Meeting of the Baltimore County Board of Education - April 21, 2026

001Mhm. Good to go. Good afternoon. This is Chairwoman Jane Lichter. I call to order the meeting of the Board of Education of Baltimore County for Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. This evening's Board of Education meeting is being broadcast through the BCPS online live meeting broadcast and on BCPS TV Xfinity channel 1073 and Verizon Fios channel 34. In order to efficiently conduct this meeting, all voting items this evening will be done by roll call vote. May I have a motion to go into closed session as permitted by the Open Meetings Act as found in the Annotated Code of Maryland General Provisions Article 3-305 B1, B7, and B8 to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom it has jurisdiction, or any other personnel matter

002that affects one or more specific individuals, conduct consult with counsel to obtain legal advice, and consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. So moved. Thank you. May I have a second? Second, Young. Thank you. May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. [music] Mr. Romanowski? Yes. Ms. Hand? Yes. Ms. Frimpong? Yes. Mr. Gombe? Yes. Mr. Lesky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Mhm. Ready or ready or not. Okay. Good evening. This is Chairwoman Jane Lichter. I call to order the meeting of the Board of Education of Baltimore County for Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. This evening's Board of Education meeting is being broadcast through the BCPS online live meeting broadcast and on BCPS TV, Xfinity channel 1073 and Verizon

003Fios channel 34. In order to efficiently conduct this conduct this meeting, all voting items this evening will be done by roll call vote. Did I forget something? Okay. Sorry, everybody. Good evening. This is Chairwoman Jane Lichter and I'll call to order the meeting of the Board of Education of Baltimore County for Tuesday, April 21st, 2026. I invite you to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag to be led by Ms. Forsythe Ongombe and we will then have a moment of silence in recognition of those who have served education in Baltimore County. to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Tonight's Board of Education meeting is being held broadcast through the BCPS online

004live meeting broadcast Xfinity channel 1073 and Verizon Fios channel 34. In order to efficiently conduct this meeting, all voting items this evening will be done by roll call vote. The first item on the agenda is the consideration of the April 21st agenda, and for that I call on Mr. Young. Madam Chair, I move to add contract DDA-315-26 executive search firm for superintendent under new business contract awards as exhibit N20. Thank you. Dr. Rogers, are there any more additions or changes to tonight's agenda? I'm unaware of any additional changes. Second, Pumphrey. So moved, Ms. Hen. Thank you. May I have a roll call vote on the addition of the contract, Ms. Grover. Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Hen? Yes. Ms. Rampong? Yes. Ms. Agumbe? Yes. Ms. Zeloski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes.

005Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Okay. Just I'm sorry, there's just something missing. Um Okay. Earlier this evening, the board met in closed session pursuant to the Open Meetings Act for the following reasons: to discuss the appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees, or officials over whom it has jurisdiction, or any other personnel matter that affects one or more specific individuals, consult with counsel to obtain legal advice, and consult with staff, consultants, or other individuals about pending or potential litigation. The closed session summary and the open session information summary can be found on BoardDocs under this board meeting agenda date. The next item on the agenda is personnel matters and for that I call on Mr. McCall. Okay. Good evening, Chair Lechter, Superintendent Dr. Rogers,

006and members of the board. I like the board's consent for the following personnel matters. We have retirements, resignations, non-renewals, leaves, ethics review panel member appointment, and educator licensure appointments. Thank you. Do I have [clears throat] a motion to approve the personnel matters as presented in exhibits D1 through D6? So moved, Young. Thank you, Mr. Young and Ms. Dalesky. Any discussion? May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Dominalski? Yes. Ms. Henn? Yes. Ms. Frompong? Yes. Ms. Ogombe? Yes. Ms. Dalesky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Humphrey? Yes. Ms. Lechter? Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. McCall. Thank you. Our next item is public comment. This is one of the opportunities the board provides to hear the views and receive the advice of community members. If not selected to address

007the board, members of the public may submit their comments to the board members via email at [email protected]. The Baltimore County Police Department's Homeland Security Unit and Office of School Safety has recommended safety and security protocols which are posted on the boardroom and available in BoardDocs and on the board's participation by the public website. While we encourage public input on policy, programs, and practices within the purview of this board and this school system, this is not the proper forum to address specific student or employee matters or to comment on matters that do not relate to public education in Baltimore County. Inappropriate personal remarks or other behavior, such as language that promotes violence against a BCPS employee, or that disrupts or interferes with the conduct of this meeting are out of order and will not be tolerated.

008Persons who otherwise disrupt or disturb this meeting will not be allowed to continue their remarks and will be escorted from the meeting. Please observe the 3-minute clock, which will let you know when your time is up. The microphone will be turned off at the end of your time or prior to that time at the discretion of the board chair. We're going to start with our school system-affiliated groups, and our first speaker is Mary Crow from Nottingham Middle School. Good evening. Hi, good evening. Good evening. My name is Mary Crow, and I'm speaking on behalf of the Nottingham Middle School PTO and community members, many of whom are here tonight. In December, I shared concerns about the loss of critical supports that were previously provided to students in our community and made two requests. I am

009here today to follow up. First, we asked Dr. Rogers to send a letter to MSDE requesting that Nottingham be added to the 2025-2026 low-performing schools list. MSDE has made clear that this letter, along with supporting data, which we have already compiled, is all that is needed to begin their appeals process. Despite statements of support, we were informed in February that BCPS will not be sending the letter. The LPS designation is intended to attract and retain nationally board-certified teachers through an annual stipend in schools identified with the greatest need. Nottingham cannot afford to lose these educators. After significant staff turnover last year and additional position cuts ahead, we are at risk of losing more of our strongest teachers. Those who serve as leaders in our building and provide critical stability for our students. Our second request

010was for a community schools designation. BCPS was were was originally expecting Nottingham to qualify for the 26-27 school year based on two years of data similar to Rossville Elementary School. However, we were told we do not qualify due to an average that we believe includes inaccurate data from the start of last school year when our economically disadvantaged rate was reported at 41%. Our actual numbers rose quickly in the following months to 68% and currently stand at 67% this year. Given that our total enrollment last year changed by fewer than 20 students, a mid-year increase of 449 students qualifying as economically disadvantaged is not plausible. It indicates a data issue. The discrepancy was shared with BCPS and MSDE in February, but to our knowledge, it has not been corrected. Since reviewing the news that Nottingham will

011not be a designated community school, BCPS has reached out to offer support through collaboration with the facilitators at our feeder schools, every single one of which is a qualifying community school. Additionally, we were offered an EDA stipend for a teacher to help coordinate these efforts. We appreciate these attempts to provide support and will always welcome additional resources. However, this is not a replacement for a full-time community school designation with a 12-month full-time community school facilitator. Before we shift our focus to accommodating this, our community is asking for the county's support in advocating to correct what we believe is a mistake. We ask that you send a letter to MSDE. Thank you. Our next speaker is Edwin Perez from the Baltimore County PTA Council. Good evening. Sorry. One second. Good evening, everyone. Sorry. Sorry, my It's

012okay. computer just locked up. One second. Sorry. Well, I'll have to speak from the from my heart then. Good evening, everyone. My name is Good evening, members of the board. Good evening, Chair Lector. Good Good evening, Dr. Rogers. My name is Edwin Perez. I'm here representing the Baltimore County PTA Council as both the chair of the Multilingual Community Partnership and the chair of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Committee. As you all know, the Baltimore County PTA Council has been supportive of immigrant advocacy in our schools and has been present here at the council many times to promote advocacy and protections increase protections for our students. We've also been present at the Baltimore County Council meetings as well to support the Community Trust Act as well as the Office of Immigrant Affairs. What we're asking for tonight

013is to continue this fight for our students who are immigrants in supporting uh policies now and in the future that will create environments for all of them to be successful and feel safe in our schools. When our students feel the weight and the pressure of not being able to go home to see their families or hearing stories about their friends uh affected by immigrants and advocacy, that puts a a burden on them. It challenges them when they're at school. They are become distracted and they lose a focus that we all know is necessary for our classrooms and to have a safe and effective school environment. We encourage the board tonight to consider again creating privacy measures so that our students' information is protected, creating access protection so that any enforcement official that do enter the

014building are using proper judicial judicial warrants, and lastly to create again a sense of environment that's protective and safe for all of our students regardless of their status. As you all know, the National PTA Council has a position position on immigration advocacy that is based off of Plyler v. Doe, which is essentially that schools are open and accessible to all students and all students should be safe and feel welcome in our schools. We encourage again the Board of Education to follow this policy and to continue providing safe spaces for all of our students. Thank you. Our next category are unions. And our speaker is Miss Callie Olds. Good evening, Chair Lichter, Dr. Rogers, and members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. Um I'm going to talk about two topics tonight,

015but I'm really only talking about one, our students, the children of Baltimore County. First, proposed board policy 1250. As I've said before, our role as educators and as a school system is to ensure that children feel safe so that they are ready to learn. It is not to enforce civil immigration law any more than it is to enforce criminal laws. Proposed policy 1250 removes educators from immigration enforcement, and ensures that all staff know the basic policy should immigration enforcement agents come to schools. Immigration can be a complex topic, though in this setting, in and around schools, it's pretty simple. We don't believe that it is controversial to say that schools have a job to do, and that job is not immigration enforcement. [clears throat] A policy like this ensures that we can all work together

016to keep educating our students, the children of our county. On the other topic, which as I said is really still students, I would like to talk about staffing. We are pleased that County Executive Glassmeyer was able to fund additional resources and save 140 positions. We still face the loss of over 350 positions, and given the time in the school year, BCPS is scrambling to move people around. And there are a lot of questions. We ask the board to help make sure that as this process continues, it is done fairly and transparently, in a way that TABCO and the other unions are kept in the loop on how these hard decisions are being made. And so together, we can limit the harm that is already being done by these massive cuts and moves. Both perfor- Both

017proposed Board Policy and our work to reduce the size and impact of these cuts are efforts to protect our students. When students and staff are scared and confused, when their communities inside and outside of the school are being threatened, it is a barrier to student achievement. Let's work together to reduce these impacts. Pass Board Policy 1250, and help provide insight over the massive transfer process that is currently happening in the field. Our students call for us to do this work. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Our next category are individual students or citizens and our first speaker is Sharon Serhof. Good evening. And on the topic of safety, I'm here to talk about safety in regards to special ed and making appropriate decisions which include class size. It is inappropriate for instance to request more than

0183/4 of a year's worth of data to place a student in the appropriate placement when they are leaving a classroom of 28 kids on an average of 10 times a day. That is not FAPE. That is not safe taking safety involved and it's not taking learning into consideration. That's what I deal with on a daily basis with some of my clients. Safety also impacts staff. If I have a child or children in my classroom again because there's too many in the in the room and I'm being hit, bit, kicked isn't that a safety issue? Why aren't we doing something about that in a timely manner? Why do decisions need a year's worth of data to make a decision? I raised the issue last time I was here of a child who came home with her

019clothing cut. Kindergartner. Okay? [clears throat] The parent was not notified. That's unacceptable. But the fact that a child with a disability got a hold of a scissors and it wasn't noticed until she cut her clothes, that's an extreme safety issue. This is not going to be resolved by cutting by cutting staff, increasing class size. We need to make more appropriate decisions now. I'm going to raise one other item that I know is not going to be easily solved, but it is also a safety issue with regards to staff with disabilities. I think we need to take a serious look at how buildings are set up. If my parking space is around the corner from the main entrance where the main office is and I cannot walk steps or I can't walk that distance, that's a

020problem. And I think that we need to start taking a real look at how our buildings are set up because that's also a safety issue. Thank you. Our next speaker is Donald Whitby. Good evening, members of the board and Dr. Rogers. My name is Donald Whitby and I'm a proud BCPS alumni and I've been employed as a secondary school library media specialist for the last 25 years. I would like to take a moment and wish my fellow media specialist a very happy National Library Week and I invite all board members to visit school libraries to see the impactful work that we are doing with our students. The secondary school LMS position has always been a full-time 1.0 FTE position and our schedule has always been flexible. Having a flexible schedule is the guidance provided by

021AASL for secondary schools because LMS are required to provide instruction, collaboration, and support to every student and teacher in the building. This school year I have taught over 200 classes across all three grade levels and my library is on pace to check out over 5,000 books. The past couple of budget cycles have been very tough for BCPS. Last year BCPS adopted the practice of removing the secondary school LMS from their full-time role to fill staffing shortages in other content areas and elective courses. This practice is not sustainable for the system to deal with staffing shortages and it creates inequitable access to library services in our secondary schools for our students and teachers. When a secondary LMS teaches two content classes, the LMS is not just added to the schedule. The LMS is also removed from

022providing instruction, collaboration, and support for every other student in the building during those fixed periods for the entire school year. Decades of research show that schools with full-time certified librarians have higher reading achievement, stronger literacy outcomes, and higher standardized test scores. Last week principals were told that all secondary LMS must must teach two classes next year. This is the exact opposite guidance provided by the board when the motion was approved to restore secondary LMS to full-time. There were no public reports of any cuts to the amended budget by the county executive, so the teaching positions required to be restored by the approved motion should still be funded by reductions made in other areas of the amended budget. BCPS also received an additional $9.3 million from the county executive to restore 140.3 critical school-based positions. This

023additional funding could have also been used to restore the teaching positions required by the approved motion. Board policy 6200 clearly states that certified LMS serve a critical role in supporting student achievement. There does not appear to be a lack of funding available to fund the motion that was passed by the board. Instead, it appears there's been a decision made by BCPS to not fund the motion [snorts] and to fund other priorities of the school system first, which is incongruent with the guidance provided by the board. I respectfully ask the board to provide clarity related to the funding of the motion and to encourage the system to restore the secondary LMS position to full-time. I would like to thank all members of the board for your time and effort in support of our school system and

024school libraries. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker is Ramona Basillo. Good evening, members of the board. Chairman Lichter, Superintendent Rogers, um greetings. I come to you as a community member and also an advocate for service learning. Last January, um and really in December, we spoke about service learning. We talked about community service learning as it affects graduating seniors especially. Students who have to achieve their service learning hours, make sure they have the academic requirement, and also pass a battery of test. I'm here because this week is youth service week. We have about 13 students at schools throughout the district participating in service learning projects. The PTA Council established this year a pilot program and a partnership around service learning. With 130 units, we're well positioned as nonprofit to create those opportunities for students.

