| MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF February 27, 2004 Columbia Campus
MEMBERS PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Donald R. Eichelberger; John Ertel, Ph.D.; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Sandra Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Jeffrey W. Lewis, Ph.D.; Anjali D. Margolin; Charles E. Poyer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq; Laurie Yaffe; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. MEMBERS ABSENT: Ann H. B. Brockenborough, Ed.D.; Edgar B. Palmer; Irajean W. Harper; ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey. President Raimondo called the meeting to order at 9:14 a.m.. Roll call was called by passing around the roll call sheet. A MOTION was made to approve the agenda – SECONDED, PASSED. Two corrections were made to the November meeting minutes. The date of the meeting was incorrectly marked and the approval of a $1000.00 transfer from the Trustees Account to the petty cash account was omitted from the November minutes. A MOTION was made to approve the November minutes as corrected – SECONDED, PASSED. The minutes to the November Closed Session Meeting were distributed. A MOTION was made to approve the closed session minutes – SECONDED, PASSED. President's Report: President Raimondo shared with the BOT members a thank you note that former BOT member Mary Jane Sanders sent regarding the Grand Opening of the Shockley House. The President announced that lunch today would include a thank you presentation for two former BOT members – Don Eichelberger and Alan Marcus. The fact that several Board members term will end in September was discussed. A list of possible replacements will have to be generated and presented to the Governor's appointment office. Ms. Raimondo reminded the board members that their attendance at school functions is very much appreciated. Carol Stevens attended the Holiday Party in December in Columbia and President Raimondo attended the Orioles Management Team Tea at both the Frederick and Columbia locations. The Accreditation For Growth process was discussed. It was explained that Mr. Stanley C. Baker, Chairperson of the Accreditation Planning Committee, and other committee members have traveled all over the state recently to meet with stakeholders. The purpose was to collect information and give help with the survey for anyone who needed it. The President reminded Board members that it is important that they complete the survey and return it to the school. Several members had responded on the parent survey but had not completed it as Board members. Vice President Report: No Report Secretary's Report: Board members were reminded to update their addresses for the mailing list. Treasurer's Report: Treasurer Goldberg announced that the Board still had two outstanding expenses – reimbursement to MSD for the November recognition dinner and the BOT's share of the financial audit. A discussion was held regarding the method of payment for the audit. Mr. Goldberg shared that there is enough money in the petty cash account to cover the expenses which must be paid from that account. Superintendent's Report: The Superintendent explained that the budget hearings so far have gone very well. Only one cut was recommended from the budget. The Frederick Campus will not be replacing the bobcat as they had originally planned. The school did not object to the cut. The General Assembly session will end on April 12 th but at this time, it seems that the 2005 budget for the school is in good shape. Mr. Tucker explained that the report from the Department of Legislative Services to the General Assembly mentioned the special audit that was done at the school. The BOT members were informed that Ms. Suzanne Schwertman, CFO, would present information on that report later in the day. The Superintendent shared that he and Ms Schwertman would be returning to Annapolis in the near future to request the Capital Improvement design money for both the Columbia and Frederick Campuses. The school received its license renewal from the Department of Human Resources for the Residential program last month. This license is good until 2006. Mr. Tucker told the members that the children are in the process of taking the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) tests this week and next. The Superintendent had a meeting with Dr. Carol Ann Baglin of the Maryland Department of Education regarding the MSA tests and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. Many schools for the Deaf in the nation are getting waivers that exempt them from some of the standards set forth by the NCLB legislation. This will be a topic of discussion at the CEASD conference in St. Augustine in April. Mr. Tucker will meet with Dr. Baglin again in May. The Superintendent shared that there is still much discussion regarding the assessment tests on the State and Federal level for all school. He will keep the BOT updated as changes or decisions occur. The Superintendent informed the Board members that the annual Staffing Plan will be brought before them for approval in today's meeting. The Plan is required by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) for all schools who apply for grant money. Minor updates were made from last year's plan. Mr. Tucker explained that MSD lost five days of instruction this year due to weather (one for the hurricane and four due to wintry conditions). The school will not be requesting a waiver for any of the days. All of the days will be made up at the end of the school year. A Board member commented that the school closure policy this year made access to after-school programs equitable for both day and residential students. Superintendent Tucker announced that Dr. Carol Padden will be the graduation speaker this year. She is a professor at the University of San Diego and served on the Board of Trustees for Gallaudet University . She is the sister of MSD's Assistant Principal for Career Technology Education and her niece is graduating from MSD this year. Mr. Tucker informed the BOT that Ms. Melinda Padden and Ms. Evelyn Hill-Johnson, Curriculum coordinators