001Right. Hey, Robert. Good evening, Doctor Joseph. I know you know me. I'm Robin Walsh, and I'm the Director of Government Relations Compliance and Procedures, and I am an appointed member. of this committee by you. Yes. Ms. Perkins? Good evening, Superintendent Joseph. My name is Candace Perkins. I represent District 9, and this is my first term. Um… Brilliant, thank you. Ms. Hinton? Oh, good evening, Superintendent. My name is Josaida Rojas-Hinton. I represent District 8, my second term. Thank you for being here. Well, thank you for having me. Thank you. And so, I see that our board member, um, our liaison board member, um, Ms. Walker, has joined us, and you know the superintendent liaison. And now you have the mic. The floor is yours. Well, thank you, thank you, Matt. Thank you, and I apologize for
002not being at a… At a computer. I flew in this. I flew in last night from Las Vegas on a… on a, uh… And I, you know, one of those midnight flights, so I landed at 5 o'clock this morning and then just went straight. You know, to the office, and so I've been running. And we have meetings all day, so I stopped off at my barbershop, because I saw the time, just to pull over, you know, so just… When I say, I'm committed, and I said I was gonna come to every meeting. And be a part of it, because it's important. I mean, it's important for us to have a relationship and to be able to work together. Uh, for, you know, for the common good of our children, so… so I'm thankful for you.
003Uh, and the work that you do, because I know it's… it's a lot. Uh, to take on, you know, in a voluntary status, but it's extremely important, you know, because we need. your insight and input and advocacy, and help. Uh, you to help us understand blind spots in, um, you know. Uh, to just try to move our system forward. You know, we're in the midst of this budget season, and, you know, we have identified 150… I guess about $143 million in cuts, and I know… I believe we have a meeting coming up this week where we'll be able to walk you through. Uh, some of that and gather, you know, gather your input. I mean, my approach to budgeting. is to try to get as much feedback up front. Uh, to at least know the
004areas and challenges and opportunities and so forth, knowing it's a 6-month process and there are opportunities to work, so… You know, all I do is present. a recommended budget to the board, but then the board will listen to the community, engage the community. And everyone make modifications if needed. And then… and then move it on, uh, to, um, the county executives and the county council. And ultimately come back and reconcile once we… once we have those… those dollars. So, you know, the process is good, but… I think the best way for me is to hear the board, hear the community, understand the. kind of our shared priorities. And present a budget that, if nothing else, reflects. our shared values. And… because I do believe a budget is a value proposition. And it's one of the
005things that I think in Prince George's County. People aren't aware of, you know, I hear… I heard a lot, you know, coming in, and I'm… Um, this, uh, background, you know, I was out of the superintendency for 6 years. Like, and I thought I was gonna be done, so I really wasn't paying attention to what was happening, uh, in the local region, you know, quite frankly, because at Howard, I supported a national superintendent's Academy, and most of the work I did was out of state, so coming back. In the Prince George's County, and starting to just pay attention to the blueprint work and. And the funding and getting history and such, you know. you know, I don't know if I would say this… Um, I don't say this out loud, but it's something we have
006to acknowledge as a county. We have to ask ourselves, as a county. Do we fundamentally believe in education? And are we willing to make it a priority? I think that's a big question. We have to ask ourselves. as a system. You know, because when you look at… if a budget is a value proposition. You know, when you look at Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County, a Baltimore County, for example. you'll see, you know, in a Montgomery County, you know, 50 to 60%. of the county's budget goes to education, right? Same in Anne Arundel County. Same in Baltimore County. But when you look at Prince George's County. about 20% of the county's budget goes to education. Now, I'm just out of proportion, so, so without dollars. You know, because you can make, you know, people make
007lots of different arguments, and I listen deeply. And I hear people talking about, oh, you know, our taxes are high. They are. And I hear, uh, you know, oh. Well, we don't have the same kind of money as Montgomery. That's true. But I'm talking proportions now. You know, and a value system. So, you know, whether I… if I got $10 and you got $100, well, for me. If I'm giving 50% of my $10, that's 5. If you got 100, 10% is 50. proportionately, it would value the same, we just got different dollars that we're putting towards it. Like, I can give you what I have. And I think… where we are, and particularly with, um, new leadership in the county. What the county executive, new leadership, with the council. Um… at some point, I think
008somebody has to bring us together for a visioning opportunity. To say, who are we as a system? What are our values? And are we putting our money or our values are? You know, because I… for me. Um, you know, I don't know. People can talk a whole good game. You can tell me all kinds of stuff. But where you choose to invest, that's where you show me values. And so, as we go into this budget season, you know, I mean, I take that to heart. This is a tough budget year where, um, we, you know, as a county. there's a… there's a deficit that they have to address. But as a system, you know, I think it's… Our responsibility to present a budget as if we're going to get no help, because there's a possibility
009you don't get help besides what's minimally needed to be done. So when we say 100… even though, you know, we brought in… we… handled the contracts and things of that nature, the cost of things are going up. Um, so we predict that if we do nothing, we'd have $150 million. shortfall of the film. So, on January 27… January 22nd. or present a budget that shows how we'd close. you know, $150 million deficit. And we put parameters around it, so some of the things I said… well, the last thing we'll touch is schools. Right? Like, we don't want to take any money from schools because. We know schools are already underfunded. So to go to schools and take money from schools that are underfunded. Won't help us move academics forward. Right, so that was one kind
010of parameter that we put on. Don't take money from school budgets. And also, you know, we just got these… all these negotiated contracts to get our salaries competitive. Um, so we don't want to go backwards there. Um, because, you know, one of the things we're proud of this year is we reduced our vacancies by 52%. So, Governor Moore did an announcement recently discussing. the decrease in vacancies in the state of Maryland. Well. Half of it was because Prince George's County reduced it by 52%. You know, we had… we went from over 900 vacancies last year. Uh, to less than 400. Uh, this year, and we're gonna do a press conference this semester. I wanted to do it. We'll kick that off, and we kick off the, um, recruitment strategy for this year and what we're
011doing. To make sure we actually feel, you know, um. vacancies, but we want to… we can't. Didn't want to touch negotiated salary, so that $102 million. is a real number that we have to address going into, you know, into next year. But we also, you know, I feel like… We can't… no district will ever be excellent if we're just cutting and reducing. You've got to look forward, because, you know, right, a people without a vision perish. So we've got to ask ourselves, you know, how are we going to give our kids a competitive advantage? With the $3 billion that we do have, you know, even though we're cutting. acknowledge we still have $3 billion, so what are we doing with that? And what's the impact that has on children? And where are we moving forward?
