Board of Education Discusses Middle School Milestones; Adopts Legislative Platform for the 2014 Legislative Session

October 22, 2013

The Montgomery County Board of Education met on Monday, October 21, 2013, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Among other items, the Board discussed middle school milestones aligned to the Strategic Planning Framework and adopted its legislative platform for the 2014 State Legislative session. The agenda for the meeting, with links to related materials, can be viewed on the Board of Education website. You can also watch the video of the meeting by clicking here.

Middle School Milestones
The Board of Education received an update and held a discussion on middle school milestones. The new Strategic Planning Framework incorporates three competencies that students need for success in the 21st century—academic excellence, creative problem solving, and social emotional learning—as well as a continued commitment to operational excellence. A critical component of the framework is the process by which the district will measure the health of the school system and its efforts to close the achievement gap. Five district-wide milestones have been established to measure student progress, with two milestones that focus on the middle school years. Performance targets are being set for these milestones and their corresponding data indicators to guide schools and departments in developing action plans to improve student achievement. Future discussions will be held on milestones for elementary schools and high schools, as well as ways in which the district will measure organizational effectiveness.

Read the Board Memo

2014 Legislative Platform
The Board of Education approved a legislative platform for the 2014 Maryland legislative session. The platform represents the Board’s stance on overall legislative issues and specific legislative initiatives related to funding and accountability; local Board authority; and student programs. The Board will continue to discuss legislative issues leading up to and during the 2014 session, which begins in January.

Read the Board’s draft legislative platform

Elementary School Site in White Flint Sector Plan
The White Flint Sector Plan, adopted in 2010, provides for 9,800 housing units in the area around the White Flint METRO station. The plan is estimated to add 410 elementary school students to Montgomery County Public Schools. The current White Flint Mall property is included in the sector plan and a plan for its redevelopment is expected to be reviewed by the Montgomery County Planning Board this fall. The White Flint Mall redevelopment plan includes nearly 2,500 residential units. A future elementary school site was identified on the south side of the White Flint Mall property as part of the White Flint Sector Plan. The Board expressed concern about the location and size of this site. The Board will draft a letter to the Montgomery County Planning Board expressing its concerns, and suggesting a possible alternative location, called White Flint Mall North, for the elementary school site.

Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award
The Board approved a resolution honoring Dr. Joey Jones, principal of Robert Frost Middle School, as the winner of the 2013 Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award. This award is given annually to an administrator who has demonstrated an exceptional ability to encourage academic excellence, positive human relations and strong community outreach.

Read the resolution

Future Meetings
The Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, October 22, at 5 p.m., and Tuesday, November 5, at 4 p.m. The only public item of business at these meetings will be to vote to go into closed session in order to discuss collective bargaining. These meetings will not be televised. The Board’s next regular business meeting will be held Tuesday, November 12, with public items beginning at 10 a.m.

About the Board of Education

The Montgomery County Board of Education is the official educational policymaking body in the county. The Board is responsible for the direction and operation of the public school system. The Board consists of seven county residents elected by voters for a four-year term and a student elected by secondary school students for a one-year term. Board members are elected countywide but run at-large or from the Board district in which they reside.

Montgomery County Board of Education: Mr. Christopher Barclay, president; Mr. Philip Kauffman, vice president. Members: Ms. Shirley Brandman, Dr. Judy Docca, Mr. Michael Durso, Mrs. Patricia O’Neill, Mrs. Rebecca Smondrowski, and Mr. Justin Kim, student member. Dr. Joshua P. Starr, superintendent and secretary-treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.

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