The Board of Education met on Tuesday [December 10] and, among other items, elected Board officers and approved the calendar for the 2003-04 school year. The Board also approved a Legislative Platform statement, a policy on Fiscal Responsibility and Control, and two administrative appointments. The Board discussed the superintendent’s recommendation for a full-day kindergarten task force, an evaluation of the Professional Growth System, and an update on the activities of the Office of Staff Development.

Election of Officers

The Board unanimously elected Patricia B. O'Neill and Sharon W. Cox as president and vice president, respectively, of the Board of Education.

School Calendar for 2003-04

The Board approved the calendar for the 2003-04 school year, including 184 instructional days and 195 duty days for teachers. The first day of school will be Tuesday, August 26, 2003, and the last day of school for students will be Wednesday, June 16, 2004.

Legislative Platform

The Board approved a revised Legislative Platform statement for the 2003 session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Policy DAA, Fiscal Responsibility and Control

The Board adopted draft Policy DAA, Fiscal Responsibility and Control, that is designed to ensure that adequate fiscal responsibility and control are maintained for funds entrusted to Montgomery County Public Schools.

Administrative Appointments

The Board approved the following administrative appointments:

§ Dr. Karen C. Woodson, currently the supervisor of the ESOL/Language Minority Programs for the Prince George's County Public Schools, as director of the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs.

§ Elaine J. Tanenhaus, currently assistant principal at Rosa Parks Middle School, as staffing specialist, Office of Human Resources.


Full-Day Kindergarten Task Force

The Board discussed the superintendent's recommendation to appoint a broad-based task force that will develop criteria important to the phased-in implementation of the full-day kindergarten program into all county public elementary schools.

Second-Year Evaluation of the Teacher Professional Growth System

The Office of Shared Accountability and external consultants presented a second-year evaluation of the strengths and planned improvements in the Professional Growth System (PGS). The evaluation included focus groups and surveys of teachers and administrators. The PGS is designed to increase the capacity of administrators and teachers to improve teaching and learning.

Update on the Office of Staff Development

The Board discussed a report from the Office of Staff Development on recruiting, developing and retaining skillful teachers, administrators, and supporting services staff, and focused on the results of development and training for all staff.


Board of Education: Mrs. Patricia B. O’Neill, president; Ms. Sharon W. Cox, vice president. Members: Mr. Kermit V. Burnett, Mr. Reginald M. Felton, Dr. Charles Haughey, Mr. Walter N. Lange, Mr. Gabriel Romero, and Mr. Mihyar Alnifaidy, student member. Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent and secretary treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.