The Harford County Board of Education will hold a board business meeting on August 13th that is planned to include one new board member, a new student representative with partial voting rights, and a vote on a new logo for Harford County Public Schools. Also on the August 13th agenda is a revised capital budget proposal for next year which will be presented by school officials. It includes an additional $3 million requested for a new energy efficiency initiative.
Havre de Grace resident Thomas F. Fitzpatrick will sit on the nine-member school board for the first time Monday evening after a swearing-in ceremony planned for earlier in the day. Fitzpatrick, a manufacturer’s representative with Storm-Services, LLC, was appointed on August 2nd by Gov. Martin O’Malley to serve out the term of Board Member Ron Browning, who resigned in January prior to the end of his term in 2015.
The first item of business on the August 13th agenda is the swearing in of the 2012-13 student representative to the school board, Panashe I. Mutombo. A senior at Patterson Mill High School, Motombo will be the first student representative to have partial voting rights, thanks to enabling legislation passed by the 2012 Maryland General Assembly.
School board members will get a look at a revised capital budget proposal for next year. New to the Capital Improvement Program for the fiscal year 2014 is a $3,113,175 energy efficiency initiative to renovate lighting in 27 schools. New funding is also requested for a computer lab at Edgewood Middle School and a folding partition replacement at Prospect Mill Elementary School in Bel Air. The revised capital budget request now totals $31.4 million from state and local sources combined. The proposed capital budget is also the subject of a special public hearing that has been scheduled prior to a board vote, which is planned for September. The public hearing will be held on August 20th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air.
Among the action items on the agenda, board members will be asked to approve a HCPS Branding Initiative, including the new logo design that garnered 91% of the votes in a recent public poll. And the winner is…
Board members will also be asked to approve the 2012 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan, which identifies planned maintenance schedules at each school, including items such as blacktop resurfacing, floor covering replacement, painting and boiler inspections.
The following are among the items on a lengthy consent agenda:
To facilitate a planned expansion of the Harford County Emergency Operations Center, Harford County government has requested that the school board convey to county government approximately 10 acres of contiguous land located behind Hickory Elementary School. The school property is not needed for school purposes, according to HCPS officials, and will transfer upon board approval for the sum of zero dollars.
In a separate consent agenda item, board members will be asked to accept $400,000 from Harford County government for a Havre de Grace High School Field Facilities project, bringing the balance of funding for the project to $1.4 million. According to the written background information provided by school officials, “The bids for the Havre de Grace High School Field Facilities project have exceeded the estimates to complete the project. The Harford County Government was informed of the increased costs and agreed to supplement this capital project budget.”
A contract award to upgrade the stadium facilities at Havre de Grace High School is among several contracts appearing on the consent agenda.
Brian D. Claffee will be recommended by school officials to fill a vacancy on the Board Ethics Panel. Claffee is a senior vice president and regional manager of PNC Bank for the Harford and Cecil County area. Pending board approval, Claffee will complete the term of David L. Brond, who resigned in June prior to the end of his term in 2018.
Also on the consent agenda, board members will approve the 2012-13 Special Education Staffing Plan. The plan is intended to ensure adequate staffing levels for special education students. Required annually by the state, the plan is also a component of the application for federal funds. Special education programs and services in HCPS are budgeted at $42.7 million for the upcoming school year, with one new full time teaching position added.
School board members will be asked to ratify the negotiated agreement with the Harford County Educational Services Council, the union representing support personnel. The agreement is valid until June 30, 2015.
“Appointments of Retired-Rehired Contracted Staff” is listed as an item on the consent agenda, but no additional details were immediately available.
As always, the school board meeting will conclude with a report by Superintendent Robert M. Tomback, who on July 1st entered into his fourth year of a four-year contract.
The August 13th business meeting of the Harford County Board of Education will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the A.A. Roberty Builidng located at 102 S. Hickory Avenue in Bel Air. The public comment period is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Below is the published meeting agenda. Please note that published agendas are subject to change.