012And for me. Um, you know… You can't… it's hard to be excellent with everything with limited resource, but you should be excellent in something. And I think as a system, we've got to ask ourselves, what do we want to be excellent in? And to me. basics, reading and mathematics should be a hyper-focused on. in our system. Also. I mean, as we're moving forward, the world has shifted as we knew it 3 years ago with the introduction of ChatGPT. And… and this whole AI world. And the question becomes for us. How do we help our kids? uh, live and be prepared in this world. I think any school system. That's not thinking about that seriously in this moment is foolish. Uh, because there'll be kids who are. advantaged in producing things at a much faster rate,
013a much more efficient rate, much more creativity, much more productivity. And… and we'd be left behind. You know, so I feel like we have to prioritize. How do we use AI ethically and responsibly, not focusing on the tool. The focus is… focusing on the potential, the potential use, how to use it effectively, efficiently. And critically, um, you know, so that, that… I see a lot of districts around the country, like, as I look at, you know, because I pay attention, I'm… I am the most competitive person you will ever meet. Ever. Like, I just… I obsessed sometimes. It's a strength, and it's a challenge for me. So, you know, so, like, when I look at Montgomery County. And their budget that they put out. you know, I think… I think it's brilliant in many aspects,
014in that, um, they're focusing on lowering class size. I've been focusing on professional development. They're asking for $179 million additional dollars. Beyond the minimum expectation. Right? So they… I mean, just… just… and they're focusing on salaries and all these things. Um, but when I look at that budget, it's not very visionary. I mean, they're basically saying we want to get to the basics and do the basics well. And I think what they put together potentially could do that, which is a good thing. But again, I think we have a competitive advantage to look towards the future. And where are we going? And I think we can do, um, some pretty exciting things in the realms of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics. Focusing on reading and mathematics, using AI. Um, really leveraging… professional development, because we've
015got a lot of folks. But the difference between our best teachers and our worst teachers. It's tremendous, and we've got to make training much more mandatory. And the district much more accountable in the district. Um, and, um, you know, and we've also had a focus on safety. Uh, across the district, and I think any district that's not continuing to invest in safety. Um, is… is going to have significant challenges, uh, here. And so, you know… in looking at that, I'm looking at cutting $150 million from the budget. But requesting $50 million. You know, quite frankly. And the $50 million, 30 million of it being to address our special education deficit. That we have right now. I mean, we're woefully underfunded in special education locally and at the state level. And I don't think we can
016just ignore that. Uh, basic, so… So, a big bulk of what I'm gonna be requesting is gonna be special education. Then, focusing on how we… yeah, how we focus on reading. and mathematics, professional development, and the use of AI, so all of that. I think has to be… that's just basic… strengthening teaching and learning in those areas. Um, is what I'm looking towards. Uh, you know, and then… and then thinking about safety. Uh, you know, we've got to make sure. Our high schools have appropriate technologies in terms of camera use and things. I remember. Uh, Ms. Milhouse asking the question last time. We can't… we can't rely on people. People don't continue to blow our budget if we just keep bringing people on. I agreed with you. Uh, when you brought that up for the
017last time. And so, how do we use technology efficiently? So, thinking about investments at the elementary level. Well, we don't necessarily need. Um, you know, security officers and so forth, but there's technology now, so teachers can have, you know, if something happens, they can press a button around their neck. And… and alert people, and have police and other people coming, and things of that nature. You know, how do we have… you know, make sure everybody feels safe if people physically aren't there. While strengthening the areas that the middle schools and high schools that need that type of. Of work. You know, so… This is, to me, a back-to-bases budget. I think, um… You know, 2 years ago. I think a mistake was made in our county, where we over-legislate in our county, particularly. And I
018think 2 years ago. Um, Angela Alsobrooks, uh, led the charge. Um, to have a tax taken from the system. Um… thank you. Yeah, the telecom tax, uh, at the tune of about $50 million. They'll contacts. a year, and so… While every county around us. Um, paid the minimum, and then most of them got, you know, 8 last year. Montgomery, for example, got 8% above the minimum, so they got about $170 million on top of. The minimum requirement they're supposed to spend. you know, Prince George's County lost $50 million because they didn't get the additional dollars and had no. additions, uh, for 2 years. You know, so… so… A big part of what we must do, I think. is just educate the public. On where we are. Uh, and ask the question. Does our budget represent
019our values? Do we feel that way? And, you know, and I'm not even getting into trying to raise taxes or anything like that, you know, I think. You know, we're not ready for that type of conversation in this moment, particularly when we're in a structural deficit. But I do think it's appropriate to ask, well, can we get back to where we were at least 2 years ago? Before we took money away, when everybody else is giving money back. And we can show you, you know, we'll do our part and be good stewards, like, we can cut $150 million. It'll hurt, but it won't kill us in the $3 billion budget on this year. But maybe this is a moment to right-size, to reprioritize, and to focus. And to be clear about what we're going to
020be excellent at. Um, but I don't think it's going to be easy to get $50 million, which is what we lost 2 years ago. But I think for this year, as a starting. Point. Uh, that's… that's what I'm going to be proposing. you know, just get us those hours back, allow us to refocus, and, you know. Um, I think… As a nation, we're challenged, because. We had the great… the largest investment in the history of public education. with these COVID dollars. And many would argue that it was wasted. It was a wasted moment there. Money came. There's been no outcome, and we spent a whole lot of money. So, knowing that. Like I said, I was on the debate team at Lincoln University and. Uh, you know, a good debater understands what's the argument against
021anything you're about to say. Like, be prepared. For the argument. So, I actually see cutting this $150 million. As an opportunity to say. Everybody talks about fat and school systems. You got all this money, you're wasting money, you're doing this and that and that and this. You know what? Let's make appropriate cuts. on things that we knew might have been wasteful, might have not had a return on investment, all of the above. let's recalibrate, let's reprioritize what's important. Let's think about the vision moving forward. And let's be excellent at something, and have a plan for that. And hold us accountable for it. You know, and so, the approach I'm taking. is to be clear about our priorities, and in this $50 million it would be. around special education. Strengthening professional development, particularly in reading and
022math. Uh, using tools efficiently as it relates to AI. And focusing on technology and preserving the salary increases that we, you know. have given our employees, which they, they deserve for the work. Uh, and then, um, holding us accountable to getting outcomes as we build. You know, a new strategic plan, and this year one, because I think if we can. Show, we can get results with less. the appetite for people to give more, because they see you've gotten outcome. With little, in comparison to everybody around us who. has gotten hundreds of millions of dollars more than us. many districts that are much smaller than us. Um, you know, we could… because I get… I get… We have to, um… We've got a, um… You know, we've got a challenge. People don't necessarily trust the system,
023people don't necessarily think we're. Doing right with the dollars, sometimes people don't necessarily think that, um, you know, we are getting the outcomes. People think we have not been accountable. All of that, I get, are perceptions, uh, you know, and many of them could be true. And so, you know, we can take this year to just focus on execution. and building trust and momentum. And I think, um, that will go a long way in the long run. As we develop a new strategic plan. I'd stop there and answer questions. Okay, so I appreciate that, and I want to just make a comment to what you just stated about, you know, the perception, right? And I think Ms. Douglas, um, Chief Douglas, can appreciate this comment and can really help with that. Beyond. Um, but the
024reality is, perception is that person's truth, right? And a big thing that, um… you know, the big lift for PGCPS. is to make sure that what is happening, you know, in the gap between what you all are really doing and that person's perception. We begin to kind of move out. The, um… My assumption of what's happening. And so then, when you all, as a school system, tell us something. Thank you. Let's see. We see the actual receipts. of what it is. And so, if you're telling me that you're moving money here, and you're doing this. then there is some measurement, though I can identify the impact of that. Um, I did appreciate, at that budget, you know, I think a community member, Ms. Sutton, I think her name was, when she mentioned that the form.