for Frederick and Columbia MSD would give a presentation to the Board today at 11:45 a.m.. A MOTION was made at 10:05 a.m. to go into Closed Session to discuss personnel issues, protect the confidentiality of individuals and to seek legal advice. SECONED – PASSED. – See Attached. PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Donald R. Eichelberger; John Ertel, Ph.D.; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Anjali D. Margolin; Charles E. Poyer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn; Laurie Yaffe-Shevitz, Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Brenda Kelly-Frey; Roberta Quinn A MOTION was made at 11:04 a.m. to return to OPEN SESSION – SECONDED – PASSED. PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Donald R. Eichelberger; John Ertel, Ph.D.; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Sandra Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Anjali D. Margolin; Charles E. Poyer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn; Laurie Yaffe; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Brenda Kelly-Frey; Roberta Quinn Executive Committee Report: No report Education Committee Report: No report Fiscal Matters/Facilities Management Committee: Treasurer Goldberg announced that he may join the Superintendent at the hearings in Baltimore for the Capital Budget. Personnel Committee Report: No Report Student Life Committee: The committee members were reminded that they will need to meet in the spring to review the proposed changes to the Parent/Student Handbook for the 2004/05 school year. This meeting will need to take place prior to the May BOT meeting. Trusteeship Committee: A discussion was held regarding the number of BOT members whose term of service will end in September of 2004. It was recommended that a list of names be developed by the Trusteeship Committee and that it be presented at the May Board meeting. After the list is reviewed by all the BOT members, candidates will be approached for possible interest and the resumes of those interested will be forwarded to the Governor's appointment office. It was suggested that candidates should have experience with residential or boarding school programs such as MSD. Representation from differing parts of the state was discussed. Board member Laurie Yaffe has moved to Easton and therefore now represents the eastern part of the state. Board members agreed to submit names for potential new Board members. All recommendations should be given to Sandy Harriman, Chairperson of the Trusteeship Committee, for follow-up. At 11:45 A.M. Ms. Evelyn Hill-Johnson and Ms. Melinda Padden gave a presentation on the Curriculum Program at MSD. MSD has adopted the public school program and makes adjustments to meet the needs of the children at our school. It was explained that MSD works with a consultant from the Frederick County Public School System for training and updates on curriculum. In addition to the Essential Curriculum, MSD also offers Life Based Education (LBE) for those students who need more than academic instruction and we offer Early Learning Education for children from birth to age 5 through our Family Education/Early Intervention (FE/EI) program. The children are taught through ASL and written English. The presenters discussed the various tests that are given to the children through out their school career and the goal behind each test. It was also shared that the teachers are being trained on how to prepare the children to take the new Maryland Assessment tests. Open Forum: No one signed up for Open Forum Old Business: The school accreditation progress was discussed. BOT member Carol Stevens, commented on the high level of dedication and involvement she has witnessed on the part of parents, staff and children. President Raimondo shared with the BOT that the new Mission Statement for the school would be presented to the BOT for their approval today. Many stakeholders worked for months on obtaining input from the community, sharing the various perspectives, and developing a Mission Statement that reflects the community's views. The Mission Statement for MSD is as follows: The Maryland School for the Deaf provides excellence in education in a bilingual environment to prepare all students to be contributing citizens. There was discussion about wording and punctuation. President Raimondo explained that any revisions to the proposed mission statement would have to be brought back to all the stakeholders (parents, staff, alumni, children and community) for acceptance. She also shared that both the Columbia and Frederick Accreditation Steering Committees believed this statement represented the feedback received from all the stakeholders. A MOTION was made to approve the Mission Statement as written – SECONDED – PASSED. The Board of Trustees will review the belief statements at the May meeting. The belief statements will be expected to support the Mission Statement. Mr. Baker reported on the results of the survey that was sent out in late December and early January. He shared with the Board members that the results of this survey would be used to help develop the schools goals and action plans for the next seven years. He announced that the results of the survey can be found on the MSD website under CIWA/MSA Accreditation. Mr. Baker told the BOT that a second survey – done by the University of Baltimore – is being developed at this time and should be out to stakeholders in the spring. This survey will be customized for MSD to pose the questions not asked by the Accreditation for Growth survey. New Business: Superintendent Tucker presented the Board members with a copy of the 2004/2005 school calendar. He explained that the winter break has been removed from the calendar and replaced with a long weekend in February. The extra school days will be used to help prepare the students for the MSA tests. A MOTION was made to accept the Maryland School for the Deaf 2004/2005 Staffing Plan as written – SECONDED – PASSED. The meeting adjourned at 2:09 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Anjali Desai-Margolin
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