Board Votes on Subdivision Staging Policy; Holds Work Session on Strategic Plan Guiding Tenets

August 24, 2012

The Montgomery County Board of Education met on Thursday, August 23, 2012, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Among other items, the Board discussed the Montgomery County Planning Board’s Subdivision Staging Policy, discussed preparations for the first day of school, and discussed revising its strategic plan core values. The agenda for the meeting, with links to related materials, can be viewed on the Board of Education website.

Subdivision Staging Policy

The Board of Education voted to support the Montgomery County Planning Board’s 2012-2016 Subdivision Staging Policy, with one requested change. The policy guides the assessment of the impact that a new subdivision would have on school facilities and the calculation of school facility payments that developers would pay in order to move forward to a project. The Planning Board had recommended that any facility payments collected go toward projects in the school cluster where the subdivision is located. However, the Board voted to ask that the new policy allow the facility payments to be used on school constructions project in any cluster. Read the Board memo

First Day of School

The Board heard a report from MCPS staff on preparations for the first day of school on August 27, 2012. More than 149,000 students are expected to attend classes the first day of school and the district will open two major construction projects. The new Flora M. Singer Elementary School, the district’s first new school since 2009, will serve students in the Downcounty Consortium. The fully modernized Paint Branch High School will also open on August 27, with about 1,900 students. The district will also continue the implementation of Curriculum 2.0 to all kindergarten through third grade classrooms.

Appointment

The Board of Education approved the following administrative appointment:

- Sharon H. Gooding, acting supervisor, Equity Assurance and Compliance Unit, as supervisor, Equity Assurance and Compliance Unit, Office of Special Education and Student Services

Update on Public Education Leadership Project

The Board received an update on MCPS’ participation in Harvard University’s Public Education Leadership Project (PELP). For the past several years, MCPS has been attending PELP to refine and improve its leadership and management practices in order to raise student achievement and make operations more efficient in the district. Dr. Starr said this year’s work focused around how a high-functioning organization like MCPS can adapt to a new set of circumstances so that performance continually improves and variability is reduced. Each summer, MCPS and several other districts send teams of system leaders to participate in seminars taught by Harvard faculty as a part of professional development. PELP is a collaborative effort between the Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Strategic Plan Guiding Tenets

The Board held a work session where it discussed the possible revision of the district’s strategic plan and its guiding tenets. The Board of Education is considering revisions to Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence, the district’s strategic plan, which has guided school improvement efforts for more than a decade. The Board will provide the public opportunities to offer feedback about proposed revisions.

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: Ms. Shirley Brandman, president; Mr. Christopher Barclay, vice president. Members: Ms. Laura Berthiaume, Dr. Judy Docca, Mr. Michael Durso, Mr. Phil Kauffman, Ms. Patricia O’Neill, and Mr. John Mannes, student member. Dr. Joshua P. Starr, superintendent and secretary-treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.

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