025I know there are some people who say, "Well, service learning is not a concern. Service learning is not my business. Wait until the students get to high school." I want to share that Maryland is the only and the first state to require service learning as a graduation requirement. Let's be the first to really, really support our students. We're working very closely with the Office of Family and Community Engagement, with Stacy Wade in the Office of Service Learning. What we want to do is really raise, raise, raise, raise the bar on the importance of service learning. I met a student just the other day who completed all of her hours while in middle school. When she got to high school, which she's now graduating, she was able to focus on her academic grades, and she is

026going to medical school. What we're saying is service learning is not a nice thing to do. What we're saying is not only is it required by the state and law, I can't drink my water, but you know, I lose my voice. It also is something that will provide an ethic of service at middle school and beyond. I'm here and then in the fall we'll talk again about how we can engage middle school students at an earlier level in service learning so that it would be a lighter lift for our students when they get to high school. And quickly while I have a couple of minutes, I want to give an update on the cell phone. The ban has happened. It is bell to bell. And then what students said a couple of years ago, just

027do it. We want to say, just do it. It will be It is the law. Thank you. Our next speaker is Bosh Frone. Good evening to all. Thank you for the opportunity. As you know, the 400 session uh has finished in the general assembly and um half the bills have passed. One of the good delegates that represent Baltimore County uh reported that she got funds for Ridgely Middle School. And uh for two other schools in the area. One is for digital device and the other one is uh digital device to help challenged persons and the other one for something like a board or so. And it struck me that even though the good delegate whom I respect and support is truly trying in her letter to show all of us citizens that she's working for

028the community. Uh but really for the school system and I know you already heard that before me. We are short of funds every year for the past 30 years that I have been engaged in the school system. And in addition to that, the effect of the politicians on school policies basically affect and hamper um your ability to educate. It diverts your attention. So what I propose to you is to be an activist board. Because in 30 years since Burger era all the way to Dr. Rogers has the same result. You're given penicillin every year and not working. You need to be activist. You need a regime change where you are independent. The county collects education funds and give it to you. No strings attached. The state collects education funds and give it to you. No

029strings attached. And if you want to build more schools, hire more teachers, your connection is basically with the taxpayer. No middle people. If the taxpayer approve funding 500 positions of teachers, let it be. If they don't, you have to manage. You need [clears throat] a regime change. You keep doing the same thing and I bet you will hire a new superintendent and he Thank you. Our next speaker is Alice Wesco or Wisco. Good evening. I thank the board for this opportunity to speak with you um on a theme that's been mentioned several times already this evening. I'm a clinical psychologist, retired. And school is a child's first segway into the world beyond the family system. Before before they go out, they hit school first and that experience, should it be traumatic, is going to be

030with them for the rest of their lives. It will color their view of themselves. It will cover their trust in other people, particularly authority people. It will um make them so afraid that they will be anxious for the rest of their lives. A child who is removed from school by ICE is is a very scarred scarred child and and that can last their lives unless they have additional support. Um seeing a colleague a colleague a seeing a buddy someone they ride the school bus with pulled away from the school by an ICE agent is going to remember that for the rest of their lives. And the brain that is overcome with fear cannot learn. The brain is not available to learn when it is flooded with with hormones that come with fear and terror. So

031not only the child who is removed but the children who witness it who hear about it the next day in the classroom word travels. That's that's serious damage to a child and to all who resonate in that child's community. So I ask you please to provide the children with every protection you can possibly come up with because the the effects are profound. And I thank you for taking that into consideration when you set your policies and hopefully a private space far away from where the children are um is essential and to plan it out and make sure it's rehearsed before it happens. So teachers aren't just out there unrehearsed and and suddenly there's something awful happening. So thank you all and thank you for your concern for our children. Thank you. [applause] Next is public

032comment on board policy 1250 immigration enforcement, access to school buildings. And our first speaker is Mr. Perez, Edwin Perez. No computer this time. [laughter] I'm sorry. One second. [clears throat] I'm sorry. Okay. Uh good evening good evening members of the board, Chair Lichter and Superintendent Rogers, Dr. Rogers. Uh my name is Edwin Perez. I stand before you tonight as a chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Committee for the Baltimore County PT Council. Every morning I look into the eyes of my students, I see their dreams, and I feel their anxieties. Uh my work as an educator is rooted in one non-negotiable truth. It's that a child cannot learn in a state of alert. I'm here to support, as part of the BTA Council, the draft of policy 1250. It recognizes that the safety of

033our immigrant students is not just a legal matter, it is a mental health necessity. Specifically, want to highlight standard E by mandating that the counseling office establish the trauma-informed best practices. This board is acknowledging a painful reality. For many of our students in mixed-status families, the fear of family separation is a constant quiet trauma. Policy without empathy is just bureaucracy. Trauma-informed care is not an elective, but it's a prerequisite for education. Ensuring that our counselors and staff receive quarterly training means that we are we aren't just reacting to a crisis after it happens, but we are building a a shield of professional support around our most vulnerable learners. This also includes the designation of bus stops as non-public spaces because a student's anxiety doesn't begin at the school bus stop, it begins the moment they

034step onto the sidewalk. While this draft is a significant step forward, particularly the requirement of judicial warrants, we must be clear that this policy is a floor, not a ceiling. As the landscape of immigrant enforcement shifts, our protections must be prepared to shift with it. I urge the board to view this not as a final document, but as a living framework. We must remain open to the strengthening of these protocols as new challenges arise to ensure that no loophole ever compromises the safety of a Baltimore County student. Ambiguity is an invitation to fear. We must leave no room for ambiguity. In Baltimore County, our diversity is our greatest classroom asset, but we only protect that asset when we provide a environment where every child feels truly seen and truly safe. On behalf of the PTA

035Council and the committee, I urge you to pass this policy and to remain committed to fortifying it in the years to come. We don't just teach a future, we protect it. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker is Jennifer Blaylock. Good evening. Uh thank you, Chair Leichter, Superintendent Dr. Rogers, and members of the board. My name is Jennifer Blaylock, and I'm I am a BCPS parent as well as a steering committee member for Indivisible Baltimore County. I'm here to support a clear policy for ICE presence on or near school campuses and the provision of know-your-rights education for staff and families. Indivisible Baltimore County supports We Are CASA, TABCO, the PTA Council, and staff members throughout Baltimore County in calling for this important policy. Ensuring that students and families have access to critical information that

036protects their rights and supports their ability to learn is good policy. Families in our BCPS community are facing disruptions from ice that affect children's attendance, focus, and overall well-being in school. Providing structured know-your-rights education ensures that both families and staff are informed and prepared. It allows teachers and administrators to better support students and maintain a safe, stable learning environment. This kind of educational support strengthens our schools and reinforces trust between families and educators. Adopting a policy that formalizes these protections is a clear, practical step the board can take, one that has been taken by multiple districts throughout the state of Maryland. Indivisible Baltimore County urges you to take the same action. Doing so shows that the safety, stability, and educational success of all students in Baltimore County comes first. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Our

037next speaker is Rosalind De Los Santos. Good evening. Good afternoon, share board members, superintendent. Before I even started, I just want to say thank you, Ms. Bumphrey, for being a champion for immigrant families. My name is Rosalind De Los Santos, and I am CASA's I'm sorry, we are CASA's Baltimore and Central Maryland director. I am a proud immigrant and now a Baltimore County resident. I am here today in strong support of policy 1250. At its [clears throat] core, this policy is simple and straightforward, but most important, essential. Ensuring that every child in Baltimore County can safely access their education. For For families, for many families, fear of immigration enforcement is not abstract. It's real, and it's directly impacting whether a child shows up to school, how they participate in society, and how they learned. This

038policy makes clear that schools are safe spaces by requiring a judicial warrant for immigration enforcement on school grounds. It protects students from disruption and trauma by prohibiting um collection and sharing data on immigration status, it builds trust between families and school. By ensuring that staff are trained and equipped with the trauma-informed practices to acknowledge the reality that many students are facing and navigating at this moment. This policy is aligned uh with the constitutional right to education established by Plyler versus Doe, um which affirms that all children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a public education. We know that when students feel safe, it's easier for them to learn. That when family trust their school, it's easier for them to engage. And when schools are protected from unnecessary enforcement actions, they can focus on

039what they're meant to do, which is educate. We've been We have a We've had a great year um here in Maryland in Baltimore County passing legislation to support students. And um students, young young people from Baltimore County, have really been at the forefront of delivering the Trust Act um to Baltimore County resident, but also participating in state-level advocacy as it is with the Maryland um Values Act of 2026, which um strengthened the protections for student-limited immigration enforcement in schools and reinforces schools that schools should and must maintain a safe space for children. This is the moment for Baltimore County's Board of Education to step up and do the same. and other district around the region have already done so in a really progressive way. I encourage you guys to look at those policies, especially on

040Montgomery County and Prince George's County. This is not just about a policy, it's the livelihood of our students and what they're going through on an everyday basis and I can assure you as someone who has been trained to deal with this situation. Every time that I have to sit down with a family member to go through them of what their options are, it's really heartbreak. Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker is Evan Guevara. Evan Come on. [laughter] Tell me how you say your first name. Um Evan. Evan, okay. Hi Evan. Okay. Good evening members of the school board. My name is Evan. I am a student at Featherbed Lane Elementary School in Baltimore County and I am a member of We Acasa. I am 10 years old. I don't understand all the rules and politics

041you are talking about, but I do understand when something makes me feel safe or scared. School is a place where I feel safe. It is a place where I learn. I play with my friends and where my teachers help me. At home sometimes I hear about what ICE is doing to our families like mine. I see my family feeling scared and it makes me scared too. But when I am at school, I don't want to be scared. I want to draw, paint, and play soccer without thinking about the bad things that are happening outside. [snorts] I want to learn and get good grades so I can grow up and become somebody in the future. And I And And I want all my friends to feel safe and happy at school, too. Thank you for helping

042to make schools a place where kids like me can learn without fear. Thank you for listening. THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING. [applause] [applause] THANK YOU, EVAN. YOU DID A GREAT JOB SPEAKING. Our next speaker is Bash Forone. I can't speak for a small child. It's not really fair. I speak for Maybe you'll be influenced by our youngest. All right. So, policy 1250 I have no issue in you stressing the safety and the welcoming feel feeling for all students. This is not my issue. Uh I came to Baltimore 50 years ago, legal immigrants on Alitalia. But um everyone in this country, all of us, are illegal in a way. From Columbus all the way we came here, really. This wasn't really our land. It was Native American land. But that's really beyond the point. The policy has

043two grammar errors and has one or two descriptions I sent you by email yesterday that are vague. If you are trying to protect the undocumented or illegal residents, then the policy needs to be much clearer and certainly not have any grammar errors. Because lawyers will thrive on it. Um on both sides. So, why am I here? I honestly don't think it will make a difference whether you have this policy or not in relation to the illegal resident. But what it does, and that's really my fear, it opens the eyes of the big bear 50 miles away from here. You've seen what happened in Minnesota. You've seen a lot of horrible things. Grizzly bears are not fuzzy, are not cute. They are dangerous. I think you are inviting troubles by doing it. And I know you

044say and others say we want the school to protect our kids. You You mean the five police officers we have today are going to stand against ICE? Or the 176 SROs are going to stand against ICE if they come in? I mean, you know, come on. Um You cannot fight the federal government. That's our government, like it or not. If you don't like it, work on it to be changed in September. Work on it. The school cannot really not cooperate with ICE on federal issue. It's not really your position. Your position is education. You need to focus on education. Thank you. Our next speaker is Wilmer Menjivar. Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Wilmer. I'm a student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County and a member of We Are CASA.