Agenda
Monday, August 13, 2012
Board Closed Session – 5:00 PM – Board Executive Conference Room
Board Business Meeting – 6:30 PM – Board Room*Times are approximate
6:30 PM Call to Order – Dr. Leonard D. Wheeler, President
Quorum Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Pledge of Allegiance6:35 PM Swearing In Ceremony: 2012-13 Student Representative to the Board of Education
Mr. Panashe I. Mutombo, Patterson Mill High School
6:45 PM Public Comment
7:00 PM Introductions
7:05 PM Board Committee Reports and CommentsOld Business
Action Item(s):
7:20 PM A. Consent Agenda:
1) Affirmation of Monthly Contracts2) Monthly Personnel Report – August 2012 (Goal 3)
3) Minutes of Previous Meetings: July 9, 2012 (Goals 1-4)
4) Appointments of Retired-Rehired Contracted Staff (Goal 3)
5) Ratification of Negotiated Agreement with Harford County Educational Services Council (HCESC) (Goal 3)
6) Special Education Staffing Plan (Goals 3 & 4)
7) Recommendation of Candidate for Board of Education Ethics Panel (Goal 3)
8.) Surplus of Board Property Located at Hickory Elementary School/Harford County Emergency Operations Center (Goal 4)
– Exhibit A Recorded Plat
– Exhibit B Deed
– Exhibit C Memorandum of Understanding9) Supplemental Appropriation for Capital Budget – Havre de Grace High School Field Facilities (Goal 4)
10) Contract Award: Havre de Grace HS Stadium Improvements (Goal 4)
11) Contract Award: Digital Duplicators (Goal 4)
12) Contract Award: Non-Carbonated Beverages (Goal 4)
13) Contract Award: Snacks (Goal 4)
14) Contract Award: Heating Oil (Goal 4)
15) Contract Award: Auditorium Sound System Upgrade – Joppatowne High School (Goal 4)
Presentation & Discussion(s):
7:35 PM B. Capital Improvement Program FY14, Mr. Cornell S. Brown (Goal 4)
– CIP FY14 Informational Report
– CIP FY14 Preview Proposed Budget Request Chart
– CIP FY14 PowerPoint PresentationNew Business
Action Item(s):
7:55 PM C. Decision on 2012 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan, Ms. Patti Jo Beard (Goal 4)
8:10 PM D. Decision on HCPS Branding Initiative Ms. Teri Kranefeld (Goal 2)Presentation(s):
8:25 PM E. Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Robert M. Tomback
Closing
8:30 PM Future Meetings Review
Adjournment
Cindy, thank you for your continued coverage of the BOE. I hope that a lot of people will take advantage of your work. Unfortunatley, I wish that the Board had put information out in advance on the retired rehired staff. It makes it appear as though it is a shady action, when it probably is not and makes sense.
Thanks for your kind words, Dale. That agenda item was discussed at the meeting:
Board Member Bob Frisch had the item pulled out of the consent agenda for discussion in light of recent controversy in Baltimore County over who approves the contracts for staff members who were once retired, but are subsequently rehired. Frisch wanted to know what was done in HCPS.
Pat Spicer, attorney for HCPS, said that MD law and regulation requires a contract between the school system and the employee of no more than one year (which can be renewed annually). In an “abundance of caution”, Spicer said that it was his opinion that such contracts must be approved by both the superintendent and the school board, and not, as I believe was originally done in BCPS, by the superintendent alone. This agenda item was approved.
I feel so fortunate that the Harford County Public Schools are so graphically associating themselves with the lawn care industry, or better yet I am reminded of the character “Sprout” from the Jolly Green Giant product commercials.
looks like HOPS
beer anyone?
A new logo! Wow! Now everything will be better!
Cindy, how much will the HCPS spend to actually implement the logo change on all of its buildings, vehicles, letterhead, forms, business cards, web sites, etc? I bet you can’t get a straight answer from them.