Board of Education Meeting: May 11, 2010

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Full Agenda (PDF)

Approval of the Agenda; Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day; Recognition of NAACP Scholarship Recipients

Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day: The Board of Education does hereby recognize food and nutrition service personnel in honor of the twenty-fifth annual Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Recognition of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Scholarship Recipients: On behalf of the superintendent of schools, staff, students, and parents of Montgomery County Public Schools, the members of the Board of Education congratulate the recipients of this year's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People scholarship awards and the recipients of Senator King’s scholarship awards:

• Grace Elizabeth Brock from Quince Orchard High School
• Langston Brown from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
• Michelle Byamugisha from Poolesville High School
• Francoise Djoukeng from Montgomery Blair High School
• Talin Eshe Raenelle Hill from Winston Churchill High School
• Landry Horimbere from Springbrook High School
• Franklin Pokam from Richard Montgomery High School
• Milton Pratt from Poolesville High School
• Quet Quartey from Watkins Mill High School
• Spencer Williams from Watkins Mill High School

Public Comments

Board/Superintendent Comments

Authorization for Legal Action Related to the Board of Education's FY 2011 Operating Budget Request

Legal counsel representing the Board of Education and the school system are authorized to take any and all appropriate legal action to prevent the County Council from exceeding its authority by making any further reductions in the County Executive's recommendation for the FY 2011 Operating Budget for Montgomery County Public Schools.

Elimination of Loss of Credit Practice

The elimination of the loss of credit practice aligns with Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) strategic plan, Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence, Goals 1 and 2 and the Framework for Equity and Excellence, by supporting the goal to provide rigorous instruction and promote increased student achievement for all students, while eliminating the achievement gap.

In 2003, after extensive discussion and community input, the Board of Education adopted Policy IKA, Grading and Reporting. The adoption of Policy IKA necessitated the review of a number of other policies and regulations to ensure alignment with the revised policy. The loss of credit practice was identified as an area for review.

The central tenets of grading and reporting—that grades are an accurate reflection of a student’s academic achievement, and that there be consistency in the practices within and among schools—are inherently incompatible with the current practice of denying students credit based on attendance. With the elimination of the loss of credit practice, attendance will no longer be calculated in a student’s grade.

Human Resources - Appointments

Consent Items

Monthly Financial Report

Preliminary Plans for Weller Road ES Modernization Project

The Board approved the preliminary plans report for the Weller Road Elementary School modernization project developed by Delmar Architects, P.A.

Board's Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations on Enhancing Process for Determining the Board's Work

At the December 15, 2009, Board retreat, the Board of Education asked an ad hoc committee to make recommendations for revising and updating the Board’s Handbook to incorporate a disciplined process for working with the administration and each other to ensure that our work reflects the input of the full Board and that we develop strategies for guiding our work informed by our core values. Mrs. O’Neill, Mrs. Berthiaume, and Ms. Brandman volunteered to serve on the ad hoc committee and met to address the matters arising from the retreat.

The ad hoc committee had several discussions about the need to focus the Board’s work on topics that are related to the vision of the strategic plan and to better integrate the work of the Board’s committees into that of the full Board. Based on these discussions and input from the superintendent’s office, we recommend that the Board schedule an annual work plan development retreat each summer devoted to the identification of a maximum of six significant topics to be included on the Board’s agendas during the upcoming academic year.

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