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MARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
MEMBERS ABSENT: Ann H.B. Brockenborough, Ed.D.; John Ertel, Ph.D.; Irajean W. Harper; Laurie Yaffe-Shevitz. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey. President Lewis called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.. Roll call was called by passing the roll call sheet. Introductions were made of all the attending Board members including the two new members who were attending their first Board of Trustees quarterly meeting. MOTION made to approve the Agenda – SECONDED – PASSED MOTION made to approve the Minutes of the November 2002 minutes with a correction on the spelling of the Consultant’s name – SECONDED – PASSED. These minutes can now be posted on the MSD website. MOTION made to approve the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes with a correction on the spelling of the Chairman’s name – SECONDED – PASSED. These minutes are not posted on the website but may be available upon request. It was decided that information on how to obtain copies of these minutes will be posted on the MSD website in the future so the public will be aware of the proper procedure to acquire copies of these documents. President’s Report: Vice President’s Report: Secretary’s Report: Treasurer’s Report: At 9:27 A.M. a MOTION was made to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing student issues. SECONDED – PASSED 14 – 0. See Attached. PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Donald R. Eichelberger; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Harvey Goodstein, Ph.D.; Sandra N. Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Alan L. Marcus, Ph.D.; Anjali Desai-Margolin; Edgar B. Palmer; Charles E. Poyer, Jr.; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq.; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey. At 11:04 A.M. a MOTION was made to return to open session. SECONDED – PASSED 14-0. PRESENT: David S. Birnbaum; Donald R. Eichelberger; H. Mitchell Goldberg; Harvey Goodstein, Ph.D.; Sandra N. Harriman; Joseph J. Innes, Ph.D.; Alan L. Marcus, Ph.D.; Anjali Desai-Margolin; Edgar B. Palmer; Charles E. Poyer, Jr.; Barbara Raimondo; David A. Severn, Esq.; Samuel M Sonnenstrahl; Carol Stevens. ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Lori P. Hopkins INTERPRETERS: Roberta Quinn; Brenda Kelly-Frey. Superintendent’s Report: Education Committee: Fiscal Matters/Facilities Management Committee: Personnel Committee: Trusteeship Committee: Strategic Planning Committee: President Lewis explained that three former BOT members would be honored for their service to the Board at lunchtime. The Board would also honor one current member who is retiring and moving out of state this summer. At 12:59 P.M. President Lewis explained to the BOT members and members of the community present the procedure used for Open Forum. The first speaker was Mr. Al Couthen. Mr. Couthen told the members of the BOT that he sent a survey to former employees and former parents. He handed out the results of the survey to the members of the Board. The second speaker – Ms. Marsha Flowers – Thanked several members of the community for their dedication to MSD. Among those thanked were Board member Harvey Goodstein, FC Principal Stanley C. Baker, Dr. William Sherman – school psychologist who is retiring after 23 years of service to the school and Mr. James Tucker – Superintendent of the school. Ms. Shirlene Tharpe was the third speaker to present to the BOT. A parent of three children at MSD, she explained that she has requested a transfer for her son so she can have all three children at the Frederick Campus. Her request was denied due to the fact that she is not in the Frederick geographic district for elementary children but explained that the transportation issue is causing hardship to the family. The fourth speaker was Ms. Terri Boyer. Ms. Boyer explained to the Board that in her years here at the school both as Executive Associate to the Superintendent and as the Assistant Director of Personnel for MSD, her experience has been that the decisions made by the Superintendent have always been made with the best interest of the children in mind and the decisions were made after receiving input from the management team and the school attorney. Open Forum ended at 1:50 P.M. The Board reviewed the district policy in the handbook. There was a discussion of why the policy was established and how the district lines were drawn. It was explained that transfer requests can be submitted annually. Old Business: Master Plan – The hearing for the 15 year Master Plan has been scheduled for Monday July 14, 2003. Lori Hopkins shared with the BOT that she believed the recommendation presented at the last BOT meeting to delete the Elementary Residential Cottage from the Master Plan was a wise one. A MOTION was made to remove the Elementary Cottage from the Master Plan – SECONDED – APPROVED. Shockley House – Mr. Tucker explained to the BOT that the Grand Opening of the Shockley House located on the corner of Clarke Place and South Carol Street is being targeted for late September. The request for the name change now has to go before the Board of Public Works. New Business: It was announced that the Executive Committee would meet briefly after the BOT meeting to select the Chairman and Secretary of the committee. A MOTION was made to refer the approval of the Parent/Student handbook changes to the Executive Committee – SECONDED – PASSED. The changes to the Personnel Handbook were reviewed by Ms. Eva Staubitz and Ms. Terri Boyer of the Personnel Department. A question was asked regarding the people in charge during a crisis. It was explained that memos were distributed to staff and parents with that information. A MOTION was made to accept the recommended changes to the Staff Handbook as presented – SECONDED – PASSED. A MOTION was made that the recommended out of State tuition be accepted as listed in the handout – SECONDED – PASSED. Newly elected President Raimondo informed the BOT that
they are in need of two members who could join the accreditation team.
One member would serve on the Frederick Campus sub group and the second
would serve on the Columbia Campus sub group. These groups will meet
monthly starting this summer and last through November of 2004. The Board of Trustees meeting dates for the 2003/2004
school year are: A MOTION was made to reimburse the Maryland School for the Deaf for the gifts that were purchased for the departing BOT members – SECONDED – PASSED. Dr. Richard Steffan, Jr., Deputy Superintendent/Principal
of the Columbia Campus presented information on the students at Columbia.
The BOT members were informed that the Columbia enrollment is on the
rise. There has also been a marked increase in enrollment from children
with additional disabilities The primary service area for the Columbia
Campus is Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard County and Prince
Georges County. Mr. Stanley C. Baker, Assistant Superintendent/Principal of the Frederick Campus gave a presentation on students in Frederick. Mr. Paul Rittenhour, MSD computer programmer, assisted with the presentation. Mr. Baker shared that new testing mandates are impacting achievement statistics. Slides showing the reading and math scores were presented. Board members were reminded that the small number of students we have eligible to take these tests impact the scores which indicate our success rate as a school. These new tests are part of the NCLB program but there are still issues that need to be worked out such as cultural bias that is still present in many of the tests. The meeting adjourned at 4:06 P.M. Respectfully Submitted,
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