025Go ahead. you know, in the way that it was had, it wasn't… As if it was a… a two-way conversational piece. You know, people were able to come up, yes, the board did kind of engage, but it just really seemed as it was, we're going to talk at you all, this is what's happening. And oh yeah, we got this budget thing going on. And so, when you have people like us, the council, who want to dig in, right, we want to boots on the ground, because we're doing the work. And thank you for coming back to the school system, but we're going to tell you what we've been living. Okay. Which is our perception, which is also our truth. Mm-hmm. And so, when we as a council come to those meetings, we're going to share
026with you what we see. I appreciate when the board said, we're not going to do any amendments this year. Right? You know, kudos to that comment. Um, but the concern in a person who's in finance, you can provide a suggestion, right? But you amend an approved budget, right? So, when they send those amendments, not really understanding the process, you know, it was inflating a deficit that was already there. Um, I also want to make sure that I clarified. Yes, education. You know, the statement about not relying on people, we… We need people, right? That is how we're going to get things done. Even with all the technology. you know, it will never replace the teacher, it will never replace that soft touch, because if that's the case, we're replacing you, superintendent, and everybody else, and
027none of us need to be here, and the children are sitting in front of computers. Which, right, I believe right now, is at a detriment to our students as much time as they're spending on these. devices, and they're not getting those touches. What the point that I was making. with that comment about adding more people to the budget. When there has not been, and I'm not going to go into the positions that have been added. There has been no evidence of the need for those positions. There is no evidence of the. impact of the money that we are spending. There is no return on the investment for those positions. Mm-hmm. And then the money that is being pulled from the schoolhouse, you all say that it's dealing with catering and non-catering. It still came from
028the schoolhouse. And what we are experiencing as parents. Oh, you gotta… here's a link to the… to the file, you gotta print it out, because we can't do any printing. Can you donate more paper towels and toilet paper and donate more this because, oh, we don't have the money to do that. So that, that is the reality of an experience that we are having. So when you say money is not getting cut. Oh, money has moved. Now, whether or not the principals kind of really understand how to kind of make that adjustment, do they throw another fundraiser out there for us to give more money, when remember, people are getting furloughed, people are getting laid off, so the income in the households. are also decreasing, so we got a deficit in the council, and they
029just spend it like crazy. Unfortunately, when we had that legislative event. There was somebody from your team who also said, oh, we don't need more money for special education. And I was just like, well, how was that? Because it was never funded at the federal level. And so, I appreciate you saying that you're gonna go after $50 million. The question that I hope that we can come out of these discussions is with. With that $3 billion. What do we need to do. Hmm. to really have an impact on getting these children from where they are to where they need to be, how do we make them globally competitive. I am excited to hear that you are a debater, my son is debated, everybody knows I love debate. But over 10… 15 years ago, when I
030started advocating and trying to push this school system. to open up their mind about expanding language immersion, it was a fight. So we do know we have a fight on our hand, because unfortunately, the county, the world as a whole. They don't understand the importance of funding education, because we wouldn't have a discussion about teachers being underpaid, right? We wouldn't have a discussion about those individuals that are leading the charge for our kids to come from here to where they need to be. So we know what's out there. We do our SWAT, we know that's a big threat for us. The question then becomes. How do you make sure you communicate. together on that. Those challenges in what the school system is actually doing, because my perception is. that you all are adding more people.
031Right? Into the budget to fill all of these positions. Allegiance. What's the return on that investment? And is it something that is helping these children with their reading, with their writing, supporting special education needs? And so, I just wanted to kind of touch on a couple of things that you said. and summarize it in that way, so I do appreciate, and my charge goes back out to the council, we gotta show up. You've got to come to these meetings. You may not be able to attend all of them. But your voices do matter in this discussion. Because as Superintendent Joseph laid out, you know, a lot of information. They can tell us what the pain points are, but they don't see. More than just a third of yours. all of the issues that are happening,
032there are gaps that we can maybe help fill. Right? By saying, based on our experience. This is what we are dealing with, and that becomes our reality, so they can help close the gap, because there are a lot of gaps right now. And when we're talking about finance, we know it's a deficit this year. Lord have mercy. We not gonna talk about what's coming down the pipe for next budget season. Right? And so it's going to get worse. But we do have $3 billion, and that is a lot of money. But is it enough to do what we need to do? And if we can pay more teachers, but we're losing students. then, you know, the scale is not balanced anymore. Mm-hmm. Right? And so… Um, it really wasn't a bunch of questions, just more
033so to summarize some of the things that I heard you say, and to clarify. Um, I'm always going to lean towards having people over technology, but technology is important because AI. is here, right? And to make sure that our students understand it, but if they can't read. All right, outside of AI? We just about to cripple them, and. There's another discussion I would like to have, but I'm going to put a pin in myself and let Ms. Smith go, if that's okay, unless you want to say something, Superintendent Joseph. No, no, we need… we definitely need both. We need people, and we also need, um… we need technology. Like I said, the world. The world's changing, and we've got a… we've got to prepare them. But I think the big thing… the big thing for
034us right now… as a… as a county. Mm-hmm. We've got to lay out what our priorities are. I mean, bigger than… bigger than the school system. School system definitely must do that. Mm-hmm. as a county. We've got to be clear, we've got to be focused. And we've got to execute. And we've got to be accountable. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And I think, um… You know, at some point, it… You've gotta… you've gotta change the bad habits, and, you know, I'm very clear about the fact that I got two battles. I got. You know, we've got to build the capacity, the people that are in the system, and we've got to make sure we recruit great people to the system. Mm-hmm. And you've got a, uh, you know, and so it's a bifurcated approach. How do you… what
035do you do for the people that just come in to build their capacity to get it right the first time? What do you do for the people that have been in the system who've been. you know, at best average, and we gotta get them better. Mm-hmm. And so, you know, so thinking about how you do that with the resource she has just requires. focus, and we're clear about that. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Mimhaus. Thank you, Superintendent. Um, there was some, some key words that I heard as you were speaking. The first one was blind spot. Um, so I don't have a question, but more so feedback. Um, there's an engineering principle that I live by, and it's the KISS principle. I think as we go into this… go into the discussions dealing with the
036budget. We gotta keep it simple for our families. Um, we talked about, uh, Ms. Perkins had mentioned about. this in-between document being sent out so we can have families updated. And I agree with that, but families don't know the technical details. So, if we can kind of strip away the accounting jargon so that families can know… well, not just know, but really understand what's being presented. And then, being able to react to that, to advocate beyond. the school district, advocating at the council level. So make it plain to me so that I know what I'm understanding and what I need to react to. Um, the other thing that I heard was. We're gonna go out and try to get 50 million, $30 million for special education. Now, I do know that there are restricted funds.
037You said that one? Um, when it comes to special ed. So, I think… the question that I have, and it may not be a question to be reacted to tonight, but it's really understanding where are the pockets of money. I'm taking notes. coming from to fund special education. So that, you know, me, I advocate at the congressional level, so… Ms. Mailhouse already talked about IDEA has never been fully funded, so I think it would be helpful to understand the restricted account versus any other… not account, but bucket, versus any other bucket of money. Yes. Um, that we're trying to get additional funds for. Technique. And then, um, there was one other thing… Okay, so then the other thing was about building trust. Absolutely. There is no value. I think for families, all we hear is
038that we need money. we don't talk about the constraints that we have. We hear that there are… that, you know, that there are cuts that need to happen. I think what needs to be communicated is what the constraints are, um, and bring it down to… programmatic level, so that we can understand that as well. Thanks. Thank you, Ms. Smith. Um, Superintendent, I… would you just like me to go through the questions, the hands raised? Sure. Yes. I'll jump in. Um… Ms. Henson, uh, Ms. Smith, if you can cast your chick, you expect a hand down. Ms. Hinton, you have the floor. No. Yeah, so I'm so glad to hear that we're finally gonna have some budget on somebody who is talking about special education as a parent that is suffering from that single elementary school.
