MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF BOARD OF TRUSTEES Meeting MinutesAugust 28, 2003 Columbia Campus
MEMBERS PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Ann H.B. Brockenborough, Ed.D.; John Ertel, Ph.D.; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Irajean W. Harper; Sandra N. Harriman; Jeffrey W. Lewis, Ph.D.; Anjali D. Margolin; Edgar B. Palmer; Charles E. Poyer; Barbara Raimondo; Laurie Yaffe-Shevitz; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. MEMBERS ABSENT: Donald R. Eichelberger; Joseph J. Innes; David A. Severn, Esquire. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey. President Raimondo called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.. Roll call was called by passing around the roll call sheet. President Raimondo passed around a thank you card from former Board member Harvey Goodstein. Mr. Goodstein, who retired and has moved out of state, was honored at the May Board meeting for his years of service to the Board. MOTION was made to add the FY '05 – '07 Faculty Pay Plan on the Agenda under New Business – SECONDED – PASSED. MOTION was made to approve the Agenda as modified – SECONDED – PASSED. The minutes to the closed session at the May 2002 meeting were distributed and reviewed by the Board Members. MOTION was made to approve the May 2002 closed session minutes – SECONDED – APPROVED. MOTION was made to approve the open session minutes for the May 2002 meeting – SECONDED – APPROVED. President's Report: President Raimondo explained to the Board members that she has asked Mr. Tucker to invite members of the MSD community to give presentations to the Board at each meeting. The presentations could be from students or teachers. It was announced that the school will begin the re-accreditation process in the fall. This will be a year-long process with the site visit scheduled sometime in the fall of 2004. There will reports on the schools progress at future Board meetings. President Raimondo made the announcement that Dr. Alan Marcus has resigned his position with the Board of Trustees. Dr. Marcus has accepted the position of Director of Student Support Services for MSD. David Severn has accepted to take Dr. Marcus' place as Chairperson for the Personnel Committee. Vice President Report: No Report Secretary's Report: No Report Treasurer's Report: Mr. H. Mitchell Goldberg shared with the Board members that the petty cash account has now been transferred to him from the former treasurer. Treasurer Goldberg also told the Board that the funds in the petty cash account were used to reimburse MSD for the purchase of the gifts for departing Board members. The report from Ferris Baker Watts regarding the Trustee Account is being forwarded to Mr. Goldberg from the Foundation on a monthly basis. Superintendent's Report: This is a momentous year for MSD. The Frederick Campus is celebrating its 136 th year and the Columbia Campus is now 30 years old. Mr. Tucker announced that there are currently 500 children attending MSD. Mr. Tucker explained that we are now in our second month of our FY'04 budget. In order to balance the budget the Governor has made many cuts in State agency budgets. So far, however, our budget is intact. Superintendent Tucker told the Board members that Ms. Suzanne Schwertman, CFO for MSD, would be presenting the proposed FY '05 budget to the BOT at 11:00 a.m. We are looking at a 4.4% increase in this year's budget. Committees have been created by the Governor's office to investigate potential staff/budget cuts or agency restructuring. The school administration will be following the committee's work closely for impact on MSD. Mr. Tucker informed the Board that the results of the spring 2003 HSA tests had just been released by MSDE. The results are posted on the MSDE website. MSD can be found under “special placement schools”. While MSD did well this year, there still needs to be a discussion between MSD and MSDE regarding cultural bias on the tests. The tests place a large emphasis on phonics which puts deaf children at a big disadvantage. Several members of the MSD staff are on a task force investigating this issue. The Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement and Results, Mr. Stanley C. Baker, is currently analyzing the report. The Superintendent will have more information on the results at the November meeting. The Superintendent announced that President Barbara Raimondo and Ms. Carol Stevens sit on the Accreditation Planning Committee (APC) to represent the Board of Trustees. Nancy Fava and Cheri Dowling are parent representatives for the APC. There will be a Frederick Campus Steering Committee and Columbia Campus