The Board of Education met on Tuesday, May 9, and, among other items, recommended a plan for a replacement facility for Seven Locks Elementary School. The Board also appointed five administrators, approved improvements in the employees’ pension plan, and approved amendments to the FY 2007 Operating Budget. The Board discussed several items, including the identification of students for honors and advanced placement courses, high school assessments, and the Congressional Black Caucus Initiative project. The Board recognized the eleven students who received scholarships from the NAACP. In addition, food and nutrition service personnel were recognized on Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day.

Seven Locks Elementary School Recommendation

The Board approved a plan for Seven Locks Elementary School that would build a replacement facility on the Kendale site with a reduced core capacity of 640. The Seven Locks Elementary School site would be retained for educational purposes. An amendment was added that urged the County Council to reprogram the capital budget to accelerate by one year the modernization of Bells Mill Elementary School because of the severity of health and capacity issues at the facility and to provide capacity relief and internal improvements to Potomac Elementary School as part of the Churchill Cluster solution.

Appointments

The Board approved the following administrative appointments:

Ursula A. Hermann, currently principal, Westland Middle School, as director of school performance, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, and Walt Whitman Clusters

Troy E. Boddy, currently principal intern, Oakland Terrace Elementary School, as principal, Beall Elementary School

Shahid Muhammad, currently principal intern, Belmont Elementary School, as principal, Galway Elementary School

David Chia, currently principal intern, Burning Tree Elementary School, as principal, Rock Creek Forest Elementary School

William R. Poole, Jr., currently principal, Monocacy Elementary School, as principal, Waters Landing Elementary School

Update on Identification of Students for Honors and Advanced Placement Courses

The Board discussed the implementation of the Honors/AP Potential Identification Tool (HAPIT), a new technology tool that has been developed to assist in the identification of high school students who have the capability to participate in rigorous courses of study, but have not previously done so. HAPIT is primarily based on PSAT results and includes other factors such as Grade Point Average, attendance, and counselor notes.

MCPS Employees’ Pension Plan Improvements

The Board amended its FY 2007 Operating Budget Request by $13.2 million to fund employee pension improvements. The resolution will be forwarded to the county executive and County Council.

FY 2007 Operating Budget Amendments

The Board increased its FY 2007 Operating Budget request by $775,479 primarily to address changes in estimated revenues as a result of alterations in federal funding formulas. The amendment addresses the areas of Title I, improving teacher quality, ESOL, technology, innovative educational programs, vocational education, special education, instructional television, child care provider training, and a shift in utilities from natural gas to diesel fuel.

Amendment to Naming of DCC Elementary School #27

The Board amended its resolution of March 27, 2006, to name Downcounty Consortium Elementary School #27 as R. Sargent Shriver Elementary School to naming the school Sargent Shriver Elementary School.

Congressional Black Caucus Initiative

The Board discussed the Congressional Black Caucus Initiative, a joint project of the school system and the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education. The project provided selected high school students with the opportunity to develop skills in public policy research, advocacy, and leadership through interaction with legislators and other government leaders. There are plans to expand to the program to include Hispanic and Asian legislators and leaders and incorporate the Study Circles program into the project plan.

High School Assessments

The Board discussed the importance of providing support so that students are prepared to meet and surpass the state’s High School Assessments (HSAs). A comprehensive plan is being designed to ensure that staff, students, and community members are informed about the implementation and implications of the HSAs.

Recognition of NAACP Scholarship Recipients

The Board congratulated the eleven students who received scholarship awards this year from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The students and their schools are: Christopher Francis Chesley and Adrienne Patterson (Gaithersburg), Adaeze Chinezim Wosu (Magruder), Ayaboe Edoh and Larissa Fomum-Mugri (Walter Johnson), Roselina Harmony Gbe and Cara Miller (Springbrook), Jillian Macklin (Paint Branch), Thuan Nguyen (Wheaton), Sena Quist (Seneca Valley), and Nicole Richardson (James Hubert Blake).

Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day

The Board recognized representatives of food and nutrition service personnel for their dedication to student nutrition on the occasion of the twenty-first annual Salute to School Food and Nutrition Service Personnel Day.