Board of Education Approves Employee Agreements; Discusses Intervention Network Schools

March 12, 2014

The Montgomery County Board of Education met on Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Among other items, the Board approved agreements for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 with the three MCPS employee associations; held a discussion on the Intervention Network Schools and received an update on state assessments. 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.

Fiscal Year 2015 Employee Association Agreements
The Board of Education voted to approve new three-year contracts with its three employee associations—the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500, and the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP). The contracts go into effect beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 and provide employees with salary increases, implement a new program to attract highly effective teachers to high-needs schools, and increase the share employees pay for health insurance.

MCPS employees will receive a general wage increase in each of the next three years—1.5 percent in FY 2015 and 2 percent in FY 2016 and FY 2017. Eligible employees will also move up a step on the salary scale in each of the three years. Over the next two years, the amount each employee pays for health benefits will increase by 7 percentage points. The benefit changes are expected to save about $5 million in FY 2015 and $18.5 million in FY 2016 and each year thereafter.

The MCEA contract also includes the implementation of the “Career Lattice,” which will allow highly-effective, veteran teachers the opportunity to obtain “lead teacher” status and provides salary supplements if they choose to move to or remain in high-needs schools and take on leadership responsibilities.

Read the press release

Update on Strategic Priority: Intervention Schools
The Board received an update and held a wide-ranging discussion on the Intervention Schools Network. At the start of the 2013-2014 school year, MCPS implemented an integrated system of supports at 11 schools that helped move the district to a more balanced, technical, and adaptive approach to supporting students. Support provided to the schools has focused on four key areas of work, called the EPIC Framework, which includes the following:

· Early Warning Indicators
· Personalized Instruction Planning
· Implementation and Progress Monitoring
· Culture of High Expectations

Each Intervention Network school identified a core school-based interventions team comprising administrators and teachers to lead the work; prioritize groups of students to focus upon; and participate in five network meetings to build knowledge, skills, and mindsets around the four dimensions of EPIC. The Network will expand in the coming year until all schools are involved in the EPIC work.

Read the Board memo

State Assessments Update
The Board received an update and held a discussion on new state assessments that are being field tested this year and will next year be given to all students in grades 3-8 and select secondary school classes. Maryland is one of 14 states that will participate in the field testing of the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessments this spring. Every school in the state will field test in at least one classroom. There will be two testing windows occurring from March 24 to April 11 and May 5 to June 6, 2014. Grades 3—8 will field test reading/language arts and mathematics, while English 9, English 11, Geometry, and Algebra 2 will be field tested in high schools. In the 2014—2015 school year, PARCC assessments are scheduled to be delivered and the MSA reading and mathematics assessments will be discontinued. Board members expressed concern about how the PARCC assessment data will be used during the first year and how it will impact students and staff. The Board agreed to send a letter to the Maryland State Department of Education and other entities expressing its concerns.

Read the Board memo

Administrative Appointments

The Board of Education approved the following administrative appointment:

- Barbara A. Friedlander, currently acting assistant to the associate superintendent, Office of Special Education and Student Services, as assistant to the associate superintendent, Office of Special Education and Student Services

Future Meetings

The Board’s Fiscal Management Committee will meet on Thursday, March 13 at 1 p.m. The Policy Management Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 18 at 2:30 p.m. The Strategic Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 19 at 10 a.m. The Board’s next regular business meeting will be held Monday, March 24 with public items scheduled to begin at 4 p.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. Philip Kauffman, president; Mrs. Patricia O’Neill, vice president. Members: Mr. Christopher Barclay, Ms. Shirley Brandman, Dr. Judy Docca, Mr. Michael Durso, 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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