Steering Committee consisting of staff from all the different departments, alumni, and students. The meetings will take place throughout the year on both campuses in preparation for the visitation from the accreditation committee in the fall of 2004. It was announced that the Parent/Student Handbooks and the Staff Handbooks are back from the printers and will be distributed on Friday August 29th. Mr. Tucker informed the Board that the meeting with the Board of Public Works for the naming of the “Shockley House”, the group home on the Frederick Campus, will take place on September 17. Board members will receive an invitation to the Grand Opening once the date has been set. Three Ad Hoc committees are being established on the two campuses. • A small pilot program for the Family Ed children with cochlear implants will take place on the Columbia Campus. The Ad Hoc committee will look at the children's needs and will be responsible to make recommendations on how the school can best teach the children with implants. Seventeen (17) of the twenty-eight (28) pre-school/Family Education children have implants. • MSD Admission Policy Ad Hoc Committee. This group will examine the need for and possibility of establishing a small special needs program on the Frederick Campus for elementary and middle school children. Currently all of the children who need additional support attend the Columbia Campus. Seventy-five (75) of the one hundred and ten (110) children at Columbia have additional disabilities. Thirteen (13) of those seventy-five (75) are from the Western part of the state. Travel time becomes an issue in these cases. We may need a geographic policy for special needs students. The group will report its findings and make their recommendation to the BOT in the spring. • The third Ad Hoc Committee will investigate the idea of charging athletic fees. While the school did charge such fees in the past, fees are not currently being charged now. This group, which consists mostly of athletic dept. staff, will examine the issue of dept. needs vs affordability for parents. They will report their findings and make recommendations to the Board in the spring. Vice President Palmer commented that the graduation speaker this year, Mr. Lindsay Dunn was outstanding. His presentation to the students was very inspirational. Executive Committee Report: Chairman Sam Sonnenstrahl explained that the meeting, which took place on June 11 th, was a Personnel Committee Open Forum. Executive Committee members attended the meeting as well as the Personnel Committee members. On June 24 th the Executive Committee had a joint meeting with the Personnel Committee. Since the Executive Committee did not have a quorum, the meeting became a Personnel Committee meeting. On July 1 st the Executive Committee met in closed session. Mr. Sonnenstrahl reminded the Board that only Executive Committee members could vote to approve the minutes to the July 1, 2002 Executive Committee meeting. MOTION made to approve the July 1, 2003 Executive Committee Meeting minutes – SECONDED – PASSED. Personnel Committee Report: No report Fiscal Matters/Facilities Management Committee: Chairman Goldberg explained that he met with Ms. Suzanne Schwertman prior to the Board meeting to review the FY '05 budget proposal. Mr. Goldberg asked Ms. Schwertman to present the budget to the full Board. Ms. Schwertman explained that, aside from paying for our regular expenses, the increased funds in our proposed budget will go towards the following:
A discussion was held regarding the safety of the 11 passenger vans. Ms. Schwertman explained that all the recommended precautions have been taken already to make the vans safer. Van safety workshop is part of the training done with the staff every year. The activity buses hold the same number of passengers but are more accessible for children in wheel chairs.
MOTION made by the Fiscal Matters/Facilities Management Chairman to approve the FY'05 budget for presentation to the Maryland State Governor – SECONDED – PASSED.
The faculty pay plan was discussed. By law, the pay plan must be reviewed every three years. The pay plan is not based on an annual percent increase but rather on actual teacher salaries in Howard and Frederick County . Ms. Schwertman explained that State employees have not received increases for the past two years as per direction from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM); this is the first year however, that our teacher salaries have not increased. Salary adjustments based on staff earning additional college credits are being made.
MOTION made to approve the Faculty Pay Plan for FY '05, '06, '07 – SECONDED – PASSED.
