The Harford County Board of Education plans a September 8th business meeting including approval of its capital budget request for the fiscal year 2016, approval of a pre-construction contract for Havre de Grace Middle/High School, and decisions on revised policies for extracurricular activities and clubs.
Under action items, the consent agenda for Monday includes Board approval of a $126,072 contract award to HESS Construction for pre-construction management services for the Havre de Grace Middle/High Replacement School project. HESS Construction was chosen among ten firms responding to the school system’s initial Request for Proposal (RFP). According to the published agenda, a HCPS selection committee evaluated the ten responses considering qualifications, experience, workload and references; five firms were then shortlisted and ranked.
Also on the consent agenda, the Board plans approval of a $105,404.90 contract award to Skyline Technology Solutions of Glen Burnie to purchase Wi-Fi network infrastructure equipment and integration services to meet demand at Roye-Williams Elementary School. Skyline Technology is a network integration firm and an authorized reseller of Extreme Networks and Aruba products. The cost basis for the products is a contract established by the University System of Maryland MEEC (Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium) contract for Network Hardware USM – MEEC UB-12-B-19-S1. According to the published agenda, Skyline was selected because it “offers the most competitive contract price proposals for these wireless network infrastructure solutions.”
Following passage of the consent agenda, the Board plans to approve its fiscal year 2016 Capital Improvement Program budget request for submission to state and local funding authorities. The proposed capital budget request totals $95.1 million, with $77 million requested from county government and the remaining $18.1 million requested from the state.
The request includes $17.3 million in a combination of state and local funding to complete construction of the Youth’s Benefit Elementary School replacement facility, $35 million to begin construction of Havre de Grace Middle/High School, and a request for local planning approval of the Joppatowne High School limited renovation project. The request for state and local funding also includes a roof replacement at Churchville Elementary School ($825,000), air conditioning at the Center for Educational Opportunity ($4.6 million), and a systemic HVAC renovation at Prospect Mill Elementary School ($4.7 million).
Included in the request for local funding only is $17.5 million for technology to support requirements of the Common Core State Standards and related PARCC testing, $2.6 million to reverse the open space classroom design at three elementary schools, and $500,000 to complete domestic water improvements at North Harford Middle School.
Next on the agenda is Board approval of revisions to its policies on extracurricular activities and clubs. The revisions require a HCPS staff sponsor to supervise extracurricular activities and clubs, and forbid sponsors from hosting activities at their private residences. Staff sponsors are also prohibited from planning, sanctioning or supervising related activities that take place in the private residences of others.
Parents in the Destination Imagination (DI) program have objected to the proposed revisions and related safety procedures implemented last year by Superintendent Barbara Canavan that no longer allow parents to volunteer as team managers in the DI program. Parents also objected to the procedures that initially banned student use of power tools in DI and in building sets for drama programs. The ban has since been modified to allow for the use of specific tools.
Under new business, the Board plans to hear proposed revisions to three additional policies as part of its ongoing review of the board policy manual. Proposed revisions come from the Board’s policy review committee, which recommends policy changes that are then subject to a public comment period of at least 30 days, followed by a Board vote.
First, the policy entitled “School Sponsored Dances” is recommended for a name change to the more comprehensive “School Sponsored Social Events”. In addition, the existing requirement that guests aged 21 years and older be approved by the school administration is replaced with a requirement that guests of any age are subject to approval by the school principal. Guests are only allowed at social events at the high school level.
Next, the policy entitled “Educational Field Trips” is recommended for deletion from the policy manual, with oversight shifted to administrative procedures under the authority of the superintendent. The published procedures define field trips as school sponsored trips directly related to the instructional program and specify requirements for approval of such trips.
Lastly, the policy entitled “Non-School Sponsored Trips” is recommended for revision and a name change to “Unauthorized Field Trips”. Unauthorized trips are defined as trips planned by people at a school but not sponsored or authorized by the school, and for which the school has no responsibility or liability. Also under the proposed policy revision, unauthorized trips may not be advertised or planned at school.
Next on the agenda, the Board will hear a presentation on automated transportation routing software for school bus routes. School Bus Consultants, LLC of Annapolis, recommended the use of routing software to improve efficiencies in bus transportation services in their recent analysis of HCPS transportation services conducted at the Board’s request. According to the published agenda, a HCPS committee selected Transfinder Corporation to install and implement its software application following a public solicitation of vendors; however, the dollar amount of the contract with Transfinder was not published as of press time.
Last on the agenda is a report from Superintendent Canavan.
The Monday meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air, with a public comment period set for 6:50 p.m. The published agenda and related links appear below. Please note that published agendas are subject to change.
Agenda
Monday, September 8, 2014
Board Open Session – 5:00 PM – Board Room
Board Closed Session – 5:05 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 Board Committee Reports and Comments
6:50 PM Public Comment
Old Business
Action Item(s):7:05 PM A. Consent Agenda:
1) Minutes of Previous Board Meetings: (Goals 1-4)
– August 4, 2014
– August 18, 20142) Award of Contract: Pre-Construction Management Services at Havre de Grace Middle/High Replacement School (Goal 4)
3) Award of Contract: WiFi Infrastructure and Equipment Roye-Williams Elementary (Goal 4)
4) Transfer of School Bus Route (Goal 4)
7:10 PM B. Decision on FY 2016 Capital Improvement Program, Mr. Cornell Brown, Ms. Patti Joe Beard, Mr. Chris Morton (Goal 4)
7:30 PM C. Decision on HCPS Board Policies, Patrick P. Spicer, Esq., Mr. Peter Carpenter, Mr. Rob Limpert, Ms. Melanie Wernig (Goals 1-4)
– Clubs Policy No. 06-0010-000
– Curricular and Extracurricular Activities Policy No. 06-0007-000New Business
Presentation(s):
7:50 PM D. Presentation on Recommendation for HCPS Board Policies, Patrick P. Spicer, Esq. (Goals 1-4)– School Sponsored Dances Policy No. 06-0011-000
– Educational Field Trips Policy No. 06-0012-000
– Non-School Sponsored Trips Policy No. 06-0013-0008:10 PM E. Presentation on Automated Transportation Routing Software, Mr. Cornell Brown and Mr. Charlie Taibi (Goal 4)
8:30 PM F. Superintendent’s Report
Closing
8:40 PM Future Meetings Review
Adjournment
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