045I am here to tell you about my own experience as a Baltimore County student from an immigrant family. Every morning when I walk to school, I try to focus on my classes, my goals, and my future, but it's not always easy. Sometimes I am filled of worries that people around me don't see. I worry about my family and what could happen to them. I worry that someone I love could be detained and deported, just like what happened to my uncle last year. I feel worried, but I keep going because for me, my education is my opportunity to follow to follow my dreams. I want to keep studying so I can one day become a pilot. For me, school is more than a place to learn. It's a place where I can feel at at peace,

046where I can be myself without fear, and where I can breathe and focus on who I want to become. Knowing that there are people working to protect the students from ICE means more than I can express. It gives me hope and it makes me feel like we are not alone. I just want to I just want things to stay Sorry. I just want the same things any student wants, to graduate and to make my family proud. I don't want fear to be a part of my education. And I ask you to think about us, the students who are trying to make progress even while our families are being separated. We are not just numbers or statistics. We are young people with dreams, goals, and so much to give. Thank you for listening to me and

047considering what this means for students like me. Thank you for speaking. [applause] Our next speaker is Doris Lopez. [clears throat] [snorts] Does this work as well? I'm going to be translating. Um, I believe it does. Does Is that mic going also? Go ahead. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Doris Lopez. I'm a member of We Are CASA. As a mother of a student in Baltimore County, I want to share with you what I feel from the depths of my heart. When I hear about policies like the one being discussed tonight, I don't think about documents or laws. I think about my son. I think about his dreams, his smile when he goes to school, and the peace that I need to feel when I drop him off every morning knowing that he

048is in a safe place. For families like mine, school is not simply a place of learning. It is a refuge, a space where children can grow without fear, where they can be themselves without feeling judged because of where they come from or their family's immigration status. Knowing there are efforts to protect them, to respect their dignity, and to ensure that every child has access to a safe education is an absolute necessity for me to have hope. As a mother, all I want for my child is to have the same opportunities as any other child, to learn, to make friends, to feel accepted, and to build a better future. No child should have to live with the fear that their education could be disrupted by circumstances beyond their control. I'm grateful for the steps that Baltimore

049County Public Schools is beginning to take to create a more humane, fair, and compassionate environment in our schools. Because when we protect our children, we are protecting the future of our entire community. I ask you to please continue to work very hard to pass more measures to protect our immigrant children and all children in the school system. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Our next speaker is Grace Smith. Good evening. I Good evening. Um board members and chairperson and superintendent. Um my name's Grace Smith and I'm a Baltimore County educator. Um and I'm also here to speak um in favor of the board policy 1250. Um and I'm definitely not going to say anything that hasn't already been said and I certainly couldn't say it better, particularly than the young people that have had the courage

050to testify today. Um but I just want to express my gratitude that within that policy, there's requirements for training because it's really important that the adults in the building actually understand what the policy is and what the procedures are in order to be able to actually um competently and quickly protect their students. Um, and I also just want to reiterate this idea that this really is a beginning step. Um, because there are certain places that haven't really been protected protected in that policy that are a part of the daily life of every single student family that is a member of the Baltimore County schools community. Um, especially bus stops. Um, and then thinking through things like field trips, like sports games, like all the things that all of our students need to be a part

051of, um, to belong and to succeed in school and beyond. Um, and then I'm just going to end with like an anecdote which I don't know maybe I should say or not, but um, a friend of mine was at a protest against the ICE detention center in downtown Baltimore which I'm sure you've all heard about the conditions there. Um, and there were some people who who work for ICE driving by and they yelled out the window, "ICE sucks, but the paycheck is good." So, I think that when we're making this kind of policy that protects our students and our students are immigrant students or students from mixed status families, we're also sending a message to all the students about morals and ethics that are really important and that kids need to hear that. Um, so

052thanks. Thank you. [applause] Dr. Weisco, did you want to speak on this policy again? Ms. Weisco? Did you want to speak on this policy again? You signed up. Okay. All right, thank you. Thank you. [clears throat] Okay. Next on our agenda is the superintendent's Whoops, nope. I think Yes, next on the agenda is Superintendent's report and for that I call on Dr. Rogers. Thank you. Good evening Chair Lichter, members of the Board of Education. I do have a video to share with the community this evening, but before that I would like to make a few brief comments. Uh first I would like to speak to all of our community members that are here uh in particular advocating on behalf of policy 1250. Um especially to Evan and Wilmer who smoke spoke. Um thank you for

053being brave and being courageous to share with us directly what your experiences are, what your dreams are, and what you wonder and worry about. Thank you for trusting us to let us know what it is you expect from us as adults. Um we have spent the last year um observing and monitoring the impact on our students and our schools. We have spent the last um year speaking to lawmakers in Annapolis across the state of Maryland as well as the State Board of Education explaining what the realities are for our students and the impacts. And so I am um looking forward to the next steps of the uh Board of Education on your behalf uh with with regards to policy 1250, but wanted to thank you on behalf of the school system uh for coming out

054coming out everyone, but especially our young people coming out to speak to us. Um moving uh forward, I did want to send uh to share a follow-up uh from the communication that we sent last week as County Executive Klausmeier uh did unveil her proposed budget. Um as was shared um throughout the budget season, we started last fall uh sharing with the whole community that we anticipated another tough budget deliberation. Over the last 3 years, I have personally spent more than 100 hours in advocacy on behalf of Team BCPS at both the state and local government levels to make sure that we retain as many resources as possible and we mitigate any impacts of cuts that move forward. But it's important for us to share that any request, every single request that we make is just

055that to our funding partners. As you know that I shared widely, we were expecting 2% above MOE. With the county executive's announcement, we received [music] 4 and 1/2% above MOE. That's almost $45 million above what is required. We know that it is not Thank you. We know that it is not everything, but we are appreciative that she worked hard with us. But when you receive funding from a funding partner, it's important for us to remind everyone in the same way that funds come with strings attached for monitoring, funds also are prescriptive. And so I just want to make it very clear. If someone goes to budget 101, you can see the request that was made. The request for secondary library media specialist was detailed in the request that was made to our county executive. When

056we received the extra funding, because there were a limited amount of funds priorities had to be decided. What was loudest and clearest to all members of Team BCPS coming from parents, coming from students, coming from teachers, coming from TABCO, coming from the Board of Education was what could we do to mitigate the impact of the staffing ratios. And so County Executive Olszewski with an additional $15 million of flexibility from the spending affordability committee spent the majority of that funding on the school system. When she spent the majority of that funding, it detailed what we were to use it for. It was for class sizes to keep them the same at elementary level. It was also for the increased cost of pension that just came from Annapolis for us to address that in the school system

057not have to um address that and for increased health care um cost. And so I wanted to make uh that sure uh make that clear to all of the community members that were listening um that we did receive additional funds. We are extremely appreciative uh to the partnership with the county executive for her coming uh forward and uh helping to save many classroom positions, but with limited funds at all levels, um she had to make certain decisions and we respect those decisions. Um And so I just wanted to make sure that everybody had uh that information. And uh with that as uh I shared, I think the team is ready. Uh we do have a video um thanking our staff for the work that they have done throughout uh team BCPS for the uh last

0583 years. And so if the team is ready, please play the video. Each day more than 20,000 dedicated BCPS staff members work to teach, support, and provide services to 108,000 students and families. Our diverse and talented workforce is the heart of our school system. The collective efforts and collaboration of our entire staff across schools, central office, and operations have led to the substantial improvements and notable gains in student performance. BCPS staff do it all from providing safe transportation and delicious hot meals, beautifying school grounds and keeping our facilities in top shape, delivering engaging, high-quality instruction, and providing critical wrap-around services and supports, to developing curriculum, monitoring data, and fostering [music] safe and welcoming schools, and so much more. A system as large as BCPS cannot function and fast-forward achievement for all students without its staff

059working together, driven by a shared vision. Team BCPS, [music] I am truly grateful for each and every one of you. I have thoroughly enjoyed the work that we have done together on behalf of students, everyone who works from operations to the schoolhouse, and everyone in between. It has truly taken all of you to move BCPS forward, and [music] I want to absolutely wish you the best, and let you know that you are amazing, and know that you are well-positioned to continue to move the 108,000 students forward. Team BCPS staff are incredibly special. We recognize and thank you for your relentless efforts to build a world-class school system that we can be proud of. Your work is making a difference in the lives of our students and their family. Are you finished? Yes. Okay. Thank you,

060Dr. Rogers. Yes. Um I have an item for public comment if we're if Superintendent Rogers is finished. You have an item for public comment? Yes, in response to public comment received this evening, I'd like to make a motion. Okay, go ahead. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the board ask Dr. Rogers to immediately take all actions necessary to support the designation of Nottingham Middle School, a low-performing school, and a community school by no later than July 1st, 2026, in order for resources to be available to students for the 2026-2027 school year. Is there a second to Ms. Hen's motion? Second, Dr. Manosky. Thank you. Would you like to speak to your motion, Ms. Hen? Or Um yes. Um in addition to the public comment we heard this evening, I've received um numerous feedback from

061both staff and families um that these designations are critically important for resources for this school um particularly um after the school opened and since um due to the feeder patterns that students incoming to Nottingham Middle um had available to them prior to um the school's opening. So, in order for continuity of services and supports, um these two um designations are critically important to provide the necessary resources for this school. So, I ask for your support for this motion. Thank you. Any further discussion? Um do you want to respond? Does this board member from Pong have a question? Yes, go ahead, Ms. Frempong. Thank you. Um because this has come up before, I know the young lady had come and spoken to us before, and when um we've had some conversation about it, I remember asking

062the question, we were told we had to wait a certain amount of time. So, has that certain amount of time gone by, and it's just a matter of the data needs to be submitted for this particular school? Do you want to respond, Dr. Rogers? Uh thank you, Ms. Frempong. Um the certain amount of time from the uh state um has not yet elapsed, uh but I do want to uh bring to the public's attention and to uh Ms. Hen, your attention regarding uh this motion, uh factual information that I have been provided from the team. Uh, the first is in regards to, uh, the community schools. The state of Maryland identifies a, uh, designation and parameters, um, whereby a school system, uh, can meet that expectation. Uh, there was a, uh, concern that the data

063being used, uh, was not accurate. Uh, both Ms. Forrester as well as Ms. Stansbury, um, reviewed all of the data and they were with Dr. Moanax today at Nottingham, uh, Middle School verified that the data that they have is accurate and the information being reported, um, was not accurate, um, and we must, uh, comply with what the state, uh, requirements are for designation in reference to, uh, requesting to be, uh, identified as a low-performing school, the Department of Schools and Title 1 staff have both worked together, uh, to put a plan of supports in place, um, after consultation, uh, with the state about the next, uh, best steps. Um, I, uh, we also have inquired about an exception from the state and that was denied by MSDE. Uh, we can forward, uh, that communication to

064the Board of Education. Ms. Tomanaski? I just wanted to if Dr. Grimm would be able to come up and answer questions. I remember this topic was brought up about the data for community schools and what was needed and there was like prior data for school an existing school, but a new school the data wasn't required. I I I just would like some clarifications on on that cuz I don't remember exactly what he said. Okay. Is that okay? So, Mr. Menesky, [music] your question is Could you just clarify again what what are the requirements to be designated a community school for a cuz Nottingham is technically an a new school, but it is coming from the feeder pattern of um Golden Ring, thank you. I wanted to say Marley Station, I don't know why. Um but

065from Golden Ring, and I I remember you all saying that if it's a new school, it doesn't it wasn't the the data requirement for going back wasn't was different from say an existing school. So, uh I I can't speak to the community schools piece. I've never answered questions regarding community school status. Uh that would need to come from Ms. Stansbury or Ms. Forster. Um the the topic that I did speak on was there were questions regarding um Nottingham's status. And uh what I shared was that a a state the state requires 2 years worth of data to make their review. So, um they need 2 years of existing data as a new school number. So, when you have a new school like Nottingham, they the state assigns them a new number under that under that

066name, and they get 2 years worth of data in order to do that. Um that's different than when you when you um redistrict or you just you have the same school with a different number. So, for example, the the Golden Ring's school number and designation by MSDE is different than Nottingham's. I think it's also important that um while Nottingham did um take much if not all of Golden Ring's catchment, I'd have to go back and look, there were other neighborhoods that were included in Nottingham as well. And that's um where their enrollment had increased and that would impact their data. Um I can't sit here and say whether that was positive positively or negatively in any way and it if it added um more students that were economically disadvantaged or in any other subcategory. A

067follow-up. So your your statement is that it requires 2 years of data for a new school to be designated a community school and that is what No, I did not say that. I did not say I said I cannot answer questions about community schools. That's what I said. What I said was that Ms. Forrester and Ms. Stansbury are the ones that answered any questions. What I said was that the state MSDE requires 2 years of data for them to say that a school is a low designated as a low-performing school. There are different designations. Community school designation is different than low-performing school designation. Low-performing school designation requires 2 years of data by the Maryland State Department of Education. Okay, thank you. I I'll go back and review that meeting. I just remember I remember the

068conversation differently. Thank you. Okay, you're welcome. Ms. Head. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to clarify, um and this these actions may have already been taken and thank you to Dr. Rogers for sharing that information. The intent of my motion is simply to ask BCPS to support moving Nottingham Middle toward these two designations. And if those actions have been taken, great. Um it is a continuous process as Dr. Grimm um seemed to indicate in what he shared and and what Dr. Rogers shared. So if if they can't meet these two designations now, that's understandable, but the goal of my motion is to continue to support the process and moving them towards getting these resources. So I would ask for um the board to support this motion and that we continue to receive updates on the progress

069towards moving them forward and with your um permission Madam Chair, I'll read my reread my motion again to to add clarity to that. Okay, can you hold the reread for 1 second and let Dr. Rogers respond and I'll come back. Of course. Yes. Okay, so [music] a few things that I'd like to share with the community. Um that as the school does not have the data, they don't have the 3-year average. The 2 years worth of data that they have, the actual percentage is 51%. The state um threshold is 55%. Um Golden Ring with only 800 students, Nottingham is about 13 12 12 1300 students. So 500 students makes a significant impact on the service groups. Um I also want it to be clear that the follow-up on the community schools is one ticket that