039And it was always rejected. having CT scan, like, all kinds of tests by psychiatrists, by doctor, and was always denial until now that my son is a 12th grader, and I finally got somebody, I had to bring my son, who was born and raised here, because I think my English was not strong enough. I think I was too soft to speak. I had to bring my husband, who is African American, maybe they can hear him better, that they can understand me. That never worked. He was always rejected, having. tons of evidence that the child is a special needs. Until I finally got an advocate. to advocate for me as a family and that was the only way that my son can have an IEP or help in a school. And I'm still struggling today, so
040I'm more than glad to hear. That is on the table, and you're finally taking that in account. And, like, you trying to help the family, I don't know if I just listening to that, or that really going to happen, because not all parents. No way to find an advocate or can afford one. And that's very painful, that we have so many students drop out. Like, my neighbor's son just dropped out because she can't hire somebody. And this son needs help, but they're rejecting them. How can he graduate? And that is something that we need to take in consideration, and many parents need help. Thank you for saying that. At least I hear that. Does that make me happy. I want to see actions. Thank you. Yes, thank you. Thank you, Ms. Hinton. If I can
041just summarize real quick, you know, a big thing that I heard you say was the advocacy piece and the support. Yes. Sorry. the advocates and the support, okay, because I just wanted to jot down some of the things that I was hearing. Ms. Perkins? Thank you, Chair Milhaus. Thank you, Superintendent, um, House. Joseph, I just want to say thank you for, um, being consistent with your messaging. I just wanted to… Um, make sure that I acknowledge the fact that the schoolhouse. is not the focus of the, um, when you're talking about balancing this budget deficit, right? I appreciate you acknowledging that you're going to start with the central office, right? The external part. Um, my real question is. when we talk about the equity of when this impact will hit our PGCPS scholars, right? What
042or how are you ensuring that it is equitable throughout the county? Um, I know as a parent with the post to the ground. there is this feeling in our, you know, county that the North gets this. Um, versus the South getting that. Um, so what are you doing, um, within your realhound to make sure that. the changes that are impacted are equitable throughout the entire county. Mm-hmm. Oh. In terms of funding directly to schools, you know, the state with the blueprint. you know, the dollars are going to go based upon the complexity of children and the facilities. We have to have a certain amount of dollars, 75%, I think Target of your funds going directly to those schools, so… In terms of dollars directly to schools in equitability. You know, the state mandates and charges
043that. We don't have the same flexibility to be as inequitable as we have been. As a result of how we're getting funded now. I do think we have to look at long-term, um, just where our programs are and access to programming. Uh, across the district. I think that's where we probably see some equity challenges. Um, in terms of who has programs where, and the access, and how long it takes to get to. a particular program. You know, I think the bigger thing. for me, is trying, particularly at the high school level, um, is… ensuring and looking at, um… I'm going to try to tackle a lot of the equity. Um, through the dual enrollment work. Um, because I think if we can get our kids. access to high-quality dual enrollment sequences, regardless of where they
044are. Um, you give them all strong. college-level programming, um. That they'll all have access to, like, you don't have to be at a particular school to have access, and your neighborhood school would have access to. some higher programs, which we don't have right now. The CTE piece is something. I think we have to really look at as a system, uh, because, you know, you're going to… I was at Blatensburg today, right, for example, and Bladensburg, you know, you got cosmetology, you got, you know, haircutting and things of that nature. But you go to another place, and they got, you know, computer science and networking. And things. So, there's, uh, inequity to access to programming that's clearly seen. And, you know, why do our predominantly Latino programs have more of the low-level service-oriented programming? Types of
045things that, you know, it hits you in the face when you walk in. Um, you know, and I think we've got to have an honest conversation and look at those types of things across. Uh, the district. And so, I mean, and I'm sure there are a lot of other things we can look at, but… The funding piece will… the state piece is going to take care of, but there's work we have to do, and then our buildings. you know, I think another inequity. Uh, we see is in our buildings program, and making sure, you know, we have to acknowledge, and I said this to Dr. Coleman. This year, as we were putting together the capital improvement budget, I said, look, let's just be honest. And acknowledge that politics play into. this program, that it ain't
046just based upon the numbers. Uh, you know, let's just call it out and figure out a way to be. honest and, uh… Uh, fair about how we do north-south, east, west. Here, as we're doing buildings, uh, because right now. Depending upon whether you got a powerful councilman. Or, you know, somebody else advocating, things shift. And it's not always transparent. And so, um… You know, we've just got to figure out how we acknowledge that and level set for it, and keep everything more transparent than it has been. But I know it has not always been as transparent and fair. Which leaves some of those feelings. About, kind of, winners and losers in North and South. Right. I have one more question, Chairman House, may I? Okay. Yes, please. Um, you mentioned dual enrollment. I'm a parent
047of a graduate of a dual enrollment scholar in the county. My question is, where are we with, um, the staffing? Um, to roll into next school year, to be able to open up that access. Um, for that new initiative that we have. Yeah, I know, um, I can… I can get you the… I'll get you the specifics as a follow-up. I do know, um… Um, Olivia has been working in recruiting and hiring. Getting people ready, the goal for next year, right now, we have 9 schools where you can have. dual enrollment on campus, and the goal is for next year to have all 25 high schools, and I know she's been working on that. I'll get you the specific numbers on where we are, but we'll insure. What I'm really working on, too, is, um,
048I have a meeting coming up with. the president of the University of Maryland Global Campus. You know, and speaking to him. Because, you know, they've been a leader in online learning for a very long time. And I'm hoping we can get a sequence of… you know, I want to focus on dual enrollment with the sequence to get a certification on something, particularly in this region. Well, you have so many, you know, high-tech jobs in demand where they're having hard-to-fill. Um, opportunities. I think, I think we can do. Much in partnership between with them and Prince George's Community College. And then also Bowie State in our region, to really open up pathways. I mean, I don't want… Right now, it seems like I kind of… I feel like many kids, unless you're in the Academy of
049Health Sciences. Um, or CMIT. Um, you might have access to dual enrollment, but it's kind of scattered. It's not a sequence that'll get you. You know, a certification or something, and I want to refine the programming. much more there, because right now, people are opening. programs, you might have a sociology class in one school, and a. you know, English class in another school, and uh… You know, uh, you know, a, uh… criminal justice class and another school type of thing, so they have access. But it's not really a sequence. Um, so… so I want to really look at the programming. Like we have at the Academy of Health Sciences and so forth, so people within a school can go down a path if they choose to. I encourage you to visit Frederick Douglass High School
050to talk to that program director for the PTEC program. Yes. Yeah. Yep. That… two really good streamlined feedback, yes. Will do. Good, thanks for doing it. Thank you, Mister Perkins. Ms. Lawrence, and then Mr. Smith. Thank you, Chair. Um, and thank you, Dr. Joseph. I just had a quick question. I don't know if this is directed for you, but I appreciate you inviting all the feedback, um, and input from, you know, parents and the community. Will there be a way for us to see parents, community members. Um, to see a summary of all the feedback you're receiving, excuse me, my kids are, um… loud, so I apologize. Um… Will there be a way for us to see, the community to see that information, the feedback that's received, and also how it impacted the decisions? Because
051I feel like. You know, I, um, have lived in the county not super long. It's… But, you know, I have friends that grew up here, and I kind of hear the same story over and over again, and I hear about parents and community members that were really invested and had all these great ideas and, you know. and Boston Ford, and then it's the same thing, you know, and, you know, my friends were older, so, like, this has kind of been the same narrative and the same experience. that folks have been having in the county, unfortunately. Um, so just wondering, like, how this input that you're getting is going to affect the decisions if we'll be able to see that. Um, so we can see that, you know, it mattered. Well, I mean, I guess, um…
052One thing I can say, I know we did a summary of, like, the listening and learning. Right? And if we can get that to you. But from that, that's why special education, safety and security, reading and math. That's where the budget priorities kind of came from, because we had a combination of not only the listening and learning, but then speaking with the board members. Um, we had a survey that went out to the public. About the budget priorities. So, you know, where this is coming from is directly from there. I mean, we could… We could package that and put it out to say. So this is how we got here. I mean, that's something I could easily build in, just, you know, pull some of that data. That's good feedback to share, but that's where
053it came from. You know, probably the one thing that nobody really talked about, but I just see it be a missed opportunity, was AI literacy. Nobody really talked about it, because I don't know how many people really understand it, or what have you, and that was something I probably. didn't ask for and just kind of put it in the mix. But the other stuff came from that feedback. Thank you. Smith? Thank you, Chair, and uh, Dr. Joseph, we appreciate you attending. Very late into the evening, considering such a long day. Yep. Yeah. One issue I think is very important for all of us here is that, um, and I kind of spoke to you at the… at your Largo Town Hall in September, was regarding parent access to our test. Right, so, um, I spoke
054to… and a restriction is parents for a good number of 2 years wouldn't allow access to tests at all. inequitably, and currently, in order to see your child's test, you have to schedule a parent-teacher conference for everyone now. That policy… Are you talking… you're talking about the specific tests that are loaded into the… Uh, into the system, right? Yeah, the grayberry. They're still gray-bearing test, though, so think of a Unit 1 test, or a Unit 2 test for math or reading. Perfect. Right, those are into the… they chose to do that into the system. One of our listeners. Okay. Right, but those tests do no longer come back home. Oh, definitely. So, um, because myself spoke to, um, Dr. White, maybe several other parents from other parent leaders here, and a couple here as well.
