The Harford County Board of Education plans a June 23rd business meeting to include recognition of outstanding educators, a contract approval for Youth’s Benefit Elementary School, and votes on capital budget transfers and priorities.
First on the agenda, the Board will recognize the latest inductees to the HCPS Educator Hall of Fame: Lynne Evans Owen, a retired middle school principal and central office supervisor of English/Reading; George D. Clark, a retired high school business teacher, department chair and athletic coach for track and field; and David J. Simmons, who taught physical education at all levels and coached varsity athletics in several sports. Simmons, who died in 2011, is also credited with starting the football program at Harford Technical High School.
Following a period of public comments, the Board plans approval of its consent agenda, including the monthly report on personnel who have left the school system, are on leaves of absence, or are newly employed. No further details were published as of press time.
Also on the consent agenda, the Board plans approval of a $114,800 contract award to North Point Builders, Inc. of Baltimore to demolish and remove 14 portable classrooms at six locations: Forest Lakes, Magnolia, North Harford, Emmorton, and William Paca/Old Post Road elementary schools, and Fallston Middle School. According to the published agenda, these portable classrooms are no longer useful due to their age and condition. The contracting vehicle for the demolition project is University of Maryland’s On-Call General Contracting Services contract #C-00635. Funding will come from the fiscal year 2014 capital projects account.
Next on the consent agenda: ice cream! The Board plans approval of a contract award for an estimated $108,409.60 to the New Jersey firm of Simco Logistics, Inc., DBA Jack and Jill Ice Cream, for ice cream products supplied to school cafeterias for the fiscal year 2015. Simco Logistics was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, according to the published agenda. The contract includes a one year renewal option for up to four additional years.
Also on the consent agenda, the Board plans approval of a $335,500.51 contract award to Bell Techlogix of Virginia, for the annual licensing renewal of Microsoft products. According to the agenda, the contract amount represents a discount achieved through the school system’s membership in the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium (MEEC).
Last on the consent agenda, the Board plans approval of a $138,000 contract expansion with Educate Online, LLC, which currently provides “extended day” tutoring services to students at five schools. The contract expansion would add such services at three more schools. The services include online, at-home tutoring in reading and math, with a mini-laptop provided from Educate Online. Funding for the contract will come from Supplemental Title I grants.
Under new business, the Board plans a vote on promotions and appointments recommended by Superintendent Barbara Canavan and presented Monday evening by Dr. Susan Austin, director of special education.
Next under new business, the Board plans a vote to transfer leftover funds from completed capital projects totaling $6,054,851.55 to help fund a number of other capital needs, described in the published agenda as follows:
“1) The Office of Technology will install Wi-Fi infrastructure in 28 elementary schools, Magnolia Middle School, Havre de Grace High School and purchase necessary equipment to maintain technology services in the school system.
2) Aberdeen Middle School needs a chiller replacement.
3) Local funding was provided in FY2011 for design and construction services for providing air conditioning at the Youth’s Benefit Elementary School Primary Building. The project was successfully completed in August 2012. We received state and local planning approval for the Youth’s Benefit Elementary Replacement School project in FY2014, and state and local construction funding approval in FY2015, we are requesting the balance of these funds be transferred over to be utilized for the New Youth’s Benefit Elementary Replacement School project”
In a related agenda item, the Board plans to make a contract award for the planned replacement of Youth’s Benefit Elementary School. No further details were published for this agenda item as of press time.
Board approval of the annual, state-required Educational Facilities Master Plan is next on the agenda. The 2014 plan outlines the school system’s projected facility needs, which will form the basis of its fiscal year 2016 capital budget request.
Top priorities in the plan are: the Youth’s Benefit Elementary School replacement facility, approved for construction funding and slated for occupancy in the fiscal year 2017; the Havre de Grace Middle/High School replacement facility, currently in planning and slated for a construction funding request in fiscal 2016; and the Joppatowne High School limited renovation project, with a request for local planning approval slated in fiscal year 2016.
The plan also denotes as “on hold” the following capital projects, pending the development of a Countywide Facilities Master Plan: the Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School addition/modernization, a new John Archer School located at the Bel Air Middle School campus, a William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School replacement facility, and a modernization/renovation for the existing John Archer School facility. The countywide plan will be based on evaluations of public facilities, including schools, being conducted by Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. at the request of Harford County government. Results of the evaluations are expected in the fall, according to comments made at a June 9th school board meeting by Cornell Brown, HCPS assistant superintendent for operations.
Under “Presentations”, the Board and the public will get a first look at the proposed capital budget request for fiscal year 2016, based on the Board’s approved 2014 Educational Facilities Master Plan. As in years past, this initial presentation is subject to amendment before the Board approves its formal request to state and local funding authorities in September.
Last on the agenda is a report to the Board from Superintendent Barbara Canavan.
The June 23rd meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air, with a public comment period scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The published agenda appears below. Please note that published agendas are subject to change.
An earlier version of this story contained an error about the Hall of Fame inductees that has since been corrected.
Agenda
Monday, June 23, 2014
Board Closed Session – 5:30 PM – Board Executive Conference Room
Board Business Meeting – 6:30 PM – Board Room
*Times are approximate6:30 PM
Call to Order – Board President
Quorum Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Pledge of Allegiance6:35 PM Recognition: HCPS Educator Hall of Fame Induction
– Lynne E. Owen
– George D. Clark
– David J. Simmons6:55 PM Board Committee Reports and Comments
7:10 PM Public Comment
Old Business
Action Item(s):7:25 PM A. Consent Agenda:
1) Monthly Report on Personnel (Goal 3)
2) Minutes of Previous Board Meetings: (Goals 1-4)
– June 4, 2014
– June 9, 20143) Award of Contract: Demolition and Removal of Relocatable Classrooms (Goal 4)
4) Award of Contract: Ice Cream Food Products (Goal 4)
5) Award of Contract: Microsoft Campus Renewal (Goal 1)
6) Award of Contract Expansion: Increase Services for the Extended Day Tutoring (Goal 1)
New Business
Action Item(s):
7:30 PM B. Decision on Appointments and Promotions, Dr. Susan Austin (Goal 3)
7:40 PM C. Decision on Transfer of Funds Between Capital Projects, Mr. Jim Jewell and Mr. Cornell Brown (Goal 4)
7:55 PM D. Decision on Award of Contract: Youth’s Benefit Elementary School Replacement School, Mr. Cornell Brown (Goal 4)
8:15 PM E. Decision on 2014 Educational Facilities Master Plan, Mr. Cornell Brown (Goal 4)
Presentation(s):
8:35 PM F. Presentation of Capital Improvement Program for FY2016, Mr. Cornell Brown (Goal 4)
8:55 PM G. Superintendent’s Report
Closing
9:00 PM Future Meetings Review
Adjournment
Harford County High Schools are at 84% capacity according to their own figures. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to redistrict the students instead of building a new Havre de Grace high School which is at 69% of capacity. The middle school students only fill up 81% and Havre de Grace Middle is only 70%.
Why do we need portable classrooms at Forrest Lakes? 88%
Why do we need portable classrooms at North Harford? 84%
Why do we need portable classrooms at William Paca/Old Post Road? 84%
Why do we need portable classrooms at Fallston Middle School? 70%
School Capacity
Elementary 19353
Middle 10579
High School 13720
John Archer 210
Alternative 250
Total 44112
Where do the extra 8774 elementary student go when they get ready to go to Middle School? and where do the 3141 additional high school students come from. It appears that someone needs to do some number crunching before they commit to spend anymore tax dollars for school construction.
$108,409.60 for ice cream? What happened to eating healthy?