A discussion was held regarding the Master Plan for MSD. Ms. Schwertman explained that she and Superintendent Tucker appeared before the DBM in July to present the first phase projects (new Frederick Campus Elementary School and Family Ed Dept. as well as an elevator in the main building on the Columbia Campus). The technical team at DBM was very positive regarding the projects and recommended them for submission to the General Assembly. Hearings on the projects will take place in the spring and, if approved, the design phase will start in July of 2004. Ms Schwertman reminded the BOT that the General Assembly has the authority to postpone the projects but since the school has not requested major renovations in 25 years, it is generally felt that the request will be granted. New Business: The items listed under this section were discussed previously during the day so they were not re-visited under this section of the agenda. a) Approval of '05 budget - Approved b) Superintendent Evaluation for Academic year 2002-2003 – being postponed until the Chairman of the Personnel Committee arrives. c) Discussion of independent school wide survey - discussed d) Board activities - discussed Open Forum: Open Forum began at 1:05 P.M. There were seven speakers before the Board and one letter for the Board from a parent who could not attend. Mr. Al Couthen shared with the members of the BOT that he had presented previously at the March and May meetings. He expressed his concern at not having had any Board feedback to date regarding his presentations. Mr. Couthen told the Board members that he had asked for copies of the March meeting minutes but did not receive a quick response. Now having read the minutes of the March meeting, he feels that the minutes do not reflect accurately his presentation. His concern for the lack of recognition for members of the staff who helped develop the Enhanced Program was not listed and neither was his belief that the current work environment at MSD is hostile. Mr. Couthen requested that these issues be included in the minutes. Mr. Couthen advised the Board members that he will continue to work with the Board on his issues of concern. Ms. Jenny Sue Bourne , a recent MSD retiree, wanted the Board members to know that her experience working with Superintendent Tucker over the years had been a positive one. Ms. Bourne said that she was thankful that the school's budget had not been cut this year and pleased at the upcoming capital improvement projects planned for the school. She shared her concern regarding the We Care group and felt that establishing an outreach program may help restore peace at the school. Ms. Bourne thanked the school for her children's success. Ms. Nancy Fava explained that she has been a parent at the school, both Columbia and Frederick Campuses, for the past 14 years. She wanted the Board to know that she believes that Mr. Tucker has made very positive changes at the school during his time as Superintendent including introducing a bilingual environment and implementing the Frederick County Public School Curriculum. She is pleased at the progress her son is making at the school and wishes to continue working with Mr. Tucker in the future. Ms. Sherlene Tharpe asked the BOT to re-visit the District Policy. Currently, Ms. Tharpe's 2 older boys attend the Frederick Campus and her youngest son is at the Columbia Campus. Ms. Tharpe wishes to enroll her youngest son in after school sport activities on the Frederick Campus. She explained that her son wants the opportunity to win sporting trophies like his older brothers. In order for her son to get to practice on time everyday, Ms. Tharpe must travel from her home in Northern Baltimore to Columbia to pick him up and then drive him to the Frederick Campus and then back home to Baltimore every evening. This is becoming a transportation hardship for her and would like him to be transferred to the Frederick Campus so he would already be at Frederick when practice starts reducing her travel time. Ms. Grace Steingeiser referred to a letter that was sent by Mr. Tucker to the community earlier in the summer. Ms. Steingeiser stated that she believes the letter has stifled community members who would otherwise speak out and that this will harm the community's mental health. Ms. Dawn Seremeth told the Board that when she attended Open Forum in March, she spoke as the President of the Frederick Campus PTCA. Today, she comes before the Board as a concerned parent. Ms. Seremeth was concerned that an article regarding the role of the Maryland School for the Deaf Board of Trustees that was to be printed in the Maryland Bulletin was not in the spring issue. Ms. Evelyn Weidig informed the BOT that Boy Scout Troop 258 was going to be celebrating their 80 th anniversary. A party is being planned and all of the Board members will be invited to the celebration. President Raimondo explained to the speakers that issues brought to the BOT's attention are discussed but that, due to Personnel confidentiality regulations, the information discussed may not be disclosed in meeting minutes. President Raimondo announced that the Superintendent's evaluation would be postponed to the November meeting since the Chairman of the Personnel Committee was unable to attend today's meeting. A discussion was held regarding the minutes of the Open Meeting that was held with the Personnel Committee and members of the community on June 11, 2003. It was recommended that a brief summary of what was said that evening would be written for the Board files but that no formal minutes needed to be written. A MOTION was made to approve the June 23, 2003 Personnel Committee Closed Session minutes – SECONDED – APPROVED. At 2:00 P.M. a MOTION was made to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing Personnel issues. SECONDED – PASSED 13 – 0. See attached. PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Ann H.B. Brockenborough, Ed.D.; John Ertel, Ph.D.; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Irajean W. Harper; Sandra N. Harriman; Anjali D. Margolin; Edgar B. Palmer; Charles E. Poyer; Barbara Raimondo; Laurie Yaffe Shevitz; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Brenda Kelly-Frey; Roberta Quinn At 3:33 a MOTION was made to return to open session. SECONDED – PASSED 13-0. A discussion was held regarding the school's geographic policy. Mr. Tucker will review the case presented by Ms. Tharpe with Deputy Superintendent Dr. Richard Steffan and will report back to the Board at the November BOT meeting. A full discussion of the Superintendent's goals for the 2003/2004 school year was postponed until the November meeting. A MOTION was made to temporarily accept the proposed goals until they are reviewed at the November 20, 2003 meeting. SECONDED – PASSED. The meeting adjourned at 3:57 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Anjali Desai-Margolin Secretary |