055Yeah. Okay. And, um, I've mentioned what your public comments were on it, and she kind of disregarded it. And the unfortunate part, sir, is that that is not in district… that is not in board policy or administrative procedure. And so, she's instituting something, at least for the last 3 years, that has not substantiated a policy with it. Okay. And if that is the case, sir, then we're at trouble here with it. If we can do… if… We can make big decisions like that without any type of parent input. So… Available. And such a vast restriction on it, and let alone the operational impact. of the schoolhouse to handle. mass exodus of parents wanting to view all their children's assessment at one time. Okay, so… Well, so… Superintendent Smith, because Mrs. Smith, I was also in
056attendance in the meeting. You know, I think you're getting, like, a little, uh… Oh, sweet. Mr. Williams was there as well. But I want to make sure, because Mrs. Smith, what we are also, right now, the segment is about dollars and decisions. And so, I don't want to move too far off topic as we're talking about the budget and the impact of the budget, so I do appreciate. Awesome. your, um, your, um, summary of the meeting that was had, but I do know also Dr. White was supposed to be kind of… So, Christina, I'm gonna let you speak for a few minutes on it, but I do want us to stay on topic, because it's already 8.30. considering… Brilliant. And so, um, if you can kind of address how you want to follow up with
057Mr. Smith, that would be… But I want to stay on this budgeting conversation. Yeah, no, so we'll just, we'll, um. We'll follow up. I think I need more… more information. I do know… The goal is to make sure parents have access, and we can figure out the reasons why, and come to a resolution, I'm sure. Just gotta figure it out. No, no, right? Thank you. Oh, I see Ms. Lundy? Hi, Superintendent. Um, hi. So… I'm taking really copious notes, because I'm thinking. Right. And… for some reason, what's sticking out to me, as we have this budget conversation. Yeah, what we'll do. is when you say, and I do like a lot of things that you said. Yes. Trust me, I do like that. For some reason, what's sticking out to me, I don't know if
058it's bifurcated, we're so… decentralized instead of centralized, you kept saying. There's issues around. Of being a county and a system. And for some reason, that's, that's sticking, that's sticking out to me, how. Um, I don't even really know how to say it. Moreover, so… Okay. But it seems like we're just so disjointed, or what have you. that were not on the same page, that we're not… And, you know, we're not… it's not cohesive. And so, I don't know how, you know, you have a big task on your hand. last week. Hmm. And all of that, but it's… I think it's something about the statement you're making about looking at us as a county and as a system. Yeah, again, I think… Like I said, a people without a vision perish. I think, um… We've got
059to ask ourselves, honestly, who are we? And then we've got to ask ourselves, who do we want to be? I mean, we've got to ask ourselves, what are our values? What are we committed to doing? And we've got to have a collective answer to that. And I don't think we do. I think that there are pockets of conversations and pockets of people doing stuff, like, as a system. Like, even, you know, as a system right now, um… if you don't establish the priorities, and you don't put key performance indicators to them, and you don't hold yourself accountable to monitoring and reporting out on where you're going. You just don't get there. You're… you're putting a lot of energy in, but that energy is just getting burnt without really moving you in a direction. And so
060I think coherence has been a problem in our system. We try to do… Um, we try to do too much with too little resource. And I think we don't say… you know, this is what we're focused on right now, and we expect to get good at. And as we get more resource, we'll start working on this. And start working on this. Like, we try to do… too much, too little, and then we get no result, and then everybody's frustrated. And I just don't think that's a… a wise approach when you're trying to scale excellence. You know, we've got pockets of excellence, but we don't have excellence at scale. And, you know, it's the… Uh… variants, the differences. That we've got to figure out what are the… what are the levers we push to start getting
061more scale? And more quality. I think how we handle professional development in the district, for example, for teachers, is just not good. We've got too many teachers that, um, can easily not get trained or get supported in key areas that we care about. And if we don't have a way to build the capacity of teachers. will never scale quality. And, you know, so those are some of the things we have to look at. I mean, some of the. pervasive, um, you know, the vacancies has killed us. I mean, last year, again, we had 900 vacancies. At a school district of 10,000 students. I mean, you're talking about almost 10%. You can't, you can't. I mean, you're gonna have… that's gonna have an impact. I mean, it's the reason we're in special education, corrective action. part
062of it, and then the other was the complaints, but the complaints became because of the vacancies. Um, because then people are not following up on things. And so, I think we've got to look at some of the basic stuff that's killing us. And acknowledge it and work to fix it. And I don't, um… You know, sometimes you can get, you know, you can have so many problems, you just, you know, kind of close your eyes and just try to just get through. And, you know what I mean, I think, uh… Uh, we've got to be much more strategic and intentional. Uh, and just… just… Call out where we are, you know, but it takes… It takes a… you don't move a system like Prince George's County, um… in isolation, like, a superintendent can't do it
063by himself or herself, a board can't do it by… themselves. Um, you know, it takes the full connected system. The system is connected to a broader county. And we've got to have a county-wide strategy. Um, you know, because we gotta… We gotta figure out what we're gonna do first, second, and third. with the resources that we have. You know, and be able to communicate that, and that's why I say we gotta be clear about our value system. You know, right now, you look at our current strategic plan, uh, which centers around. culturally responsive instruction. And, you know, it's called, I think, Transformation 20… 26. But when you look into it. Right, what does that mean? What is culturally responsive instruction mean? you know, from school to school. What, um… what would excellence look like? in
064that. Um… And does that correlate with how we're evaluating ourselves? You know, and could everybody communicate. What our strategies are to get to. that goal. You know, and if they can't, you won't get there. You'll have a coherence problem. You know, and so that's what I mean, and if you look in there, you got a bunch of key performance indicators. You got probably over 100. different things. We say we want to do and get well. Oh, you can't do 100 things well with limited resource. You know, and you've got to be able to lock in. Like, excellence is narrowly defined. And so we gotta be clear about our definition and what we want to be excellent at, and then put the resource there to get there, to start moving. And getting a sense of momentum.
065And I don't think we've done that well at this point. Thank you, yes. Well, I… excuse me, I appreciate, um, all the questions. Do we have any other questions, comments, concerns? So, Superintendent Joseph, my question for you. is, as a counsel. Right? Your advisory council. We got all these experts sitting around. You know, what is the charge for us? What do you need us to do. to support this process, and where do we need to begin to have our, um… our eyes moving to gather more information to better understand. So as we come with any type of recommendations that support. you know, the work that's being done so we can properly use the 300… I mean, the $3 billion. Right? So we can support what you all are doing in identifying the cuts. But what's
066the charge for the council? I think step one, I think we've got to learn together, like, alright, like, look, I know, look. I get paid to sit here and spend my winter breaks reading through these reports. Looking at, you know, looking at these things and pulling the stuff together. Uh, but I have to be able to get it to you in a way that's digestible. Uh, for you to be able to see. Uh, what I see, and be able to give me perspectives that I don't see. And so, um, first thing, though, is to learn together. Like, getting through a $3 billion budget is a lot. And I don't think our budget book is easy to understand. And so… so we… I know we gotta clean that up. So, you know, even recommendations on. Bye.
