• Mr. Jones and Ms. Wayman both highlighted a busy month with holiday parades and concerts. Both expressed gratitude to staff and students for a job well done.  

• Mr. Plutschak shared that he attended the MABE Legislative Committee meeting which provided a lot of information on the upcoming sessions. He also visited CRMS.

• Mr. Barton highlighted his attendance at a budget presentation made by Dr. Simmons to PES staff meeting. He reflected on the benefit of being a small school system with the ability to have direct contact between the superintendent and staff. 

Chief Financial Officer Erin Thornton presented the Finance Report as of December 31, 2023. She explained that CCPS finances are as expected  five months into the fiscal year, having spent or encumbered 78% of the budget. She noted there were no concerns or new overages. 

Report

The Board approved personnel items as presented by Supervisor of Human Resources Dr. Willoughby. They also approved the minutes from the December board of education meetings.

MABE Executive Director Milton Nagel provided a presentation on the newly enacted Time to Care Act. He reviewed the details of coverage provided under the Act, the formula for cost to employers and employees, requirements to comply, and penalties for non-compliance. Mr. Nagel explained that the MABE collaborative was developed to assist districts with this significant and complicated unfunded mandate. Dr. Simmons and Board members thanked Mr. Nagel for the information and for MABE’s work on behalf of the member school systems. 

The Blueprint Chairs presented an update of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Blueprint Chair Tara Downes provided the updated timeline for the next submission. Chairs of the five pillar committees followed with information. 

• Liz Saylor presented the update for Pillar 1 which included reviewing PreK enrollment and the work to expand the relationship with private providers. 

• Rob Willoughby presented the update for Pillar 2 and explained the expansion of recruiting teams. He also detailed specific training, the plan to expand participation with colleges for support staff to continue their education, and efforts underway for increasing teacher pay and implementing a career ladder as required. 

• Lindsey McCormick presented Pillar 3 by reviewing Career and College Readiness (CCR) measures, current career counseling efforts, and CCR pathways and non-CCR pathways, and Individualized Learning Plans (ILP).  

• Christal Harkowa co-presented Pillar 4 showing efforts to increase family engagement, increased staff, and language acquisition for ML students. 

• Erica McDonald presented efforts to provide more professional development opportunities, collaboration with other department leaders, and efforts to review data. 

• Nicole Fisher shared efforts related to expanding community outreach and partnerships. 

• Dr. Simmons presented Pillar 5 efforts related to gathering stakeholder feedback, Blueprint funding and resources. 

Dr. Simmons provided the Board with the Maryland General Assembly dates of interest, specifically highlighting that Governor Moore will release his budget on January 17. Members Mark Jones and Troy Plutschak are serving on the MABE Legislative Committee this year. 

Dr. Simmons reviewed a summary of the annual Employee Engagement Survey results. He explained the qualities of employee engagement as defined by the survey contractor, and shared data on engagement and participation. He reviewed 2023 key findings including reasons employees choose to stay with CCPS. He also summarized opportunities such as communication and collaboration at a team and district level, building a clear connection to the ‘family’ brand, and ensuring decisions are shared with a clear explanation of how the decision was made. 

Dr. Simmons reviewed FY25 budget priorities including the minimal expected increase to foundational funds and expected increases in the cost of doing business. He also summarized budget requests across the district, and shared strategies to successfully endure a difficult budget year. He shared that he remains hopeful that FY26 and beyond will include a more typical increase from the state than was received this year.