From the Harford County Board of Education:
The Board of Education of Harford County met for an open business meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 28, 2013 in the Board Room of the HCPS/A.A. Roberty Building and took the following actions or received the following presentations:
In light of the school closure due to inclement weather, the recognition ceremony was postponed and will be rescheduled in the near future.
Approved the Consent Agenda, (with one addition to create a charter to add a Budget Citizens Advisory Committee – the charter will be created and will be voted on at the next Board meeting):
– Minutes of Previous Board Business Meeting: January 14, 2013
– Minutes of Previous Board Work Session: January 16, 2013
– Decision on Transfer of School Bus Contracts
– Approval of Charges for Board Sponsored Citizen Advisory Committees – the suggestion was made to add of a Budget Citizen Advisory Committee to provide oversight and review of the priorities that are critical to us in funding the school district.
– Resolutions
§ Career and Technical Education Month
§ National School Counseling Week
Received an informational report on the reduction in State Aid. Harford County became a wealthier county which results in a lower amount of state aid. Declining enrollment is another factor in the equation. The full presentation will be posted on the hcps.org website tomorrow. Harford County experienced the largest dollar decline in state aid ($4.1 million) of the other 24 jurisdictions.
Approved the FY14 Operating Budget with the following amendments in the amount of $442,794,760:
– Reduction in State Aid – $3.2 million
– Reduction in the PVA from 48 to 38 new buses – $77,700
Approved an amendment to the Capital Budget to rename the line item entitle ‘Security Cameras’ to ‘Security Measures’ and increase the line item from $1,921,032 less the amount of $255,000 (for cameras) for a total of $1,666,032. The amendment was brought forth to complete security measure projects (remote access control, installation of remaining security cameras and proxy readers) without having to phase it in over the next several years. In addition, a second amendment was approved to add $300,000 back into the Capital Budget for stadium ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) improvements for Joppatowne High School as a separate project. The Capital Budget was approved in the amount of $62,122,259.
Received a presentation on the Strategic Plan Update #3: Student Achievement Data.
During the Superintendent’s Report:
– Recognized Patterson Mill and C. Milton Wright were again included in the Washington Post Challenge Index, ranking among America’s top high schools. He offered congratulations to the leadership, faculty, staff, students, and communities of Patterson Mill and C. Milton Wright High Schools.
The next Board of Education business meeting will be held on Monday, February 11th at 6:30 p.m. As all Board meetings, the meeting will be held at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. To access all future Board meeting dates, log onto the school system website at www.hcps.org.
Thats because Harford didn’t vote for Owe-Malley!
“Elections have consequences”
Mr. Grambo was the sole member of the Board to vote against the budget and all the capital amendments. He provided no explanation. I’d like to know what he is thinking.
As president of the school board I would think that Mr. Grambo would be an advocate for the school system. If he has specific issues with the budget then he should say what they are and offer some alternatives. His vote against additional funding to improve security at our schools is of particular concern. Can Mr. Grambo separate his far right political views from his school board responsibilities?