067how to clean that up and, you know, and examples of… to make it easier to understand that. But we gotta… We gotta have a common understanding and a common language, like, you know, I have some materials and things that I'm meeting with the county executive tomorrow for our first. budget conversation, and I pulled together. Um, some different, you know, data, and… things to try to… you know, even educate there, just where are we, where do we want to be, and so forth, but… And I'll share that with you all as we move forward. But I think having a common understanding. Helping us to level set and have common expectations of… and being realistic about. What we can do in 180 days a year, in terms of, you know. moving the needle year after year, helping
068us. Come to consensus on the most important KPIs for us to focus on, because we can't focus on 100. what can we focus on? It shouldn't be me just deciding, here are the 10 things. Like, it should be a collective, we all agree. This is the things that we want to go after. You know, and um… finding a way to better kind of report out and communicate. I mean. There are a lot of good things happening in Prince George's County that don't get out. Um, you know, the bad things get magnified. And, um, I think… we just need a constant cadence of. Here are the facts, and helping us elevate. What's… what's out there and helping us to get more people engaged. You know, a lot of times people don't engage because they're like, I
069ain't gonna waste my time. Well, I'm gonna come, y'all ain't gonna listen, you ain't gonna do anything, and then I done wasted an hour of my life. Yo, the head nod. You see all the head knives, right? You know, there's a certain level of frustration. So, so, so. You know, helping us think through structures to be more efficient and effective in getting messaging out, as, um, you know, Ms. Perkins shared, that, you know, everybody can't come to a meeting for 2-3 hours on a… on the Zoom, but how can they get the information in a more accessible way? I heard that conversation. Um, you know, with, uh, Ms. Douglas. And so, helping us think through that. Helpful. Mm-hmm. Okay, so I'm gonna go half… I'm gonna have to go back and listen to what you
070said so I can better summarize and put in, like, 1, 2, 3 bullet points. Yes. I am. And so, but if Chief Douglas. If you're here, if you're still here, what would be helpful is… If… if… when you all meet this week, if you can get something to us that kind of summarizes, hey, if the council can, like you said, we have some, you know, some goals, something to focus on. So, as it relates to the dollars for decision in this budget piece, um… Because I can say for some of us, like, you know, I'm in the finance world, so I'm going to take the budget as is. I don't need you to change anything, I don't need you to do anything. I need to see it in its rawest form. But in other ways
071that people need to see it where it's more digestible, right? And so, I think if you all could kind of tell us. Yes. Mm-hmm. Right? What you all would like for us to do to support this process, right? And we may then, based on the list that you give us, also be able to come back with some other ways, right, and some things that. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. that we've missed, um, because I don't want to take what I heard as I was trying to write quickly. what you stated and summarize it in a way, but if you all can put it in your words and send it to us, um, and please, anybody on the council, chime in. Um, I think that would be helpful, because as we're meeting, then that gives us something to chew
072on outside of the meeting, so when we come back as a council. we can share. I'm hoping that many of us can attend tomorrow's meeting. Right? And so we could hear what's happening, we can add input and be with other community members. Which would be very helpful, but it really is about not. what's not being done. We are where we are at this point. What are we gonna do to get us to where we need to be across that finish line? And if we know the goals. We can dig into our knowledge base and pull up that and put on our glasses to kind of read what's happening. and then say to you, this is what we understand with the directive that you've given us as your advisory group. Mm-hmm. Welcome to the show. Oh.
073It was… it was for both of them. Chair Milhouse, was that question for me, it sounded like it was, and we can gather that information and send to you. We've… had newsletters that were calling dollars and decisions, and so what we can do is make sure that you have that and that you're fully informed and can review that. No, no, no, we have that. So we have access to that, but specifically for this advisory council. Okay. Thank you. Right? And so the work that we do, because right now we're meeting, we're talking about things, but. We're here to advise the superintendent and the board. And so, when you say to us, this is what the need… like, to me, the need is, hey, we're having these meetings, we need your voices, we need you to
074come to these meetings that we have scheduled, right? Okay. Yes. Am I correct on that, right? Right? Show up, you know, engage, give feedback, give input. Exactly. Right? And if there's anything else outside of this, like we talked about communication, we've, you know, and I've jotted some things down that I also heard, but just making sure. that if it's something that you need us to, you know, dive a little deeper into as an advisory group. You know, we're here to do that. Right. We put something to you, that's not a problem at all. Okay, thank you, thank you. Ms. Perkins. You have your hand up? Is it an old hand, a new hand? It's okay, because you actually asked the question, and I was going to ask the superintendent, so I apologize, I'm lowering my
075hand. Dr. Jackson? Hello, I am just excited that this meeting happens tonight, and that we will have an opportunity tomorrow as part of that advisory council. To actually create our document with the questions, but also the answers. So that will be a work session that will give us an opportunity to have some. talking points, some action steps when we leave. So, thank you, and thank you for encouraging people to be there tomorrow. It's really important to have your input. Mm-hmm. Thank you. I appreciate that. Any other comments, questions? Um, because I will say this, I get excited about budget season, right? I am that person, yes, I'm not getting paid, but I'm sitting there reading that budget from the beginning to the end, and I'm highlighting where I can't see what the changes are, and
076you're telling me that you reduce headcount. But, you know, you reduce FTEs, but I still see the money sitting in. I want to be able to see if there's a reduction. in those individuals, I shouldn't see increases still in the salary line item when we got fewer people. So, I'm that person, right? I am going to dig into that. But for the Council as a whole, for the community as a whole, it is very important that we. I, you know, put it in layman's term. But we still need to crosswalk it, right, to the accounting terms, because when people are going out and they are speaking to their elected officials. Those elected officials, they gotta know how to talk that language. Oh my gosh. Right? They have to know, when they hear certain things, you
077know, what they are talking about with the budget and the line item, and what's allocated, and what is not, and what's locked, and what is not locked, right? And so, it's important. to have that, you know, in layman's terms, but it's also important, because you said it, to build capacity. Right? And we have to build capacity so people understand, because when you do those KPIs, what are we measuring? What does it look like? But first of all, how did we create the KPIs, right? Why did we create the KPIs? And a big piece is if we can make sure that when we are building the budget, talking about the budget. When we look at the state plan, because we have to submit that, right? That goes to the state that aligns with the requirements are.
