen Ramaswamy, 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. Washington seconded the motion.  Motion carried unanimously.

Reopen Regular Session

Dr. Raspa reconvened the regular meeting at 6:15 p.m.  The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 

Approval of Agenda

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

Superintendent Report

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

• A groundbreaking of our newest elementary school, Evergreen Elementary School and visit by Dr. Nancy Grasmick, state superintendent of schools, and tour of Spring Ridge Middle School and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station was held on Monday, October 29^th.
• NJROTC Cadets received a $1,500 check from WalMart at their Grand Opening Celebration on October 22nd.  The money provided funds for the many school and community events conducted by the cadets.  Recently, the athletic team won four trophies in a very competitive meet at Huntingtown High School and will be participating in numerous drill meets and the Veteran’s Day parade in Leonardtown in November. 
• Congratulations to Ms. Debra Settle (Town Creek Elementary School ) and Ms. Patricia Tillotson (Hollywood Elementary School), physical education teachers, who were recipients of the Simon A. McNeely Honor Award at the annual Convention of the Maryland Association of Health, Physical Education, and Dance on October 19^th.  The Simon A. McNeely Honor Award is presented to those individuals who have demonstrated active involvement in school and community affairs, along with outstanding teaching and service in the field of physical education.
• 2^nd Annual State of the St. Mary’s County Public will be held on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, at the JT Daugherty Center in sponsorship with the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce . For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Chamber or visit our website at www.smcps.org.
• A dedication of the Chesapeake Public Charter School (CPCS) will be held on Thursday, November 8, 2007, at 1:30 p.m. at the school located on Great Mills Road .
• Welcome to Ms. Melissa Charbonnet, director of special education, who recently joined our wonderful school system.

  Public Comment

Name                                                   Subject

.Marilyn Crosby                        Class cap and board meetings

.James Tomasic                        Ridge Elementary School

.Ginny Demehri                         Leonardtown Middle School math

Consent Agenda

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

.Regular and Executive Session Minutes of ):October 10, 2007

.Administrative and Supervisory Appointment

Ms. Washington seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

The following information items were presented to the BOE :

• Ms. Lyon, executive director of student services, Mr. Bob Schaller, Business Education Community Alliance (BECA) board president, and Mr. Mark Smith, coordinator of special programs presented the BECA Initiatives.
• Dr. Edward Weiland, director of human resources, presented Policies “GA through GBK (Personnel) for 1^st Reading . A public hearing will be held at the next Board meeting for input on the policies presented.
• Ms. Lyon, Ms. Patricia Wince, supervisor of health services, Dr. Andrew Roper, supervisor of instruction-physical education/health/athletics, and Ms. Nancy Luginbill, R.N., director of nursing at St. Mary’s County Health Department presented a report on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Reports

.Ms. Washington attended the following events:  Rotary Teacher Appreciation Dinner, Patuxent River Naval Air Station (NAS) Navy Birthday Ball, Patuxent River Personal Excellence Partnership (PEP) Kick-off Ceremony, Board of County Commissioners

 (BOCC)/Board of Education (BOE) Worksession, St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon, Maryland School Assessment Celebration at George Washington Carver Elementary School, Lights On Celebration for After-School Activities, CPCS Kathy Glazer Farewell Celebration, AFCEA Science Tools Grant Award Presentation, Spring Ridge Middle School (SRMS) National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) Induction Ceremony, “Songs of Maryland” Musical Presentation by Park Hall Elementary School 4^th Grade Students, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Evergreen Elementary School (EES); Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to Spring

Ridge Middle School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Academy (STEM); and a Tour of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, and the Leonardtown High School (LHS) National Honor Society (NHS) Induction Ceremony.

.Dr. Raspa attended the following events:  Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) Legislative Committee Meeting in Annapolis, BOCC/BOE Worksession, AFCEA Science Tools Grant Award Presentation, MABE Board of Directors Retreat in Baltimore, Rotary Teacher Appreciation Dinner, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for EES; Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to SRMS STEM Academy; and a Tour of the Patuxent River NAS.

.Mr. Mattingly attended the following events:  MABE Legislative Committee Meeting in Annapolis, BOCC/BOE Worksession, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for EES; Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to SRMS STEM Academy; and a Tour of the Patuxent River NAS.

.Ms. Allen attended the following events:  Rotary Teacher Appreciation Dinner, National School Board Association (NSBA) Northeast Region Meeting, Patuxent River PEP Kick-off Ceremony, BOCC/BOE Worksession, AFCEA Science Tools Grant Award Presentation, Lights On Celebration for After-School Activities, MABE Board of Directors Retreat, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for EES; Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to SRMS STEM Academy; and a Tour of the Patuxent River NAS, and the LHS NHS Induction Ceremony.

.Mr. Kessler attended the following events:  BOCC/BOE Worksession, CPCS Kathy Glazer Farewell Celebration, Lights On Celebration for After-School Activities, Mechanicsville Elementary School New Parents Cookout, AFCEA Science Tools Grant Award Presentation, SRMS NJHS Induction Ceremony, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for EES; Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to SRMS STEM Academy; and a Tour of the Patuxent River NAS.

.Mr. Ramaswamy attended the following events:  MABE Conference, Lights On Celebration for After-School Activities, Dr. Grasmick Visit: Groundbreaking Ceremony for EES; Windshield Tour of the CPCS; Visit to SRMS STEM Academy; and a Tour of the Patuxent River NAS, LHS NHS Induction Ceremony, and the St. Mary’s Association of Student Councils Meeting at Great Mills High School.

Future Board Meetings

The following future meetings will be held:

            .The State of the St. Mary's County Public Schools, Wednesday, November 7,

   2007, 11:30 a.m., JT Daugherty Conference Center , Lexington Park

            .Regular Board Meeting, Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 9:30 a.m., Board

             Meeting Room, Leonardtown

Adjournment

Dr. Raspa adjourned the regular meeting at 8:16 p.m.

Dr. Salvatore L. Raspa                                 

Chairman

Dr. Michael J. Martirano
Secretary-Treasurer