070I took back personally and uh spoke with Ms. Fordis Forrester who followed up with MSDE personally. And so our um inquiry and our support of uh infusing resources to the school is noted uh at MSDE. Uh as I shared earlier, I am happy to provide a copy of the communication to all of the uh Board of Education members and what their uh response was. I just want it to be uh very clear what the data is uh and what the changes were. If we move from 800 students to 850, it would be a reasonable assumption that the state should not have to wait. Uh but when you have 500 students and you can't speak to uh what are all the service groups that they represent, that has an impact. And the exact numbers that the

071team just shared with me while I was sitting up here is that the threshold is 55% and with the 1300 students, the state uh the school is at 51%. This is the state threshold. This is not a decision that Baltimore County Public Schools or any of the other school systems can make independently. So, just want to make sure that that is clear and on the record. Go ahead, Ms. Hinn. Thank you, Dr. Rogers, and thank you for that data. Um I'm not sure how current the data are that you're receiving from staff. I'm assuming it's the latest. They're as of today. Or or how recent or how frequently that data or up those data are updated that we should be monitoring this. Um and I appreciate um your shared sense of urgency in moving um

072Nottingham towards receiving the resources they need. I would continue to want to move forward with my motion so that we can monitor this actively and as new data become available, we can revisit this with MSDE and ask for consideration should those data points move favorably towards securing their resources. So, Madam Chair, with your permission, I would ask for a vote on my motion. Can you repeat the Absolu- motion? Absolutely. In response to public comment received this evening, I move that the board ask Dr. Rogers to immediately take all actions necessary to support the designation of Nottingham Middle School a low-performing school and a community school by no later than July 1st, 2026 in order for resources to be available to students for the 2026-2027 school year. Thank you. Okay, discussion. Mr. Young, did you have

073your hand up? I had one. We had a second already, I believe, correct? Okay. Yes. Okay. Go ahead. Discussion. I was just going to ask if um Ms. Hinn could put it in the chat so we could review it. Absolutely, Mr. Young. Thank you. Ms. Dominosky, did you have your hand up? Yeah. I'm sorry. What was the designa- the economically disadvantaged percentage that you said? Uh the required threshold by the state is 55%. Um the most recent data for uh Nottingham is they are at 51%. I This could be wrong. I'm just looking at um Maryland State Report Cards website on Nottingham Middle, and it says economically disadvantaged students is 67.7%. What they use is the October 31st direct certification counts and September 30 enrollment counts. So, I don't know the source that you're using

074what it is using, but what is used across the state are the numbers uh that I just shared. October 31st direct certification counts, so that deals with free and reduced meals and the official September 30th enrollment count. I'm just going off MSDE's website. That's all. Thank you. Miss Mr. McMillan or You got a question? Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm just curious for future reference. When we voted on the name of the school, if we'd have voted on Golden Ring Middle as the name for Nottingham, would those numbers have carried over and would there be a community school right now? The name part um and the number is one thing. I think uh the enrollment part, if you added 500 more students, wouldn't the effect be the same in terms of community school? So, again, um

075Ms. Stansbury or Ms. Forster would have to speak to the community school does it designation. Um as Dr. Rogers said earlier, the um because the boundaries changed, the um the school number may stay the same, okay? It may If it was designated as a replacement school, I don't know the the the state's rule if it would need to be at the same site or a different site. That's something I'd have to go back and research with the strategic planning team. Um I believe it would it could stay the same number. Um community school designations happen, I believe, year to year in terms of the um low-performing status. Again, there's 2 years worth of data that would be needed for that. If it would have continued on as Golden Ring, it may have qualified if the

076state allowed it to be the same number. Thank you. You're welcome. Yeah. Um Mr. McMillan, I do want to share with you and with the community that um annually we have schools that go on and off the Title 1 list based on the enrollment and the students that are there. The same premise is true for community schools, so they would have looked at all of the students that are in the school. If it stayed 800 students or, like I said, 50 more students, maybe that wasn't a big of a deal. Adding 500 students, they would have looked at the data. Dr. Rogers, that's the same with low-performing status, as well. It's year to year. It just a school would needs 2 years of data for them to consider that status. For MSD's normal process to

077consider that status. Thank you. Ms. Pumphrey. I just I just want to clarify um a request for exception was put in. Is that what you Okay. Um and so I'm just looking at um Ms. Hens' motion, and based on the motion, I feel that if everything has already been done, this doesn't really disqualify that. It just would mean no other steps need to be taken, um but we're still following the the data to see if anything additional can be done um to make sure that the students in the school Honestly, that's what I'm thinking about, the students or who are in high need um and low-achieving um get all the support that they need from us, as much as we can provide. I know that it's based on state numbers. I I I understand all

078of that, but um I don't think it hurts to keep an eye on this and to make sure we're doing every everything we can to to sure these students are supported. Thank you. Mr. McMillan. And I think another piece of that is the nationally certified teachers. I mean, if they right now I don't know. My understanding is that they're not going to be receiving that extra money because the school was not been designated as So, they'll receive 10,000 extra per year anywhere you are as long as you're national board certified. If you're in a low-performing school, on top of that 10,000, you receive an additional 7,000 per year. Thank you. the difference between 10 and 17? Yes. Any other comments? Let me just check um Teams for a second. Um Ms. Frempong? Thank you. I

079just want to clarify. Is this saying that all of the actions to support will be completed by July 1st or that the school is going to have the designation of either a low-performing school and a community school by July 1st? Ms. Henn? Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Ms. Frempong, for the question. This is to say that all actions necessary to support the designation will be completed by no later than July 1st. And to um add on to what Ms. Pumphrey was saying, I I agree. It sounds like the actions have been taken, so um it is important to monitor it and just dot our i's and cross our t's and and keep an eye on the data. So, that if anything changes, we're prepared to move quickly. Does that answer your question, Ms.

080Frempong? It does. So, then would you actually amend that then, please, because we spoke about the monitoring piece? Sure. So, would you have some language to include the monitoring? Would Let's see what Would you like to make a motion to amend the motion? And I'll hand it back to Madam Chair. Madam Chair is reading what you wrote in the chat. Um so, Ms. Frimpong, are you asking to amend Miss Hen's motion? Um, yeah, so, just making a piece about the monitoring. So, then if it's um, because this is that the actions necessary are going to be taken then no later than July 1st. So, um, then I guess at the beginning of the school year we could have an update and then potentially mid-year, etc. Or if this is done, I guess at a I

081don't know. I'm I'm talking through this. I'm just talking out loud. Because this is actually done on an annual basis, then we should basically have an update at the beginning of this upcoming school year in 2026-2027. Well, when So, we would When are the designations for 2026-2027 made? Or they've already been made? Who's a community school for 2026-2027? So, right, so that's already been done, which is why they're here. I believe why they're here tonight because they were not put on the 2026-2027 list. Miss Frimpong. So, then we Okay, thank you. So, then we would need to have an update after the new data has been received so that we know what the new data is and then I guess have a better understanding then of whether they meet the criteria for a low-performing school

082or a community school. And if not, and or cuz we want them to have both those designations. But if not, then what again supports can be provided to help the school and the students that are in need at this um, at this particular school. Right. So, I guess the newest data we'd get would be September 30th enrollment data. October 31st enrollment. Right. So, I but as far as the monitoring, that would be placing this on agenda items to keep us informed, correct? That's what you were you were saying. Correct. So, do you want that amended or you telling right now me as chair make sure that we keep updates coming on a continual basis. Do you want to change the wording or I mean amend it or do you want to just to make sure

083that we put it on future agendas? We need to make sure that we put it on future agendas then. Okay. All right. Any further discussion on the motion that Ms. Henn has put into the chat? Okay, let me just check. Okay, then may I have a roll call vote, please, Ms. Gover? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Henn? Yes. Ms. Frempong? Yes. Ms. Gumbel? Yes. Ms. Zalewski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Okay, thank you. And now Okay, I think we're on chair's report. Okay, so wait a second. Let me get that. All right, so um I also like to concur with what Dr. Rogers said about everyone who came to speak tonight. Many of you are still here on piles 1250. We really appreciate

084your heartfelt comments. Um so thank you for being here. As Dr. Rogers discussed, um County Executive Olszewski presented her FY27 proposed budget last week and we're grateful that she has proposed funding the system above the MOE, which is the minimum amount county government is required to fund. The FY27 budget proposal recommends an overall 4.5% increase over that MOE. It does include 9.3 million in additional funding for BCPS to restore critical school-based positions as well as 5.4 million above the board's proposed budget to support increased health care and pension expenses. We regret that the amendment passed by the board during that 224 meeting that would eliminate the secondary LMS's teaching of two class periods was not included in the CE's proposed budget. However, we do very much appreciate the additional support proposed for BCPS and thank

085County Executive Glassmeyer for her count continued partnership and support. At this point, the County Council will now review the proposed budget and take action on it in late May. Our Champions for Children's event will take place next Thursday where we'll recognize our exceptional hardworking staff. We're excited to celebrate the Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, and Assistant Principal of the Year selected through a thorough nomination and selection process involving staff, students, families, and community members. Many other team BCPS staff members will also be honored. Congratulations to all of the teachers who have been individually nominated by their schools and thank you for everything you do to help our students succeed. One of Dr. Rogers' priorities has been to provide high-quality, consistent professional development to improve teaching and learning. The ongoing implementation of research

086for better teaching has provided staff with systemic, coherent, and research-based professional development. During my recent visits to schools, I've observed evidence of this professional learning in practice in classrooms. The strategic and deliberate rollout that began with executive directors and progressed through school-based administrators and ultimately reaching classroom teachers has ensured that the delivery of a consistent message of best practices. It was supported by ongoing follow-up by administrators and other support staff. Principals commented to me that they considered this training to be the most effective PD they have participated in in quite some time. I extend my appreciation to all who contributed to the selection, the procurement, the design, and implementation of this professional development for our system and I look forward to seeing the continued application of this new learning into everyday teaching. As far as

087the Superintendent search update, um this evening, um the board [clears throat] will seek approval to engage a national search firm to facilitate the selection of our next superintendent. Upon approval of the contract, the board will then begin discussions with the search firm to start that selection process. Updates will be provided to the public through the BCPS website and through the monthly chairs' report. And next is our student member of the board's report, and for that I ask Miss Ogunbayi. Good evening, Chair Lichter, Superintendent Dr. Rogers, members of the board, staff, families, and the BCPS community. Over the past month, I've been consistently working with the Baltimore County Student Councils, where we've hosted multiple events and continued building strong opportunities for student involvement. One of the most exciting developments has been the selection of our new

088BCSC leadership team. Watching this new group of student leaders step into their roles has been incredibly inspiring, and I'm confident they'll bring fresh ideas, energy, and commitment to strengthening student voice across Baltimore County. On March 25th, we hosted our Student Resources and Wellness Seminar, which focused on connecting students with important supports and continuing conversations around student well-being. Students heard from Mrs. Caster, our coordinator of school counseling from the Department of Student Support and Services, and Mr. Hopkins, a school counselor, who explained that to unfamiliar students how students can utilize Zello, our new platform, even outside of their senior year. In addition, we recently recorded and published our official Student Member of the Board Q&A, where our two finalists answered questions submitted directly by BCPS students. As a reminder, voting will take place on April 23rd,

089and any BCPS middle or high school student is eligible to vote. I strongly encourage all eligible students to participate in this process. More information can be found on the BCPS website. We also recently held another in-person Board of Selected Students meeting, this time bringing students together from the central area. These meetings continue to be a powerful space for students to share their perspectives. Lastly, I would like to applaud the community members who showed up today in support of policy 1250, especially my fellow students. Your advocacy and passion for our community is truly inspiring and is exactly why sitting on this dais is so important to me. Thank you to Ms. Pumphrey for spearheading this policy and the rest of the policy review committee that I had the privilege of working alongside for your work and

090commitment towards protecting BCPS students and families. Overall, this past past month has been a reflection of continued progress in strengthening student leadership, increasing access to resources, and creating spaces where student voices can be heard and valued. Thank you to every student, stakeholder, decision-maker, and educator who continues to speak up, engage, and contribute to making our school system stronger. Thank you very much. [snorts] Next on the agenda is unfinished business, consideration of the central area administrative review boundary recommendations, and for that I call Dr. Grimm and Ms. Appler. Good evening, Chair Elect, Superintendent Dr. Rogers, members of the board. We're here this evening for the board's decision on the central area boundary review process as shared with the board on March the 24th. Thank you. So, may I have a motion to accept the central area

091administrative boundary recommendation as presented? So moved, Ms. Hanna. Thank you. Is there a second? Second, Ms. Ogumbe. Thank you. Any discussion? Okay. Okay. May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Dominowski? Yes. Ms. Hanna? Yes. Ms. Frempong? Yes. Ms. Ogumbe? Yes. Ms. Solesky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is unfinished business board policies. This is the second reader for these policies and for that I call on Ms. Christina Pumphrey, chair of the policy review committee. Thank you. Members of the board the policy review committee asked that the board accept the committee's recommendation to amend the following board policies. Board policy 2361 distribution of non-school materials, board policy 5000 students, board policy 6800 field trips

092and foreign travel study programs. These policies are presented to you on tonight's agenda as exhibits J1 through J3. Thank you, Ms. Pumphrey. Board members, are there any separations requested of those three policies? Okay, one second. Okay. May I have a motion to accept the recommendation of the board's policy review committee for board policies 2361, 5000, and 6800? So moved, Ms. Han. Thank you. No second is needed since the recommendation comes from the committee. Is there any discussion? Okay. You always surprise me. Okay. May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. Frempong? No. Mr. Gumby? Yes. Mr. Lasky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Okay, thank you. The next item on the agenda is action taken in

093closed session and for that I call on Mr. Burns. Good evening, Chair Lichter. Dr. Rogers, member of the board. Uh this evening the board uh took action on appeal HEA 26-019 and now would be the appropriate time for you to to affirm that action. Thank you, Mr. Burns. May I have a motion to approve the action taken in closed session on hearing examiner case HEA 20 26-0016 and authorize Ms. Grover to sign for those board members not physically present. Madam Chair, clarification. Yes. I believe Mr. Burns said 0019, you said 0016. It's 0016. 0016. to You're right. That's 0016 is correct. Thank you. Good catch here, Mr. Young. Thank you, Mr. Young. Okay. So, may I Where are we? Okay, do I have a motion for HEA 26-0016? So moved, Young. So moved, Stelaski. Thank

094you. Mr. Young um made the first motion, Mr. Stelaski has the second. Any discussion? May I have a roll call vote, please. Mr. Young? Mr. Romanowski? Yes. Mr. Han? Yes. Mr. Van Pelt? Yes. Mr. Agumbay? Yes. Mr. Stelaski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. [music] Okay, may I have a motion to approve the action taken during oral argument on hearing examiner's case HEA 20 26-019 and authorize Ms. Covert to sign for those board members not physically present. So moved, Young. Thank you. May I have a second? Second, Hand. Thank you. Any discussion? May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanalski? Abstain. Ms. Hand? Yes. Ms. Frimpong? Yes. Ms. Lagumbay? Yes. Ms. Zalewski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms.

095Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Burns. Okay, here we go. The next item on the agenda is new business, report on board policies. This is the first reader for this policy and for that I call Ms. Christina Pumphrey, chair of the policy review committee. Thank you. Members of the board, the policy review committee asks that the board accept this report of the committee's recommendation on the proposed new board policy 1250, immigration enforcement access to school buildings. This policy is presented presented to you on tonight's agenda as exhibits L1. Thank you, Ms. Pumphrey. May I have a motion to accept the recommendation of the board's policy review committee for board policy 1250. So moved, Lagumbay. Thank you. No second is needed since the recommendation comes from the committee. Is there any discussion?

096Ms. Pumphrey? I have a motion to amend. Um I put it in the chat and then when you're ready I can read it. We're ready. Um motion to amend policy 1250 by striking the words quarterly basis in section 2E line 7 and 8 and inserting the words yearly basis, period, employees and contractual workers who are hired after said training has occurred will be trained as part of the on- onboarding process. And in section 2E line 15 by striking the words per quarter and inserting the words per year. Period counselors who are hired after said training has occurred will be trained as part of the onboarding process. Is there a second to Ms. Pumphrey's motion? Second, Stelaski. Thank you, Ms. Stelaski. Ms. Pumphrey, would you like to speak to your amendment? Yes, I'm making the amendment

097based upon other training that happens in our school system. Um it still leaves it broad enough as far as um giving because it says um at least a yearly basis. It still gives the system the ability to train more often if they deem it necessary, but keeps it in line with training that we already have as a system. Thank you. Any other discussion on her amended motion to amend? It's in the chat for board members. Let me check Teams. Okay. I don't see anybody with their hand up. So, may we have a roll call vote on the amended motion? On the motion to amend. Ms. Hen? Just to clarify, we're voting on the motion to amend. The motion to to amend. The right, the motion to amend that is stated by Ms. Pumphrey. Mr. Young?

098Yes. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Hen? Yes. Ms. Rampell? Yes. Mr. Gumbay? Yes. Ms. Stelaski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. So, now we're going back to the original motion, correct? As amended. Right. Any further Mr. Young? I just had a question um and it's it's mainly related to the title because it says access to school buildings, but yet inside of the policy we define non-public spaces such as um bus stops. So, what was the rationale for just let laying making it um access to school buildings instead of something more generic? Go ahead, Ms. Pumphrey. Um the only way I can speak to that is that when the policy was presented to staff um to help formulate the wording, um I didn't have a name and I

099requested that they suggest a name and that was their sug- suggestion suggestion based on the policy analysis. Thank you. Any further discussion? Ms. Pumphrey. Just a comment. Yes. Um couple comments. First, I wanted to thank Elvin and Wilmer. Um you know way more than us adults now, so thank you so much for coming and speaking tonight. Um I I want to make it clear um that we're talking about children. Sorry, I'm getting choked up. We're talking about children who do not get to choose where they are born, children who don't get to choose where they live or where they move. We're not fighting the federal government. We don't have I agree with with Dr. Furman, we don't have the ability to fight the federal government. This does not go against what the federal government says.

100As a matter of fact, um we are actually in line with Supreme Court ruling that requires us to makes us obligated to educate children regardless of immigration status. All of our children should be made to feel welcome in school. We have an obligation to to not on that only under the federal government, but I believe a moral obligation to make sure that those students are educated and feel safe and especially feel welcomed in our school. All students should feel welcome in our school. Um I think that this is the time where we need to put politics aside and make a decision that makes all of our children feel welcome and safe. We currently have a resolution in place to support this initiative and this policy aligns with the resolution to make our procedures when dealing

101with immigration enfor- enforcement more concrete and will ensure especially ensure consistency throughout all schools. Um regarding the training portion, there were questions at the equity committee committee meeting that I posed regarding how our our um staff members are trained and the response was that principals were trained. Um but I believe that if a masked armed ICE agent arrives at the school at the front door of a school, it could be a frightening experience for staff members um who are also opening the doors to those people whether or not they can open the doors. So, we need our front office staff also to be trained to make sure they're they are comfortable with how they should respond and how they should legally respond. Um we now know the impact that immigration enforcement has had on our

102students. We've recently received our monthly report regarding regarding multilingual learners regarding attendance, which confirms the impact this is having on our students. Um so, I've been trying to get this policy passed for a year now and I just um think that we have no more time to delay to get this pro- passed. Thank you. [applause] Thank you, Ms. Humphrey. Any further discussion, Ms. Henn? Thank you. Um so, I had some concerns about the legality and and this does not mean that I'm not sensitive to the concerns or care about the concerns raised this evening. I had asked in committee whether or not this policy had been reviewed by general counsel, board counsel, and Baltimore County Council. Um one specific concern I have is the language under 3B non-public spaces um reads all areas of BCPS

103property including bus stops are designated as non-public spaces. Um one is the convention that refers to BCPS property as board property. There are several instances of um BCPS where I believe standard um convention refer should refer to that as board property, but I question whether or not we can refer to bus stops as um board property as they are not um board property. They are um public property or privately owned prop property versus board property. So, my my one concern is 3B and whether or not we can um do that within our policy as they are not board property and designate them as non-public spaces. So, I don't know if um Ms. Pumphrey received advice from general counsel. I know that general counsel reviewed this, but that's one one specific concern I have about the

104language, and my second concern is that the policy language itself does not um seem to adhere to conventions for board policies. Ms. Pumphrey? I can say that um before or when this policy was presented to staff for um review to help us formulate the wording, I did request that general counsel review the policy and provide their input and and their input went into um writing the policy as it stands. It with with the exception of the amendments that we made. Thank you. Ms. Dominaski? I just wanted to This is the first reader, correct? Yes. So, if we pass pass this, it would still go back and for review and more changes could be made or could there be more um input from general counsel to review and make sure all of our eyes are dotted

105and our T's are crossed? If I'm I I believe I'm correct and Mr. Burns can chime in on this on this. If it passes first for reader, we can request that it be reviewed again by general counsel. Thank you. I concur. Any other questions or comments, Miss Henn? I would move to amend the motion on the floor. Um, may we have that that motion read again or I can make my um amendment without that motion. I I would move to amend it by adding a review uh by by board counsel if we accept the the recommendation of the policy committee. So, we had the first motion, then we have a motion to amend which we already passed. And we have not yet So, we have a motion We now have a motion as amended on

106the on the floor. We passed the motion to amend. Now, we have a motion to accept the recommendation Right. of the policy committee. I move to amend that motion, which would be a second. Okay, and what is your motion to amend? What would it state? My motion to amend would be and ref and ask board counsel to review the policy and bring recommendations to the board. So, you're adding that on to the original motion. Correct. Can I Can I don't know what a amendment Can we add to the end of that or would you agree to adding to the the end of that prior to second reader? I don't know if that's necessary, but I would add prior to second reader. Sure. Did you say board counsel or did you say um Board Board counsel.

107Board counsel. Correct. And I can put that in the chat. Okay. Is there a second to Miss Henn's Second, Dominowski. Thank you. Um, do you want to further discuss it or do you Any further discussion on the amended motion? Okay. So, is everybody straight on what the amended motion they're about to vote on is? Can it be read it for the record, Chair Lewis? Yes, it could be read again. So, Chair, I put it in the chat as well. Okay. So, you put the ending or the whole thing in the chat? the ending in the chat. Okay, so I'm going to read the beginning. Um So, it was may have a motion to accept the recommendation of the board's policy review committee for board policy 12 and ask board council to review the prior the

108policy prior to second reader and bring recommendations to the full board. Any further discussion? Did we have We had a second, correct? [music] Okay, may have a roll call vote, please. Mr. Young? Sorry? No. Thank you. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. Frempong? No. Ms. Ugombe? No. Ms. Telesky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? No. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lector? Yes. Favor is six. Okay, so that did not pass. So, we're back to the original motion as amended. Okay. May have a roll call vote, please. Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanowski? Yes. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. Frempong? Yes. Ms. Ugombe? Yes. Ms. Telesky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes, yes, yes. Ms. Lector? You only get one vote, vote, vote. Yes. Thank you. Okay, so that passed. So, [music] [applause] So,

109and I like to thank Ms. Pumphrey for her leadership and the policy review committee members. I believe that's Ms. Han and Ms. Ugombe and Ms. Telesky. And am I missing one? Nope. I'd like to thank you for your participation. I know this has been I'm sorry, what? Ms. Prempong. Sorry. Ms. Prempong. I'd like to thank you all for your hard work on this um and your continued efforts to bring it tonight. So, thank you. And if you all want to applaud one more time, go for it. [applause] All right. Now is when you all are going to get up and leave, right? It's okay. [laughter] All right. Let me see where we are. Okay. The next item on the agenda is new business, special project request. And for that, I call on Dr. Jones. Dr.

110Jones is going to talk about trees after this, right? [laughter] Good evening, Board Chair Lichter, Superintendent Rogers, and members of the board. I bring before you today for your consideration the 7330 special project for the Meeting Choice School tree planting. In collaboration with Patapsco Heritage Greenway, Meeting Choice would like to plant 15 trees on the school grounds to create a tree canopy that will reduce the heat index in the play areas. The planting proposal is three planting areas. As was stated, 15 trees will be planted throughout the planting areas. The proposed tree selections and locations on the planting plans are strategically located to offer the students and staff shading up on the height and canopy spread of each tree species. The amount for the donation for this project is $32,807.70. It's anticipated [snorts] that the

111planting would occur during this time in the spring. Funding and support has been provided, as was stated, by Patapsco Heritage and under and through an urban tree grant. At this time, we are seeking board approval for the 73 7330 planting project at Meeting Choice. Thank you, Dr. Jones. May I have a motion to accept the school project request for the Maiden Choice School tree planting as presented in exhibit M. So moved, Humphrey. Thank you. May I have a second? Second, Han. Any discussion? I just May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanaski? Yes. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. Frimpong? Yes. Ms. Ogundipe? Yes. Ms. Stalowski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Humphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. And thanks to the funder for the trees. Oh, go ahead.

112Uh small edit for the record. The amount of the donation is $13,807.70. Accidentally, it was says 32,000. I just want that for the record. Oh, I'm sorry about No worries. I didn't want the funder to change their mind. Exactly. Okay. Thank you [laughter] for that correction. You added 20,000 onto there. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Wright. All right. The next item on the agenda is contract awards. And for that, I call Mr. Young, chair of the Buildings and Contracts Committee. [snorts] Members of the board, the board's building and contracts committee met on Monday, April 20th, 2026. Items N1 through N20 were forwarded to the full board for approval. Thank you, Mr. Young. Board members, are there any separations? Okay, one second. Let me check our teams. Okay. Do I have a motion to approve items N1

113through N20? So moved, Ms. Han. Thank you, Ms. Han. No second is needed since the recommendation comes from the committee. Any discussion? Mr. McMillan? Uh on my computer screen, there's a little lock next to the contract. Refresh. Is that going to be released? It is already. Is Anybody else saying that part, right? Refresh. Can we refresh? It's real life changes. You're good? Okay, any other discussion? Miss Han. I have a question, just a question on the um Perry Hall track contract. [clears throat] Um given the scope increase, um I just wanted to know if the schedule will change or if it's still on schedule for completion by the fall. Okay. We look like we're getting Good evening. So, on that particular contract, um once the contractors started to dig into the soil, they discovered that

114additional work was necessary. Um I believe it's what's still on track for this if the board passes it, we're on schedule still for this summer, right? Financial part that that you're approving today is definitely out. We are waiting, we have a getting a priority review from the county. Um it went from a resurfacing project to a replacement project, but we've dealt with um the permitting offices offices already, and it's almost like a replay, you know, we're going to be taking in the soil out in kind. Um so, it's we can't start construction yet, um but we're waiting for it, but um the director um approved the priority review. So, we're going to do everything we can to get it, you know, get get it back on track for the the completion in the summer. Okay.