078You know, that's right. There's actually a bit of… that we also share the state plan, right? State the requirements of what we have to share for the budget and what it looks like. Um, because people need to know you're not haphazardly out here trying to come up with numbers. There is a governance that says you have to do certain things, and why? Good evening. So that answers a lot of what you're doing the way you're doing it. Watching Dan Reynolds lead singer from… Yeah, such as. And I help with accountability? Dr. Jackson, your hand is still up. You have a new question? Okay. And so, um, at this point, I see that Board Member Walker is here, you know, before we move off of this segment. Um, superintendent… Joseph, did you have anything that you
079would like to add to the discussion? That would be… No, thank you. Yeah. Okay, so we appreciate you, and I don't know if you're going to stay with us to the end, because we're going to kind of wrap up rather quickly, because we're going to move into presentations, and Dr. Jackson. If you can just tell us whatever's hot and heavy and not go through everything. Oh, awesome. And not that we don't want to hear what you have to say, but I won't cut your time down. Great. It is not a problem, you all have my PowerPoint. I was going to talk about the budget and decisions. meetings that are coming up to which you all have been invited. So the first one, again, is going to be tomorrow night, and in that PowerPoint has the
080rest of the days. that those meetings will be held as well. They will… Sure. So, can you pull that up so we can see the dates? That way, if everybody, you know, they may not have seen it in their email, so I would like you to… because that… We spend a lot of time talking about the budget, so I want to make sure that people can check their calendars right here, real time. I will… I will find it and pull it up so that we can have it. The other thing that I always like to share is. Our calendar for Family Institute sessions that are going to be kicking off very shortly for the spring. Uh, and there will be ones that I'm sure that you all will really enjoy. Uh, as you know, we
081are getting ready to do a major presentation to MSDE about our math plans. And so, they will be joining us to talk about mathematics for every student. In Prince George's County, um, and so that's coming up, and I'm trying to get this PowerPoint open. For you all, there we go. Um… So that I can share it with you. I'm trying to think, what else? Uh, but those are the main things that I want to talk about, was the fact that, yes, we, um. have our session, um, for tomorrow, beginning those, uh, parent… those… community advisory, budget advisory meetings, uh, startup again tomorrow. We definitely look forward to all of you being there. It will be an opportunity to not only hear additional information from what Dr. Joseph shared with us. But also, an opportunity for
082you to give us some direct feedback into our planning. Um, and so I'm looking for… I'm sorry, I'm holding things up, I'm sorry, let me get it. Okay, I just want you to be able to, um, show the dates. So, um… and to make sure that we clarify. Yes. you don't have to attend every single date. we… if you can, then attend every single day. Um, but if you cannot, you can still identify the date that works for your calendar to attend. Yeah. So, can you all see my screen now? Oh, good, good. So, yes, tomorrow, January 8th, will be virtual, and you all received an email from me today with the link in it. Uh, the next one will be January 14th, then we'll have February 4th and February 18th. And you're absolutely correct,
083Mrs. Milhouse, you don't have to attend every one of them. But it is a process of building. Uh, the information will be different. At every meeting, because we are moving forward in a process to make sure that we're asking for exactly what we need for next year for our students. So, um… Yeah, just wanted you all to have that, and you all do have this PowerPoint, uh, in… in your, in your… Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And I also want to state that the February 4th meeting. Portal. Um, is the same day as our PCAC meeting. Okay. So we discussed that before, and Superintendent… Um, Joseph? Yes, I'm here. Are you still here? So, quickly, we… we, um, are willing to. move or not move, but that. February 4th meeting would actually be us attending that board and
084decision meeting. Um, so we wouldn't have a publicized PCAC meeting that day. Um, and so we were stating that you all didn't need to move. your date for us, because we, as your advisory group, will just attend that. Okay, thank you. Okay, thank you, yes, thank you. And, like, uh… Okay. So, um, thank you. Ms. Perkins, your hand, is it up again, or is it? It actually is. Um, quick question, Dr. Jackson. So, I was looking at the slide deck for the Future Family Institute sessions. The January 13th Office of College Readiness, that session. have we shared… has, um, the county shared all of that information, um, to the high school counselors? So that they can publicize and make sure that all of the scholars are showing up, because I think that this one right
085here is a very, very important one, especially because this is, like, that. time period, and then seniors and juniors where they really need to lock in and making sure that they're aware of all of their options. So, has this information been shared with all of the high school counselors? Yes, it has been shared, but I appreciate your question, and I'm going to ask them to make sure they talk about it. During that session as well, because it is, uh, all of this, uh, professional school counselors. Okay. At the high school have been talking about this information since October. So, we just want to make sure that everybody has it. And if you have children at the high school level, make sure you talk to them about it. Because it has been shared. And as a
086high school PTSO president, I'll make sure that the principal has this on the school calendar, because I know that sometimes. Yes. You all's planning is excellent. But if it's not on the school's calendar, it's not communicated to the parent. And I know we spoke about that at one period of time, making sure that the Family Institute series was also in conjunction with. the school calendar so that parents could refer back to that. So I'll follow up. Um, with the ones that I'm affiliated with in this district. Thank you, and thank you for that reminder from me that I will be talking with Chief Douglas about how do I get. these on-school level calendars as well, because you're absolutely correct. Oftentimes. If it's a school that has a community school coordinator or parent engagement assistant, they
087will put it on the school calendar, but not every school has that staff member. So, thank you for reminding me. Well, thank you. And the other question is, if you all have a list of all the PTAs or parent groups, you know, at the different schools. is there any way you can do a blast email communication? you know, to the parent groups as well, I think that kind of helps. you know, cutting some of the middle piece out. Just a suggestion that… Thank you for asking. That is something that we do, but I appreciate that your knowledge of what we need to do is so important to us, so thank you. Uh, that is, we send it to people who have attended in the past. To all, uh, parent leadership organizations for whom we have.
088information, um, but yes, thank you, thank you. Thank you. Ms. Lundy? Hi again, Superintendent. Is this still? Did he leave us? No, he's still here. Oh, fabulous. Okay, so, um, coming from a… the municipality standpoint. two things. I know within the municipalities, they have excellent treasurers and financial people that you all maybe could link up with that could help in some kind of way with, um. Um, putting the budget… I know you have all this expertise in the school system and what have you, but I know as a former councilwoman, one of the things was hard for me, because I'm not really a budget person at the time. I'm still learning a lot as I go, not like Ms. Milhouse here. But, um, he… our budget person that was in the town of Ladersburg was
089very helpful. The reason why I'm… the reason why I've raised my hand is. Hello! The reason why I raised my hand. I'm the kind of person always got… I kind of, like, look at things. Differently. So… Is there a way, if it's not already being done, because I'm not sure if Dr. Jackson mentioned it or not. Is there a way to build in our classroom curriculum that's already. Made up, or a special day or something. where students can. Um, be engaged with the budget. Maybe parents can be invited in or whatever, because I know in municipalities, we have something where we do with the mayors. And a way to get these, um, students at the different high schools and elementary schools. informed of our public policy and being mayors and council people and congresspeople. We
090invite them to write essays, to come in and meet with the, um, the mayors and the towns and all that good stuff, so I was wondering. Has it ever been done in Prince George's County where. They had a day where the students or the student government. kind of partnered with the school board, or what have you. Something like that, so they can kind of learn something about budgets or whatever, and then write essays and just ask their own little questions they may have. And with their parents with them, because whatever we do, we should have parents or students together. That's it, thank you. Yeah, that's something, um… Definitely, I'd love to get, um… the student board members. input on that. We did… we did engage, and I gauge the, uh… county student government association, and
091we had a group of them come out for the. dollars and budget. convening, and they gave input there, but there's been… but that… that's a small group of students versus the. You know, 132,000 students we have in the district. Mm-hmm. Um, but it, um, I think step one, bring it there, and then two, we gotta ask. Again, what's the… what's the return on the time and effort and investment, and where would we want to go with it? You know, I'd want to do something more… Um… anything we… any initiative we bring on, we want to make sure that we're clear about the outcome and the benefit, and just more discussion to ferret that out would be beneficial. Thank you. Um, Miss, um, Board Member Walker, your hand was up, and Ms. Smith, I need you
