The Montgomery County Board of Education (Board) met on Monday, October 23, 2017, at Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. During the meeting, the Board received a presentation and discussed the superintendent’s recommended Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Capital Budget and FY 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program (CIP); discussed and approved the 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan; and adopted the 2018 legislative platform.

The agenda for the meeting, with links to related materials, can be viewed on the Board of Education website.

Presentation of the Superintendent’s Fiscal Year 2019 Capital Budget and the Fiscal Year 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program

Superintendent Jack R. Smith released his recommended FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019–2024 CIP.  In addition to the CIP, the Superintendent’s Recommended Richard Montgomery Elementary School #5 Service Area Boundary Study was presented and discussed.  After the presentation, staff members addressed Board member questions, which serves as the Board’s first work session in its consideration of the superintendent’s recommendations.  A work session will be held on November 2, 2017.  Public hearings will be held on November 6 and November 8, followed by an additional work session on November 14.  In the event that alternatives are offered during this work session, an additional public hearing will be held on November 16.  It also was noted that public sign-ups for those wishing to testify begin on October 24, 2017, at 9:00 a.m.

Read the superintendent’s memorandum.

Read the Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program.

You may find more information about providing testimony at a public hearing on the Board’s webpage.

Approval of 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan

Under the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act of 2002 (BTE), enacted by the Maryland General Assembly in 2002, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Maryland are required to submit a Comprehensive Master Plan (Master Plan) that links school finance to decisions concerning school improvement annually. BTE is a standards-based approach to public school financing. BTE requires the Maryland State Department of Education to set academic content and student achievement standards, ensure that schools and students have sufficient resources to meet those standards, and hold schools and school systems accountable for the performance of all students and all racial/ethnic and special services groups. By design, the legislation requires school systems to integrate state, federal, and local funding and initiatives into the Master Plan.

The Master Plan was presented to the Board, including a summary of the changes made in order to comply with new legislation.  The Board approved the Master Plan Annual Update for 2017 and the Federal and State Grant Applications and Other Reporting Requirements and approved the submission of the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act of 2002—Master Plan Annual Update to the Maryland State Department of Education.

Read the memorandum to the Board.

Read the proposed 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan.

Adoption of 2018 Legislative Platform

The Board’s legislative aide presented to the Board an overview of the Legislative Platform for the 2018 session of the Maryland General Assembly, highlighting changes from the 2017 Legislative Platform.  After the presentation to the Board and a minor change made to the language regarding the investigation into a recovery school model, the Board approved the platform.

The platform is a summary of the Board’s positions on priority issues, but it allows flexibility for the consideration of the ongoing development of legislative and budget issues throughout the legislative session.  The adopted platform will be distributed to members of the Maryland General Assembly, partner organizations, and the community before and during the legislative session.  It is anticipated that the revised and approved 2018 Legislative Platform will be posted on the Board’s website soon.

Read the draft of the 2018 Legislative Platform.

Facilities and School Construction

The Board approved the contractual agreement for the preconstruction/construction management services for the proposed Maryvale Elementary revitalization/expansion project with the collocation of Carl Sandburg Learning Center.

Read the memorandum to the Board.

The Board adopted the resolution to authorize the superintendent to negotiate and execute an Adopt-a-Field agreement for the Edward U. Taylor Science Materials Center.

Read the memorandum to the Board.

Recognitions

The Board approved the following resolutions:

• A resolution recognizing November 13–17, 2017, as American Education Week;
• A resolution recognizing November 13–17, 2017, as School Psychology Awareness Week.

Future Meetings

The Board will hold its next regular business meeting on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, which will include the Board’s facilities and boundaries work session. Please check the Board of Education website and meeting calendar for further information. 

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. Michael Durso, president; Dr. Judith Docca, vice president. Members: Ms. Jeanette E. Dixon, Mrs. Shebra L. Evans, Mrs. Patricia O’Neill, Ms. Jill Ortman-Fouse, Mrs. Rebecca Smondrowski, and Mr. Matthew Post, student member. Dr. Jack R. Smith, superintendent of schools and secretary-treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.