MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Meeting Minutes
May 21, 2004
Frederick Campus

MEMBERS PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Sandra N. Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Jeffrey W. Lewis, Ph.D.; Edgar B. Palmer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq.; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens; Laurie Yaffe.

MEMBERS ABSENT: Ann H.B. Brockenborough, Ed.D.; John Ertel, Ph.D.; Irajean W. Harper; Anjali Desai-Margolin; Charles E. Poyer.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins

INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey.

President Barbara Raimondo called the meeting to order at 9:08 a.m.

The President discussed a recommended change to the agenda for today's meeting. She explained that the members of the BOT would be asked to vote on the proposed belief statements for MSD early in the day. Ms. Carol Stevens will be leaving before lunch and has requested to be present for the vote. Ms. Raimondo announced that members of the Action Plan Committees for the accreditation process would present their recommendations to the BOT this morning.

MOTION made to approve the Agenda as modified – SECONDED – PASSED

MOTION made to approve the Open Session minutes of the February 2004 meeting with two corrections – SECONDED – PASSED.

The minutes to the Closed Session of the February 2004 meeting were distributed and reviewed.

MOTION made to approve the minutes of the February 2004 Closed Session with a spelling correction – SECONDED – PASSED.

President's Report:
President Raimondo reviewed with the Board members the structure of the committees for the accreditation process. She explained that she and Ms. Carol Stevens are members of the Accreditation Planning Committee (APC). Ms. Raimondo represents the Board for the Frederick Campus and Ms. Stevens represents the Board for the Columbia Campus.

On each Campus there is a steering committee. Both the Columbia and Frederick committee have put in many long hours working on the accreditation process. The belief statements that will be presented for Board approval today are a result of input from staff, children, parents and the outside community. They have been approved by the Steering Committees and by the APC. Since the Mission Statement and the Belief Statements are in the Parent/Student Handbook as well as the Employee Handbook, it is necessary to obtain BOT approval of both. President Raimondo did, however, explain that the Accreditation for Growth process requires that the lion's share of the work and responsibility for follow through be done by the school community as a whole.

Ms. Raimondo reported that the results of the survey that was mailed out by the school in December have been compiled and in response to the survey results, three action plan committees have been formed. The areas that have been identified as goal areas for this accreditation cycle are Reading , Math and Information Technology. Representatives of these three committees will present their plans to the Board this morning.

Ms. Steven expressed how honored she was to have worked with the accreditation committees. She shared that the dedication demonstrated by the members of the committees and the MSD Community at large was to be applauded.

A MOTION was made to express the Board of Trustees appreciation to the parents, staff, children and administration for all of their hard work in the accreditation process. SECONDED – PASSED.

President Raimondo explained that the University of Baltimore survey results should be available in August.

A discussion was held about the BOT's responsibility in responding to Community inquiries regarding MSD. It was decided that Mr. Tucker will send information to the BOT via “Talking Points” so they have the background information they need on current events when approached regarding MSD. Ms. Raimondo will investigate the possibility of having a training session on community relations.

At 9:50 a.m. Mr. Stanley Baker started the presentation regarding Accreditation. He explained how the Action Plan Teams were assembled and the structure of the Accreditation Committees. Mr. Baker told the Board members that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) regulations require that the school make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in math and reading. This requirement was a catalyst for the development of the math and reading action plans. Our survey showed a clear need for improvement in the IT area for both campuses. This is how the third action plan was developed. Mr. Baker explained that the Action Plan Teams will finish their work before the end of school in June and the submission of the plans to the Mid-Atlantic States Association will take place in early July. The BOT was informed that the accreditation visit by the validation team will take place the week of November 8 th .

Ms. Michelle Fetterman presented the Reading Action Plan, Ms. Jenny Perry presented the Math Action Plan and Mr. Robert Lewis presented the IT Action Plan. Both the reading and math groups are using NCLB goals to structure their plans for the next seven years. The IT group has based their plan on the voluntary curriculum from the Maryland public school system.

A MOTION was made to accept the belief statements as written – SECONDED – PASSED.

Vice President's Report:

Mr. Palmer apologized for having missed the February meeting. He explained that he sits on another Board, which met in Vermont and was unable to return to Columbia in time for the meeting.