092to step in. Yes, I have put it down, but I'll, um, take the opportunity. Hello, everyone, and Happy New Year. Um… you know, I was just gonna say to Dr. Jackson, Sheila Jackson, um, thank you for putting that presentation together. I think one benefit that we can help with as the Board of Education is we do have all of our, um. PTA and PTO leader organizations, our, um, principals as well. And, you know, if having those two slides, just the family institute slides, as well as the dollars and decision slides. We can put those in our newsletters, make sure we send it out to our constituents, and then make sure we also, um, can get those to the schools. I mean, we should coordinate that, because that's something that we can have happen on our
093side. PGCPS has access to all the principles, we have access to the PTA and PTO organization, so that's something that we should have as a standard. Um, when we have these, um, amazing opportunities for our parents to engage in. Thank you so much! So, the action item is to… yeah, the action item is to take those two slides specifically, send them to the board office. Yes. Okay. And had, um… and you can send it… you can put me on copy, but also to make sure we're putting those in our newsletters, and also, um, getting out to our PTA and PTO organizations as well. Absolutely. Thank you so much! Thank you. So, Dr. Jackson, does this conclude your report? Yes, it does. Thank you. Alright, excellent. Uh, Ms. Welsh, the chair recognizes you. Good evening. Um,
094I'll be quick. I know we're getting to the end of the evening. Um, I did want to share that the Board of Education did vote to enact the following policies. They did this in the December 18th, um. board meeting, they, um… Uh, voted on Policy 0104, title, uh, the Title IX Policy, and Policy 5159, which is the telehealth policy. And then Policy 8104, which is participation in meetings electronically. And then Policy 8265, evaluating the Superintendent of schools and policy 1100, which is the Community School's policy. They, um, also had sent out, uh, the committee itself had sent out, uh, for public comment, and that period actually closed yesterday. for the two policies, uh, Policy 5117, Pre-K, and Literacy, Promotion and Retention. And then Policy 8100, Board of Education Standing Committees and Focus Workgroups. So, um,
095we will be, uh, looking at the public comments that have come in at the… on the Policy and Governance Committee's meeting next Tuesday, the 13th. For… and reviewing any public comments that did come in on those two policies. And I also want to point out at the January 13th policy meeting. Then Policy 0105, Parent, Family, and Community, um. It's actually community engagement, because the name of it has been changed from involvement to engagement. That, um, policy will… the committee will be voting on that policy for it to go out for public comment, as well as Policy 5122. Which has to do with the requirements for interscholastic athletics. And so, uh, those two will be going out for public comment, and we do always encourage, um, that all, you know, the public and all of you
096to respond to these policies, and. I did send to, um… Uh, I'm not sure which… which secretary in the board office, but I did send to them a copy of the actual policy, Policy 0105. parent, family, and community involvement because, um, being PCAC, I would think this policy is probably one of the most important policies that you would be wanting to look at. And certainly, we can… we welcome all comments on that policy, and it will be out there for a full two weeks, so we really do want to hear from everyone related to the policy, and I… and since Dr. Sheila Jackson actually worked on the policy, uh, and any revisions… I don't know, Sheila, if you would like to just speak briefly about the… any changes to the policy. Thank you, thank you,
097Robin. Um, uh, the major changes to the policy, um, is that we wanted to bring it into. current research-based language, so we changed it from involvement to engagement. Uh, because that is, um… involvement is the way we started. Engagement is a more active term about how do we work together to build the kind of partnerships we want to see. So that, that is going to be part of informing the policy going forward. We also wanted to make sure that. We touched on the various groups, uh, in our definition of who is part of what we call the parent community. Uh, as you review that policy, you'll see that there are parents. Are known by many different titles, but it's very important for us to acknowledge all of them. And so, uh, I just invite your
098comments, your feedback. Um, we, um, the policy was reviewed by our superintendent, who approved it, but also our entire executive cabinet. And that means, um, chiefs and leaders from every division within the school system who have anything to do. with engaging families. So we hope that you all will take a close look at it. and give us good feedback on it as we move it forward, uh, for our Board of Education's final approval. I did have one, sorry, amount of order. Um, Chair Smith, I'm back and your hand is up. Thanks, Ms. Mailhouse. Um, I had a quick question, and it's just for. clarity. When I look at the language inside of the policy, I see a lot of, um… sections that says PGCPS, and each school? What exactly does that mean? Why are we
099separating the schoolhouse from PGCPS? Yes. It was very much more explicit to do it that way. A lot of times when we just say PGCPS or the board, people don't see themselves in it, and so we wanted to make sure that schools recognize. their role in helping us implement the policy. So, does PGCPS solely mean the board? it's all about interpretation, and we've had so many variances in interpretation. I think it's a decision that the board will probably have to decide on its own. But that's what we came up with as a committee working on it. Okay, thank you. Just making sure that it was clear. That is not just the board, but schools have a responsibility. Okay. Um, Miss… Um, thank you, Vice Chair Smith, Ms. Perkins? Yes, I did have just a question
100in reference to the language, um, Dr. Jackson. So, I know that, um, Superintendent Joseph speaks a lot about action-oriented, right? When we're bringing these policies up to date, um, there is language in there that says. um, PGCPS will, right? There's a lot of that, but then there's a line item that says PGCPS shall comply. And we're talking about KPIs and managing ourselves and our progress and action-oriented. is there a reason why Xiao wasn't changed to Will? Probably, simply because it wasn't caught. So, thank you, thank you for pointing that out. And Robin, please answer as well. Okay. Well, except… I just want to point out, I know I'm just looking at the policy right now, and I see under, like, um… I can't tell the letter, I think it's K, but it says PGSO comply
101with the requirements of every Student Succeeds Act. Okay. So that is a legal requirement, and the language shall is actually meeting that legal requirement of… that we… we don't have a choice. We shall meet those requirements, and so that's why I shall was put in there. Well, Shia was original, so that's why it wasn't taken out, is that what you mean, Robin? Mm-hmm. No, I mean that it's by… because it is a legal requirement that we often… if you look at a lot of our policies, we have that language, shall. Okay, got it. Thank you for that clarification, Robin. In there, because of it. Thank you. Mm-hmm. But thank you, Ms. Wells. And so, I want to bring something to our attention, is that. What I'm gonna make sure, Ms. Welsh, that you all are
102asking is for us to provide some feedback. Right? Um, as a council, if we are not meeting in February, because we're going to have the budget, um. the decision… dollars and decisions conversation, what will need to happen is… Um, if you can just send us the timeline. Of, um… when the cycle for feedback is happening. you know, when it closes for that, so we can kind of structure how we can work collectively and make any of the recommendations and get that back to you all. I'll be glad to. Um, because we… February, thank you. That'd be very helpful. Um… Do we have any other questions about any of the, um, policies that were shared? Any comments, questions, concerns? Please don't get this excited about responding. back to anything that I've said, um… And so, if,
103hearing none, um, Dr. Jackson and Ms. Welsh, thank you both for, um, oh, Miss… Okay, I have one more question. Um, Ms. Walsh, is it possible in the… If… if we… I think the better way, I think, um, Chairman House mentioned it. It's also important if you have, like, this quarter, right? These are going to be the, um, policies that you guys are going to review. For us to have that in advance, so it's less of a reactive, but more of a support capacity that we actually have time to review. Um, it was really helpful to receive and to have this linked and diligent. But if we had it, you know, like, earlier. I think that would be… because we want to stay on pace when we're supporting you all on what you're implementing and
104executing and working as well, to do better with that collaboration and partnership. So, um, I just put together, actually, a schedule for the rest of the year for the policies for the committee. Okay. Um, and, um, shared it with them at our planning meeting. So, um, I could certainly share that with the PCAC members so that you know which policies are going to be coming up through the rest of the school year. That would be wonderful. Thank you, Ms. Walsh. Thank you, and keep me honest, and make sure I don't… I don't miss any other hands. because I'm about to move into… Item 8.1, which is to adjourn the meeting. And so… If there is no more discussion for items 7.2, we will move into item 8.1, which is to adjourn this meeting at 8.56
105PM. I do want to thank the superintendent for joining us tonight. Chief Douglas. Um, of course, our, um, our board member, Ms. Walker. And, um, Ms. Mcmillan, I hope you enjoyed your first time with us. You know, come back anytime. And so, if there's anything, anyone else, someone can go ahead and motion. to adjourn. Mail. This very moment. A motion to close this out. Thank you very much. And at this time, it is 8.56. You all have a wonderful night. I'll move Carlatulandi. Thank you. Happy New Year, everyone. Thank you, you too. Good night, everyone. Happy New Year! Okay. Oh yeah. You too, bye. See you nextYeah, you