115Do Do we know the the dura- the duration, I mean, in terms of what is involved with the full replacement versus the resurfacing if It was originally scheduled for completion by the start of school and now that we're looking at a complete We're we're hoping I mean without having the start of construction after the permit I'm but we're assuming that we're going to be getting it very soon and then we're still for the start of school. Okay. We're going to do everything we can do to try to expedite the work. The concern is with fall sports and those are the questions I'm getting from the community. It it's it's possible it will be on track. We should have more information. Very soon. We've been We should we could have more information next month. We can

116do a follow-up to the board. That's not a problem. Perfect. If Thank you and if Okay. Thank you. Any other questions, Ms. Domanaski? Yes, I had a question about 4 and 14 direct control of um heating and air conditioning services continued. What is that What do you mean by direct control? In the contract. It says the contract modification will provide for the continued direct digital control of heating, ventilation, air conditioning devices. Okay. So this is um this is part of our building automation systems. So depending on the type of heating and cooling systems that we do have, we have sensors in many of our buildings, not all of our our buildings. Um they help us um they help us open and close certain dampers and other systems within the building remotely. They help us to

117do it um on site remotely through the use of computers and to diagnose when there's issues. Um so this particular contract um gives us the opportunity to continue, um, to continue to that work to extend the contract. Is there a reason why they're not in all of them? And with this direct, um, control, are you able to actually, like, say it's unseasonably warm or unseasonably cold? Can you change the heating and the air conditioning to make it more comfortable in in those buildings where these sensors are? In in in some of them, yes. The reason why it's not in all of our buildings is because some of the the heating and cooling systems we have are incompatible with this type of technology. They're so old. Yeah. Um, so it so the it's not it's not,

118um, it's not possible it's not practicable for us to outfit all of our schoolhouses with this type of technology. Um, sometimes the tech the technology gives us a warning or an indicator and we can fix it remotely. Sometimes it gives the the technicians additional data that they need on site to regulate the temperatures from one from one space to another. This is just for a future, um, presentation. If we could get an update on how many of schools do not have this technology and what are, you know, as far as getting them uh their upgraded system so that we can install this in all of our schools can be, you know, directly The way that the old ones were all done with pneumatics, which was air that would be do things that the DDC, it's

119an industry standard, um, of you know, the electronic ones. So there's any plan to upgrade to any school buildings to get so that all of them can be this way? No. So there's So there's some systems that are that are just that are incompatible. The technology's not compatible with the type of controls with the type of heating or cooling controls. So for example, we have, um, not to get too deep in the weeds, we have we have some heating systems that are, um, that are that are, uh, completely, uh, oil. Um, we have others that are um, that are thermal. Um, depending on what the technology is and how new the bit the the systems are, some can be controlled remotely, others are controlled by manual turning of of valves, they're controlled through pistons, they're

120controlled simply on site. Um, some Do we still have any old ammonia systems? We we've got all kinds of um, different technology throughout the school system. So, it it would be feasibly impractical to um, to update our oldest systems with some of the newer technology. A good example is is Delaney. Delaney's heating and cooling system is incompatible with this type of technology. Um, that's obviously being solved by by a new building. Um, as we upgrade uh, mechanical and electrical systems within buildings, sometimes it's feasible for us to um, to do this work at that time, but all of these things work together. Um, whether it's mechanical, electrical, plumbing, they all work together. So, some it's just not pos- it's just not possible to upgrade them. I'm just wondering if we could get you know, a

121a list of the high at risk schools that are not going to be getting an update anytime soon whether because of their buildings are so old or there's no plans to, you know, upgrade their electric or their AC HVAC. Um, I mean, we live in Maryland, the weather you get four seasons in one month. It's just um, I I There's got to be some I'm just wondering with some of these schools that were got so much heat last were you know, excruciatingly hot last week and they couldn't turn the air conditioning on. So, And just to speak to that, I'm sorry, not to cut you off, Ms. Domanowski. The um, all of the boilers in all of our schools were turned off prior to last week. We actually turned them off earlier than we had

122communicated out. Our team made sure that they were taking a look at the forecast, they were doing their their homework ahead of time. They worked over the spring break to make sure that that happened. There's a period in time in every heating and cooling season where there's actually no heating or cooling happening in the schoolhouse because there's a conversion that has to occur. Um as Mr. Welsh shared last night in building and contracts, the same pipes that carry um water in excess of 140° are carried for heating are carrying um 40° waters to do 40° water to do the cooling. If we're not very careful about how we convert that process, make sure that all of our lines are properly bled with air um so that there's no water in them, we um we risk

123bursting those those pipes. So, it is a multi-day process. It's it's very unlike our home systems where we can um essentially turn off one system, turn off our furnace, and turn on our air conditioners. Um it's a multi-step process that takes us several days to convert and that is that is if everything goes goes to order. So, there is always a period of time any fall, any spring where there's actually no heating or cooling that's happening in the building at that time. We're relying on Mother Nature and outside temperatures to help us regulate the buildings and we use damper and outside air as Ms. Lazare said. When do you start this process? I'm just as as there's no when it's just turned off completely, do we start this in spring break when there's no students

124in the buildings at all? We begin we begin monitoring this process in March. We begin looking at the weather forecast several weeks out. There's a period of time in which we look um typically in all of the month of April and in early May, what would be the best um based on the the forecasting, what would be the best conversion period knowing that we need two to three weeks to do so. And then we identify that time. This year we I actually identified a time and we moved it up earlier once the forecast changed and the temperatures were going to be warmer than what was forecasted. Just last follow-up, when did we start this year? Uh this year we we were scheduled to start on April the 17th. We actually started on April the uh

125I believe it was the second um which was the Thursday that that students were gone from spring break. We started much earlier in some of our schools. Thank you. Any other questions about the contracts? Let me just check Teams. Okay. Um may I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Go ahead. Sorry. Yes. Ms. Domaneski? Yes. Ms. Ham? Yes. Ms. Frempong? Abstain. Ms. Ogumbay? Yes. Ms. Zaleski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillian? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Ms. Lichter? Yes. Thank you. We had seven, correct? We had eight. Okay, thank you. I meant at least seven. All right. The next item on the agenda is the consideration of the annual budget appropriation transfer and supplemental appropriation. And for that I call on Dr. Grimm and Mr. Tantleff. Good evening again. Good evening, Chair Lichter, uh Superintendent

126Dr. Rogers, members of the board. Uh we are here this evening for the board's approval of a general fund budget appropriation transfer and a supplemental appropriation. A budget appropriation transfer or BAT is an administrative function that is requested every year. As you know, we plan to request a FY26 supplemental appropriation last year following board approval of additional compensation for staff. Board approval is the first step in the county approval process. And I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Tetlow. Thank you. [clears throat] Uh this year's bat totals 26.5 million and the supplemental appropriation equals 10.54 million. The BCPS budget consists of 13 separate appropriation by activities prescribed by the Maryland State Department of Education MSDE. Transfer of funds between activities requires approval from the Board of Ed and the County Council. This annual budget

127appropriation transfer will realign funds by category with planned and projected year-end expenses. Funds are available due to savings in salary expenditures, delay in bringing substitutes back to in-house management, and use of grant funding. The proposed transfers are necessary to implement the FY2026 operating plan, continue implementation of the new Oracle ERP system, continue the teacher substitute contract through 2026 year-end, and cover special education expense shortfalls. Because BCPS cover carries no contingency budget, the only way to manage unanticipated expenses during the year is via amendment to the budget and as stated previously, this is an annual administrative function. A supplemental appropriation of 10.54 million is required to fund final FY2026 bargaining compensation agreed to following budget adoption and the conclusion of impasse with TABCO as previously shared with the board. The source of the supplemental funding is

128an additional 2.74 million to match final state revenue above the adopted budget and 7.81 million dollars of fund balance. This fund balance usage is consistent with the figures shown during multiple presentations for the FY 2027 budget process. We'll now take any questions you may have. Ms. Hinn. Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Tantleff. Good evening. Um my question is regards regarding the decrease in instructional salaries of 13,693,000 um for the deferral of teacher substitute in-house management. Um can you speak to that? Is that bringing those substitutes um back from Kelly and in-house and [clears throat] making them BCPS employees? Is that this Sure. increase cost? Sure. Our original plan was uh mid-year this year to switch over from Kelly Services and bring them uh in-house, but we decided um in the interest of uh just having

129gone live with the Oracle payroll system and the amount of work to bring several thousand employees in-house, it made more sense to push that conversion over to the beginning of FY 2027. So, those funds were originally budgeted as salaries because we directly pay substitutes and we simply move that money over to the contractual line to match uh where we had the budget for Kelly Services. So, half of the year was planned in contractual, half subs, and we simply needed to move the money from salaries over to contractual to finish the year out with Kelly Services. Okay, but wouldn't that be offset then by an incre- you know, the increase and decrease? Wouldn't those offset with contractual? Yes. So, how did we end up with a decrease in salary? It went down in salaries and up

130in Contractual, so that's what the BAT is requesting for that that move. Not Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Other questions? Okay, let me just check Teams. Nope. Okay. So, may I have a motion to approve the annual budget appropriation transfer? We're doing them separately, so the first one is the annual budget appropriation transfer as presented. So moved, Young. Thank you. Do I have a second? Second, Stelaski. Thank you. Is there any further discussion? May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domenelski? No. Ms. Hen? No. Ms. Frempong? She left. Mhm. Mhm. Ms. Agombay? Yes. Ms. Stelaski? No. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillian? No. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Favor is five. Okay. Um can I ask a question? What happens when it's not approved? Uh [snorts] sure. So,

131the first This is the first step uh in the process both for the BAT and the supplemental. Uh then it has to go to the county council. Uh by not on the BAT side of the house, it's uh required to stay on budget. So, without passing uh the BAT, which is simply an administrative recognition of the funds we have spent and are going to spend, um we will go over budget in certain activities. We would likely fail our annual audit. I don't know if there's legal ramifications and it will also cause the county to in aggregate not be able to be in budget for their act for and year end for audit purposes. So it's unprecedented territory. We haven't done it. There's likely several unintended consequences we would need to research but it would need

132to pass tonight in order to stay on track for the counties schedule for both the bat and the supplemental. Okay. Thank you Mr. McMillan. Mr. Tatlef, if you went back to to your group and you re-crunched these numbers, is there a possibility that you could come up with a different solution that you could present to us next meeting? I don't understand why we'd come up with a different solution. We're simply moving money from activities where we're going to under-spend to activities where we're projected to over-spend. The Kelly Services was a very good example that Ms. Hen brought up. Um I mean I don't know what different This is This is a solution that works. I don't know why we would what different solution we could come up with. Okay. Thank someone would have to say

133what why they would want a different solution and what that would be trying to accomplish. This is strictly an administrative action. Well the the accomplishment it would seem would be you know present something to us that we would vote in favor of. But but But if you wouldn't vote in favor of this, what what would change to make you vote in favor? I don't know what there is in this that people voted against. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Domanowski. I just was reviewing some of our budget line our our bats and our supplements and I just would like to see more details because what we get here and then what is actualized through the the budget line transfer over the year doesn't doesn't look exactly the same as far as department-wise where the money

134was coming from and where it's going. There's some things that definitely line up but some things don't always. If we could get a line-by-line detailed more I just a more detailed budget line items as far as like transfer here for this, transfer here for this instead of just a summary would be more helpful for me to make a decision. Well, uh the two things I would say is uh we started up the budget line transfer report again as the board requested during the budget process. Uh we also um provided you with the budget line transfer through quarter three, which is when we stopped doing budget line transfers. So, if you looked at the sum of all those hundreds of line items on those reports, those would support the budget appropriation transfer. The only way to

135reasonably do it uh in an understandable format is to summarize it like this. Um and and we're giving you in broad strokes where we're under budget and where we're over budget and what we proposed to the board in order to solve that problem. If if I give you a list of thousands of transactions, will that inform your decisions? We have provided that at the board's request. But I'm not sure going through each of those line items, some are might be $50, $100, $1,000. There's some big things, there's some very small things. But as we go through the year and all the offices, all the schools are doing uh transfers, uh the sum of all those can be resolved through the budget line transfer process or the BAT process tonight. I would also just add that

136the um the format in which we provided here is consistent with what we provide to the county um in their reporting forms. It's It's It's not quite the same form, but it's very It's very similar in terms of a a summary to them as well. And this is the same format that we've provided every year for this vote. I I appreciate that. I'm I'm just asking for maybe something a little bit different where we could see the department and line numbers where they're coming from and where they're going. It's just easier to match that up. I'm not asking for, you know, a dollar here and a dollar there. Like the big budget items is a But if you're saying you're um condensing one department and this is where the cost savings is coming from. And