Vice President Palmer announced that the Student Life and Education Committees met on Wednesday May 19 to review the proposed changes to the Parent/Student handbook and also to discuss the proposed sixth grade bridging program.

Secretary's Report:

No Report

Treasurer's Report:

Mr. Goldberg reported on the balance in the petty cash account as well as the Ferris Baker Watts account.

Superintendent's Report:

Mr. Tucker introduced Ms. Celinda Rother to the BOT. Ms. Rother now works for MSD as a grant writer. She is a Frederick resident and has worked as a grant writer for the Baltimore Aquarium for several years. Her focus will be to acquire grants from private Foundations.

Superintendent Tucker shared with the BOT that the school's 4.2% increase in the operating budget for fiscal year '05 has been approved. The design money for the capital improvements has also been approved.

Mr. Tucker reminded everyone that graduation this year is scheduled for Saturday, June 5 th .

Ms. Carol Padden is the graduation speaker. Ms. Padden's niece is graduating this year.

Any BOT member who wishes to attend graduation should see Ms. Anny Currin for tickets.

The Superintendent announced that Ms. Lori Hopkins, Assistant Attorney General for MSD is resigning her position. Mr. Tucker thanked Ms. Hopkins for all of her assistance over the years.

Mr. Tucker shared with the BOT that he had a follow up meeting with Dr. Carol Ann Baglin of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to discuss further the validity of the tests that are being given under the new NCLB regulations. Several of our Assistant Principals served on a committee to review test bias and they made many recommendations. This is the second year that the tests have been given and the phonetic references are still part of the test. Dr. Baglin is very sensitive to our concerns and invited to the meeting the Assistant Superintendent for Testing at MSDE. MSD will write a letter to MSDE outlining our concerns and request that MSDE declare the tests for the last two years invalid. Mr. Tucker and Dr. Baglin agreed to meet again in the fall. President Raimondo shared with everyone that, when meeting with the Federal Department of Education, she has brought to their attention the concern that sound recognition is necessary to successfully answer many of the questions on the reading tests.

At 11:16 Ms. Nancy Downey , Dean of Students at the Columbia Campus, and Ms. Helen Burke, Student Life Counselor Supervisor at the Columbia Campus, spoke to the BOT regarding the residential program at Columbia .

At 11:32 Mr. Dirk Albrecht, Dean of students at the Frederick Campus, gave a presentation on the residential program at the Frederick Campus.

At 1:00 p.m. President Raimondo introduced the first speaker for Open Forum.

A parent at MSD spoke to the Board members in support of a special needs program on the Frederick Campus. She shared her belief that the teachers in Frederick are excellent but that they need the extra assistance they could get if MSD had people on staff who specialized in learning disabilities. It is her hope that the task force will recommend having an Enhanced Services program in Frederick.

A second parent addressed the BOT on the issue of special needs children remaining in Frederick with the additional assistance they need. He shared with the BOT that he wishes for his child to remain in Frederick rather than move to Columbia for the additional assistance he needs. Two other parents spoke in support of this parent.

A third parent brought his concerns regarding his child repeating a grade. The parent does not agree with the schools recommendations. The parent was not happy with the way the IEP schedule was handled and is uncertain how to proceed. A discussion was held regarding the MSDE's views on having children repeat a grade, the school's responsibility and parents' rights.

Mr. Tucker distributed the information gathered by the Special Needs Ad Hoc Committee.

The Committee reviewed the number of children on each campus who would be eligible for the Enhanced Services (ES) program and balanced that with many other factors including the cost of setting up a new ES program at the Frederick Campus. Mr. Tucker explained that currently, the elementary and middle school ES program and all the resources this program requires is located on the Columbia Campus. The high school ES program is in Frederick and is referred to as Life Based Education (LBE). MSDE has given permission to the school to regionalize specialty programs in order to make the best use of resources. The recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee is to leave the policy for the ES program unchanged at this time. The Superintendent will continue to monitor the need for this program and will explore all other options if the need arises.

