UPDATE From HCPS: The Board of Education meeting that was scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.
The Harford County Board of Education plans a March 25th business meeting that includes ratification of a labor agreement for next year; recognition of student athletes, and a legislative update including bills that call for task force studies on school starting times and recess in all grades. Retired teacher Donna Zavacky will also be honored as the latest inductee into the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame.
On the consent agenda, Board members are set to ratify a labor agreement negotiated with the Harford County Education Association for the fiscal year 2014. The agreement establishes a 1% cost of living increase for all employees, plus one step increase for those who are eligible, subject to funding availability. The total cost of the wage increase for all HCPS employees is $7.7 million, according to Jim Jewell, assistant superintendent of business services. Funding for the increase has been requested from county government.
Also on the consent agenda, Board members will approve tenure recommendations and the monthly personnel report, which identifies employees who have left the system; been placed on leaves of absence, or are newly hired. Also scheduled for approval is a resolution recognizing the Week of the Young Child (April 14 – 20) under the theme “Early Years Are Learning Years.”
In recognition of 43 years of exemplary service, elementary school teacher Donna Zavacky will be inducted into the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame. A former Harford County Teacher of the Year, Zavacky is also a three-time winner of the Teacher of the Year award from the Harford County Chapter of C.H.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders).
Student athletes will be recognized for their achievements in winter season sports. The Aberdeen High School girls basketball team will be recognized for winning the Class 3A State Championship. Individual state champions will also be recognized, along with sportsmanship award winning teams from the following high schools: Bel Air, Harford Technical, C. Milton Wright and Edgewood.
Teri Kranefeld, manager of communications, will ask Board members to give the Calendar Committee more time to develop the school calendar for the 2014-15 school year, in part because more information is needed from the state about testing under the Common Core curriculum.
With the conclusion of the 2013 Maryland General Assembly about two weeks away, Kathy Carmello, HCPS facilitator of governmental relations, will provide Board members with a Legislative Update.
Among the bills highlighted in the update is the “Accountability in Education Act of 2013”, which seeks to address the problem of high school graduates who need remedial courses in college. The bill requires local school boards to pay half the cost of tuition for such courses, under certain conditions.
As its name implies, a bill entitled “Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Instruction – Graduation Requirement” requires public school students to complete instruction in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) as a condition of graduation, beginning with ninth graders in the 2013-2014 school year.
A task force to study later starting times for Maryland Public Schools would be established by HB 1462. The task force would be charged with recommending whether school should start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. Recommendations would be due by the end of the calendar year to the Governor and the General Assembly.
HB 1069 prohibits public schools from opening for students before the day after Labor Day.
Last, but not least, another task force would study the need for recess in Maryland Schools, under a bill entitled (you guessed it) “Task Force to Study the Need for Recess in Maryland Public Schools”. After conducting a study including the health and academic benefits for students, the task force would make recommendations on recess in all grade levels, in a report due to the Governor and the General Assembly by the end of the calendar year.
As usual, the meeting will conclude with a report from Superintendent Robert Tomback.
The March 25th meeting of the Harford County Board of Education will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. A public comment period is scheduled for 6:55 p.m. Below is the published meeting agenda. Please note that published agendas are subject to change.
Agenda
Monday, March 25, 2013
Board Open Session – 5:40 PM – Board Room
Board Closed Session – 5:45 PM – Board Executive Conference Room
Board Business Meeting – 6:30 PM – Board Room
*Times are approximate6:30 PM
Call to Order – Mr. Francis F. Grambo, III, President
Quorum Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Pledge of Allegiance6:35 PM Recognitions:
Hall of Fame: Ms. Donna M. Zavacky
Winter 2012-2013 MPSSAA State Winners & Sportsmanship Awards6:55 PM Public Comment
7:10 PM Introductions
7:15 PM Board Committee Reports and CommentsOld Business
Action Item(s):
7:30 PM A. Consent Agenda:1) Ratification with Negotiated Agreement with Harford County Education Association (HCEA)
3) Tenure Recommendations
4) Minutes of Previous Board Meeting: March 11, 2013
5) Resolution: The Week of the Young Child
New Business
Action Item(s):7:35 PM B. Decision on Calendar Policy Waiver, Ms. Teri Kranefeld
Presentation(s):7:55 PM C. 2013 Legislative Update, Ms. Kathy Carmello
8:15 PM D. Superintendent’s Report
Closing8:25 PM Future Meetings Review
Adjournment
That Accountability in Education act simply relieves students of the responsibility of trying to learn in high school. If the arguement is the school sytem failed to teach them math than I can see to an extent but the school system should get to say you are graduating high school but not college material.
cdev, I agree. It just enables the unwilling and places the blame on the wrong party.
Essentially I forsee more people getting pushed into remedial classes since colleges know they will get k-12 to pay for them.