137this is directly what it's going to go to. I want to make sure that the dollars that you say or we say are going to instructional education educators or it it just is go it's going where it's supposed to be going and it's not going to another department and filtering through a different way. I I just like to also mention, nothing we're talking about here impacts how we're spending our money. What we're talking about is adjustments to the budget. So, the budget lines up with our expenditures so that we don't go over And the aggregate budget again is not changing at all. We're only talking about by each of the MSD categories. We can't at a very micro level, we can't go over budget in any activity to stay in compliance. Uh we'd also be

138in violation of the county code if we're not in um balance by the end of the year. So, we're not changing expenditures. We're simply moving budget the budget lines around. And we're describing in the document what we're moving from and what we're moving to in I feel like a fairly clear fashion. So, Mr. Mielke, on the chart that's got the blue lines, do you are you looking at that chart? So, there is a FY26 BCPS quarterly budget line transfer report for third quarter link under executive content. Because when I look at that, it sounds like what you're asking for. That's why I wanted to ask what on that document are you not would you want added? That's the problem. I didn't realize there was a link and it wasn't just Where has this been? Again,

139that's a similar report to what you saw during the budget process just updated through Yeah, we just don't get to see it anymore because we don't have a budget committee to go and go through the questions. That's all. I just didn't I just didn't see it till just now. Okay, but when you look at it now, is this showing you what you were what you're trying to ask for? I just wish I'd seen it before I could make a decision. That's all. I would have I just didn't It's been on here. I'm not saying it wasn't posted. It's just not posted the way things usually are. It's usually an attachment, not a link. So, I wasn't I just wasn't immediately It's a linked attachment, but it's not an actual like file or presentation like the

140other two are. Is that what I'm saying? Like that those the first the That's fine. Just I just wanted to show you saw it. I see it now. I just didn't go down that far because I saw those two and figured those were the two things we needed to look at. Okay. I think somebody else had their hand up. It was me, but I was going to bring the same thing. I Because it is it's under executive content and they're two separate things. So, I think that was the issue. May I add one thing? Yes. Um also uh Miss Han Miss Domanowski, if you look at you know, the summary increases by category on the bat, although there's a sum of all these small transactions that require it, we're able to grab a couple of

141big things and describe what we're reducing and what we're increasing. So, if we uh if you just simply ignored all the transactions in the budget line transfer report, these handful of things cause us to have to do the bat. Ms. Lichter, did we answer your question? I Wait. Whoops. I was going to ask for explanation on that chart because I wasn't sure I was understanding it based on Ms. Domanowski's question, but I I think I do. It It That's what this is showing. It's showing where it was and where it was moved where it would be moved to if we approve it. Correct? Um and I'm going back to your original question about implications. Did we answer Did we answer your question? What I got from that is it's it's not good. [laughter] That's a

142good summary. Okay. Mr. Young. Mr. Tetlaff, um when we look at like the the bat, you know, you have that increase section, the decrease section. For example, other instructional costs is an increase of 19 million. I'm assuming it's not as simple as saying, "Well, we're not going to spend this money." Um the truth of the matter is again, let's talk about the Cali example, which is by far the biggest item on here. We will pay Cali services for services rendered, and we will spend roughly what we're projecting, certainly not to the penny. Um and the bat gives us a cushion to because there is uncertainty in spending and it's a big budget, we make sure the bat leaves us a cushion in every activity, but we will pay Kelly Services. We're legally obligated to pay

143for those services. Uh we will pay for the ERP project as the work progresses. So, we we are legally obligated to perform this spending [snorts] and again, the budget the budget appropriation transfer lines the budget up with uh the expenditures as we project them. This is again, the same as we do every year and the county goes through the exact same process for their budget. I I just want to add I thank you for that, Mr. Tantleff. I would just like to add, Mr. Young, that the um that the spend is all within the spend authority that has been approved by the board. [laughter] So, none of none of these expenditures are outside the authority that's already been granted by the board to spend on any particular contract. Mr. McMillan? Mr. Tantleff, if you took

144this third quarter report, this quarterly budget line transfer report, and updated it to the you know, April 21st or whatever, and then brought that back to us, would that be give us more information in order to make our decision? More accurate information? That Well, the budget line transfer report in front of you Yeah, the budget line tran- the BLT report um goes through the final budget line transfers that occurred this year. We uh cut them off at the end of February, normally. Um So, the sum of the two reports uh counts all the transactions, but I I think I mentioned it uh before. And uh Ms. Wynn, tell me if I'm wrong. I think you were trying to say this. If you think of all the small transactions we make through the year, they sort

145of offset, and if you just focus on these large transactions, these cause us to have to do the bat. These handful of transactions that we fully describe on here, these are single budgets in single places um that we're talking about here. Kelly Services, the ERP project, special ed, etc. So, we do boil it down into um you know, I think a handful of reasonable expenses and a reasonable um number of sources of revenue. So, Mr. McMillan, there wouldn't be an other wouldn't be be budget line transfer items on any additional report since these are inclusive up through this fiscal year. So, I'd like to ask if there's anyone who voted no willing to make a motion to reconsider. I cannot make it cuz I voted yes. So, after hearing the additional information and clarity, is

146there anybody who voted no who is willing to make a motion to reconsider? Yes, Mr. Menashe. I'm I'm sorry, I'm probably out of time, but just another question. So, the 13. 7 million that's coming from Kelly Services in the BLT, it's it's Oh, tell me. I just did not delete it. Okay, now. Um it's going from school-based salaries to the Department of Recruitment and Staffing. Then where does it go? To Ms. Davis' contracted services. We have the salaries uh for the substitutes are budgeted under schools. Right. So, if we had brought the subs in house, we would have paid them Uh they're contractual employees, but we would have paid them out of our payroll system Right. along with all teacher salaries in our big bucket of school salaries. Uh now we move it over to

147contractual um human resources working with the budget office approves all of those invoices. So, they send a detailed invoice in every week. Um uh HR goes through it and then budget goes through it. We code those invoices and then we pay Kelly Services. So, that's in contractual services. Where the substitute salaries are in, you know, with teacher salaries and all the other school salaries. But this says you're making us you you're in house deferment of management deferred by Kelly Services of 13.7 million. So, it's [music] not you're saying it's going back to Kelly Services for contracting substitute teachers. I'm confused. It it was we we had it budgeted to pay for subs in house. We're not doing that this year. We're doing it next year. So, now we just move need to move that money

148into the contractual bucket where we have Kelly Services budgeted since they'll be working for an extra half year. Okay. Since the since the substitutes are paid through Kelly Services and not through the school system, we we can't pay Kelly Services in the current account that they're in. I know. I know. So, you we just need to move we just need to move the money from one account to another as designated by MSDE accounting. Right. We have it So, we have it going over I I guess to other instructional costs for under that like 19 million. According to the that. Correct. But we don't know exact like I I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out. Like It's one line item. It's one budget to pay Kelly Services. If I If I could interrupt and

149and just try to a different way. So, um at the end of the day, and I'm just giving a round number, let's say we had 20 million planned. Um the way that we had budgeted for this school was 10 million was going to be paying directly to Kelly Services. They were going to pay the subs for us. And then in [music] January, the subs were going to come here and we were going to through payroll pay them. Because all of the subs are staying with Kelly Services all year long. This request is to If it was two $10 million pots, to take that second 10 million that we had for the school system and put it with Kelly Services. There's not a dollar changing. It's still 20 million. It's still going to substitutes. The difference

150is who pays them. And what the team is communicating is this is annual requirement that all of our numbers are aligned. We impact the county government's budget, as you know, and this is, you know, step one of it. The BLT report that is in blue now, those there's no additional information because that has been cut off for the whole entire school system. And those numbers line up. And I think Mr. Tant was trying to say more eloquently than me that the back is necessary because there are few specific line items that carry a very big [music] dollar amount. And I see you shaking your head. Thank you. So, other construction instructional costs include substitutes as a teacher That's not an A substitute is not an instructional It's because it's a contract. It falls into other

151other instructional. That's where the contracts are mandated. It's a MSD mandate. I'm just definition. want to confirm. So, a substitute would not be considered an instructional salary. No, because we don't pay them directly. If we they're in-house, they would be. If we were paying them, but we are paying Kelly Services. We're not paying the subs. Kelly Services paying the subs. So, it's not our employee. That's why it's not instructional salaries. So, we're no longer in-housing This has been for several years we've been on in the Kelly Services contract and we'll be Yeah. It It's simply where MSDE requires instructional salaries are directly paid employees in the schoolhouse. Okay. We don't pay the contractual employees. We pay a contract. The contract covers their expenses and they pay the subs. not terminated our contract with Kelly Services,

152what you're saying. They're continuing through the end of this year and next fiscal year HR will be bringing them back in-house. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Miss Sen. Yes. So, in addition to the 13 6 million, almost 13.7 million decrease for instructional salaries that we know are related to Kelly. We've We've covered that. The remaining portion, the 7.3 million in salary savings, is that mapped somewhere on our bad exhibit that we can tell where that is going in terms of transfer? Because I can't I can't map that to its corresponding increase. And maybe it's across categories. As easily as you can see, like you said, Mr. Tanloaf, that's the 21 you It's easy to see Kelly contractual to um in-house and to see that map, but the 7.3 in salary savings, where my hesitation is

153in in approving this is being able to see where that salary savings was spent. By looking at this I can't tell. The sum of if think of it this way, if you're looking at this document with a little more detailed The BLT? Yeah, where it it's got all the activities listed. The sum of the decreases equal the sum of the increases. Got it. So we're using these sources just it it's not going dollar for dollar from point A to point B. Kelly Services does for the most part, but mostly what we are doing is we need to cover a certain amount of shortfalls in different activities, which is the increases by category. Activity 1, 5, and 6 need to the budget needs to increase and you can see that on the other sheet. Mhm. You

154can see where they're going up. So we needed to get a bucket of money, we needed to identify where we had overages and a cushion that we could move over to the other side of the ledger where we're going to be over budget. So we don't move it exactly from point A to point B. We get those dollars together, we get enough, and then you can see where we're moving them to. And and that's what would be helpful to see is where we are over budget to. Is it ERP? And I'm going to pick on ERP for a minute because that's that's an area of concern when we are being asked to increase spend authority and I know you said we're well within it, so I'm not suggesting we're not, but when we talk about

155overspending I I'd like to see that in this because if we're covering that with salary savings and we're not hiring teachers, but yet we're overspending in some areas, I'd like to be able to see that before I approve the transfer. I want to see if I'm understanding cuz I thought I did and now I'm not sure. So, I'm looking at like the Kelly Services is too even for us to kind of look at, but when I look at early childhood programs on the the chart with the blue, it says that we decrease 3,000 that we budgeted for classroom supplies. So, the early childhood office thought they needed it. They didn't spend 3,000 for classroom supplies, but they do need more money for mileage for their early childhood specialist. So, that but they needed 3,200. So,

156you took 3,000 from their classroom supplies plus 200 that print shop didn't use and you gave it to early specialist mileage. So, So, I'm seeing that where it left was that they didn't use classroom supplies, but what they needed was more mileage and so you made the the swap. Is that correct? Am I reading that right? yes. So, the decreases and increases are on here. So, there are in the in the budget in the BLT that you're looking at, that is that's that's those small sometimes it's within the office, sometimes it's within the department. more from another office. that is correct and they're they're they're transferring line by line by line. What the what the BAT is intended to do is to is to rebalance in those big buckets as Mr. Tant left said um

157to to make some alignments. So, Miss Ann, you brought up ERP. One of the one of the expenses in FY 26, for example, in ERP was um there was money set aside last year for ERP in fiscal year 2025. Um during the course of time AST was bought by IBM. IBM um the way our invoicing worked, Uh invoices we had to close out 2025. The money that was set aside for that went back into the general fund. That started us behind in 2026. So, we are paying invoices all right that we had from basic essentially from the end of 2025 because of the name change in 2026. So, that that accounts for a few million dollars of of ERP for example. Um so, sometimes it's it's as Mr. Tant said, it's it's just a lot

158lining the the books. Um again, it's it's not asking for additional spend authority. We're within the authority we've requested from the board. It's just to um to counter for some of those kinds of issues. Mr. McMillan. I move that we vote again. Is there a second? Say that again. Motion to recons- to reconsider. Is that what you want to ask? Yes. Now, procedurally, can somebody who voted yes second it or still has to be Anyway, okay. Is there a second? Second, Young. Thank you. Any further discussion on Mr. Mr. Young. I would uh urge my colleagues to vote yes on this. The data is here and based upon what Mr. Tant have said, the money's going to be spent. We just want to ensure that our books line up properly. Thank you. Any further discussion?