Superintendent Tucker spoke about the proposed bridging program being considered for children entering the middle school. President Raimondo recused herself from this discussion. The Superintendent gave a brief history of parent placement requests at MSD. The school is trying to balance parent requests with NCLB and MSDE requirements regarding child placement. Mr. Tucker consulted with the AAG as well as other Superintendents for Schools for the Deaf on how best to address this issue. It was suggested that a program be developed that will help students transition from elementary to middle school. An Ad Hoc Committee has been formed to explore curriculum goals for such a program. This would be a pilot program for the school. NCLB regulations hold schools accountable for proper age placement of children but it also will require that schools do away with the directed level placement for children. Bridging programs may become necessary to help children achieve their reading and math goals. Mr. Tucker plans on sharing all the details of the program in mid June once plans have been finalized.

A MOTION was made to accept the Ad Hoc Committees recommendation that the Maryland School for the Deaf establish a bridging program between the elementary and middle school programs. This program will follow the regular IEP process. SECONDED – PASSED.

The Superintendent discussed the progress made by the Cochlear Implant (CI) Committee at MSD this past school year. A CI consultant has assisted the MSD staff this year with expert feedback on the program and the progress made by the children. The school is now investigating the possibility of adding a language specialist to the program.

Mr. Tucker announced that the Athletic Fees Ad Hoc committee, after much research, has recommended that the school not charge an athletic fee for student participation in after school athletic programs. The committee felt that the parents already participate in the program expenses by buying the basic equipment for their child(ren) and often travel long distances to support their student athletes. At this time, however, the booster club is still discussing the possibility of charging admission to parents, staff and students for athletic events.

A discussion was held regarding the special audit of the school done last spring. Mr. Tucker informed the BOT that the school is still planning on sending an appeal letter to the Department of Budget and Management.

Executive Committee Report:

No report

Education Committee:

The committee reviewed the recommended changes to the Parent/Student Handbook. The committee recommended to the BOT that the changes be accepted.

A MOTION was made to accept the 2004/2005 Parent/Student Handbook as presented – SECONDED – PASSED.

Fiscal Matters/Facilities Management Committee:

No Report.

Personnel Committee:

Chairperson David Severn explained that the Committee met with the Personnel Director and Assistant Director on Tuesday May 18 to discuss the proposed changes to the 2004/2005 Employee Handbook. Most of the changes are required by the State Personnel Regulations and do not require Board input. One recommended policy change, the banning of home based business on company time and property, drew much discussion from the committee. After conferring with the AAG on the subject, it was discovered that the biggest concern is that of supervisors selling to their subordinates. The State Ethics Commission is clear that it is unacceptable for State employees to sell products to people over which they have or may be perceived as having power. This includes employees, parents and students. The State employee may not profit from doing business with people they oversee.

A MOTION was made to approve the 2004/2005 employee handbook as presented – SECONDED – PASSED.

At 2:45 p.m. a MOTION was made to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing a personnel issue. SECONDED – PASSED. See Attached.

PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Sandra N. Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Edgar B. Palmer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq.; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl;

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins

INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey.

At 3:20 p.m. a MOTION was made to return to open session. SECONDED – PASSED.

PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Sandra N. Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Edgar B. Palmer; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq.; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl;

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins

INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey.

Trusteeship Committee:

Chairperson Sandra Harriman reported that the Trusteeship Committee met at the Columbia Campus on May 10, 2004. The committee, with the input of other Board members, has compiled a list of names of potential BOT members. Ms. Harriman will speak to the people on the list to verify that they are interested in serving on the MSD Board. Once the list has been confirmed, it will be given to Ms. Anny Currin along with the candidate's resumes for submission to the Governor's appointment office.

New Business:

The BOT reviewed the proposed Out of State Tuition rates for the 2004/2005 school year.

MOTION was made to accept the rates as presented – SECONDED – PASSED.

The Board of Trustees meeting dates for the 2004/2005 were chosen. They are as follows:

Friday August 27, 2004 Columbia Campus

Friday November 19, 2004 Frederick Campus

Friday February 25, 2005 Columbia Campus

Friday May 20, 2005 Frederick Campus

A MOTION was made to adjourn the meeting at 4:02 p.m. SECONDED - PASSED

Respectfully Submitted,

Edgar B. Palmer

Vice President