159May I have a roll call vote, please? Mr. Young. Yes. Ms. Domanalski. No. Ms. Han. No. Mr. Ogumbe. Yes. Mr. Zalewski. No. Dr. Savoy. Yes. Mr. McMillan. Yes. Ms. Pumphrey. Yes. Ms. Lichter. Yes. Tell me I added wrong and it's not just six. Six is the favor. Okay. Um We're not finished. May I have a motion to approve the There's two of them, right? I second. May I have a motion to approve the annual supplemental budget appropriation as presented? So moved, Young. Do I have a second? Second, Degumbe. Thank you. Is there any discussion on the supplemental budget appropriation? Ms. Dembowski? I just have a question as to and this is I'm sure this is a dumb question, but why do we need the supplemental and the bat? Why can't the Why aren't they incorporated

160together? The supplement will actually increase the budget. I I know just move That's why though. The supplement increases the spending authority that the board and the council give us that we're going to spend $10.5 million more this year because of the salary increases that were increased that were approved after impasse. And they couldn't be budgeted into I understand it's increasing this, but we It was after budget adoption and it's a pretty significant expense. Um so uh it Yeah, so we feel like we need to increase the budget to cover Some of it we covered by moving expenditures around um during the process post adoption, but we feel like we need to increase the budget by the 10 and 1/2 million dollars. And as a reminder, any of the money didn't be that might not get

161spent falls into fund balance at year end. So we're not going to spend more money because of this. We're going to continue spending what we've already agreed to, what are in the salary scales, what we're paying our employees through year end. Is there any anticipated salary that you won't cuz we had 7 million instructional salary that we didn't end up using that we were able to transfer? Is there any Are we expecting to have any kind of additional salary that we don't need for Um Uh we As we've discussed, you know, a number of times, we um finish year end under budget because we have to, but it's only 2 or 3% of our total budget, a very small amount. Anything we underspend falls into fund balance, and then the board is able to reuse

162it in out years um to fund items in the budget. So, we're not funding any vacant positions with this, is what I'm asking right now. Like We're We're supporting what we're projecting our year-end expenditures and salaries to be. In real time? I'm not sure what you mean in in real time, or but, you know, we set the BAT a couple months ago. So, based on where we thought our expenditures would fall, we did two separate things, and um we are increasing the budget to support the additional expense that was agreed to for salaries after the budget was locked and adopted. Separately, we're doing the BAT to line everything up. We tried We didn't want to merge the two things because then it would be more confusing. So, we're trying to keep them clean and separate.

163And again, anything we don't spend will just go back into fund balance. We're not going to spend any more money because of this. No, I I I I understand what you're saying. What I'm trying to get down to is So, the instructional salary increase that you we need this supplement is five about 5.26 million dollars. Is that according to salaries that were funded that maybe we didn't [music] already cuz like we had the comeback we had a we had vacancies. We over budgeted for salaries. Is this taking that number into account or the current number of instructional salaries into account? Um we're taking into account um what we project our expenditures will be for the year in both of these documents. We're not trying to come in, you know, $1 under budget. We're trying to

164comfortably come in under budget. We are able to cover um almost half of the projected expenses that uh were agreed to through um uh other reductions that were uh implemented at the beginning of the year. So, uh we feel like this is a conservative uh reasonable proposal. Well, somebody else have Mr. Young. So, um Mr. Tantleff, I think the question that Ms. Dominowski is trying to ask is that the five million dollars that we are supplementing instructional salaries with is based upon paying our current employees the current number of um teachers or those who fall in that category. It's based on that current number that we have, not based upon what the number of teachers we expected it have. Yes, that's correct. Thank you. Okay. Any um further discussion on the supplemental document. Um Ms.

165Solesky, I saw you wrote a comment in the chat. Would you like to discuss your comment? Okay. Um while we're waiting for Ms. Solesky to come back, when are these were these due to county government? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That's okay. One second, Ms. Solesky. One second, Ms. Solesky. One second, please. Uh the council votes on June 1st. Uh the council has their work session the week before that. Tomorrow is the uh county executive's work session. So, there's there's more steps in the process in the county, but tomorrow everyone who will be going to the June 1st council meeting will essentially get vetted by the CE staff tomorrow, get feedback, answer questions, etc. And then once we get through there, um it'll go to the council work session, which is as I mentioned the last

166week in May. So, these documents were supposed to be approved and go tomorrow? Uh yes. Ideally. I mean, if it was a few days later than that, it might we'd have to check with them on their uh process. So, they have the draft documents, which they know are not approved. So, uh I don't know when the absolute drop dead would be. We'd have to ask them. It would certainly be sometime in advance of when all the with the council receive all of their documents for that board for that council meeting. Okay, thank you. Ms. Olesky, do you want to talk to what you wrote in the chat? Yes, thank you. Um I also didn't see the document that Ms. Domanalski was looking for. So, that was just the only thought was given that some other

167board members have some requests for information, um and if it's appropriate, you know, we could certainly uh you know, plan for a revote at our next meeting. Thank you. Thank you. So, I was trying to find out the timeliness of the approval. Go ahead, Mr. McMillan. Is there any way that we could vote before the next meeting? Could we have a special if you wanted to? can I think we have to have a open has to be done open meetings. Okay. But I'm I'm still confused about what additional information we're asking unless you or know what Okay. No, I'm I'm I would want to know what additional information board members would like. Is it time or additional information, Ms. Hand? I I have a follow-up question to Ms. Domanalski's question on salary savings. Go ahead.

168Um it it would be clearer to me, and I know what you were saying, Mr. Tantleff, about how you kept the the bad in the supplemental separate, but because there were salary savings of 7.3, it's unclear why we're still asking for a supplemental of 5.2 when we had savings of 7.3 in instructional salaries. Well, then the bad would be short that 7.3, and the supplemental would go into the same bucket. So, I mean, we use in the exa- in the example, um you were just asking about instructional salaries, we took $21 million, right? Um so, Right, 13.7. 21 million and I'm I'm on the bat. Yes. Okay. So, I'm saying I'm I think I'm So, the instructional salaries had 7.3 million in salary savings to came out of instructional salaries to help support other instructional

169costs, right? If we don't do that, so we don't take it out, which is what you're asking about. We don't We don't reduce instructional salaries by the 7.3 million, we would need to find 7.3 million more to support all the increases on the top. So, you could not put the money in instructional salaries in the supplement. You could take 7.3 million of the supplement and put it in other instructional costs, but in the end, every budget and every activity is the same. You're just moving things around, but in the end, we're going to go up by this much in each of the activities. The sources can vary. So, um you know, when we put this together, um I'm just making this up. Instructional salaries, maybe we could have instead of doing 21, we could have

170done 20 and we could have done 3.2 of mid-level. We're looking at every activity. We're trying to leave uh a comfortable cushion by year end because our expenses, you know, they vary. There's several months left in the year. And then we're moving enough money to cover where we believe there are shortfalls. We can not take We can instructional salaries, we could just move the 14 million, but then 7 million would just move from the supplement. Instead of going into salaries, it would go into activity five. I mean, in the end, the same it it it in it's not again none of this is impacting how we're going to spend or what we're going to spend. It's simply making sure the activity the activity budgets they're short have enough money. So we could swap that out

171but I don't think it would change anything. It's the movement across categories that is confusing because what what would what makes sense when I'm thinking about this is that the supplement is to ask for what we need which would be if we anticipate our expenses for salaries being 5.2 and we saved 7.3 then we we would have that and we would ask for supplement in another category and not in in salaries and and we would ask for that in the category where there was overspending because then we would need to make that up through the supplement. I I mean we I'm thinking too Well logically about this. I mean that You could change but it again we have there would just be that much more excess in instructional salaries. It's not changing how we're going

172to spend the money. The reason we did it this way I'll just mention again was because the supplement was to support the compensation increases. So we thought a logical way to do it would be the supplements for the salaries let's apply these to salaries just proportional to how much salaries are in each activity. Then we separately looked at okay where are we short and where do we have uh um excess and move that. So we could move it from different things to different places but in the end none of the spending will change um the budget by activity the the ones that are increases those are going to be the same no matter what. Those activities are going to be the same amount of money in the end because they're short. We can source it

173a little different. But in the end, um it there's no practical impact from that because all the ex- anything we underspend will drop into fund balance at year end anyway. Thank you. My request would be um to receive a detailed request. So, the summary of increases, we know that is fixed. These are the items that require the increases. What I am hearing are some concerns about how the fiscal team has identified the summary of decreases by category. Is there a preference to identify some different categories? And if so, um it's not likely that you can do that on the spot. I would ask, today's Tuesday, that by Thursday um or or by Friday if that information is shared with us, and we can plan for the next meeting. Right. So, my question is can we

174do this again on our May 5th meeting or do we need a special meeting next week? So, that's why I was asking about the timing of when you need We'll we'll check with the county tomorrow if that will meet their needs. Mr. Manousakis? I I just have one request that I know I would like to make because by having the excess in salaries salary savings, we in effect could have fully funded our um our step our increased salaries for all of our instructional staff, and that was I I would like to switch that. Like move take we that would have been confirmed. We wouldn't have needed the extension because we had this the salary instructional savings, and I would like that to be reflected in the bat as opposed to to the supplement. That way

175Can you can you say that again? I would like to make the change as far as the salary savings of the 7.6 million that we made that we had. Don't take do it without moving that in the bat. I would like the instructional salaries to be included in the bat because we had the money to fund those salaries fully without needing an extension for a supplemental a supplemental budget. And I would like it to be reflected in the bat as opposed to the supplement. The reverse. I think you want to add it to the supplement. You want to add it to the supplement. You don't want us to add into the supplement. No, I want to take Did I say it that way? I'm sorry. Yes, that's correct. I would like to take it out

176of the supplement and put it into the bat. The instructional salaries that we the increase of the 5.26 million that we need to fully fund our instructional that we asked for because we thought we were going to need it. I would like that to be moved into the bat and because we have the instructional salary savings there already and that should be I would like to see the reflection in So uh if I under stand what you're saying. So on the decrease right now, instead of taking 7.3 million in salaries, we leave it. And we take the 7.3 million we move the supplement around where we might have to add more money to a different activity Just just out of the 5.26. Just out of that cuz we have 7. What I forget the number

177already. 7.3's being used to support the things on the top. So if we don't take that out of then we need to move it we still need to move it in. Cuz we have the money for the we have the money to fund we had the money to fund our instructional teachers and that is our supposed to be our priority. So if we already had the money, I would have liked to have seen the funding I I don't know about that time but that's I Yes, I understand that you're going to have to pull the money for something else. I just want to would like to see that in the supplement as opposed to instructional salaries. just in instructional salaries don't we just won't show the set 5.4 million of the so we'll do like

1781.9 million on here. Just fully fund the instructional salaries in the bat as opposed to the supplement. So, may I? Sure. Um Mr. Tantleff, I think what Ms. Domanowski's getting at is at the bat and we're going to use nice round numbers. Um whereas you're taking out 21 million take out 15 million thereby leaving 6 million in that would have come in under the supplement. Okay, we'll work that we'll we'll we'll we will accomplish that task. We we understand that you still will need to Right. um adjust other categories to to keep that that same number but just for simplicity's sake leave what's already the instructional savings already there or 6 million of that um uh 7 million that's there. I think we under if if we can uh certainly do that if that's the

179main hold up. Thank you. we can accomplish that mission. So so that make sure I understand. So the bottom line on both of these documents is going to be the same. It's just going to be in different categories and different line items but ultimately they're both going to end up in the same place they are now just it's going to read different. They have to. Okay, well they have to. Okay, so they read Okay, we still have a motion on the floor to approve the supplemental What's the end of that title? Supplemental appropriation. Nobody wants to help me. Supplemental appropriation. [laughter] Leave me now. Okay, the motion was to approve the supplemental budget appropriation. We just had a discussion so now we'll do a roll call vote and then we'll decide what our next steps

180are. Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Domanowski? No. Ms. Han? No. Ms. Ogumbe? Yes. Ms. Delosky? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Okay, well, so this is interesting. Okay, so now if we approved that one, then how do we change one without changing the other? So that So what the ask was won't work cuz we just approved it as is, correct? Or am I on a different place now? That is correct. Okay. So based on that vote we just had, Ms. Domanski and Ms. Hen, what you asked them to do can't be done. But we But we approved it as is. I know. But they're contingent upon one another. So then neither of them passed. No, the second one passed. But if they're contingent upon each other? Well, one of

181them can go, the other one can't. Okay, gentlemen. do one without the other. Right, so So do I need to do a motion to reconsider and then we all Do I need to do that? Make cuz I voted yes. No? Okay. I think if they need both, we're going to have to wait until the May 5th meeting to vote on the first one before they can submit both of them together to the county. Right. Someone who voted in favor of that motion I need to reconsider. move to reconsider if you want to bring them back in tandem. I move to reconsider the vote on the supplemental budget appropriation. Second. Roll call vote. Does everybody understand what we're doing? Okay. Give Ms. Gober a minute to catch up. This is Ms. Stalaski. Yes, Ms. Stalaski? Thank

182you. Um so is this a re-vote of what we just did? We are re-voting what we just did because the two documents need to be in tandem and we approved one without the other, but they can't fix one without fixing the other. So, we need to undo our vote. And Thank you. Just wanted to make sure. Right. So, right now we're voting on the motion to reconsider and then if that passes, then we will vote again. So, we're voting on the motion to reconsider the vote. Okay, Ms. Grover, are you ready? Mr. Young? Yes. Ms. Dominowski? Yes. Ms. Han? Yes. Ms. Frempong, sorry. Ms. Ogunbye? Yes. Ms. Zelazowski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pumphrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? Yes. Okay. So, now going back to the motion again, may I have a motion

183to approve the annual supplemental We already did that. Do I need to make motions again? What you've done is reconsider the vote. Right. So, now I got to go to go back to your original vote. So, read it again, right? All right. Right. We have to say no this time to make this work. [laughter] Dr. Roger. If you said yes, Please say no. we need to say no. That way they can fix them. All right. May I have a motion to approve Am I reading the motion again? Okay, may I have a motion to approve the annual supplemental budget appropriation as presented. Wait, you already have a We just We I need to do it again. Chair Chair Lichter, if So moved. if you don't get a motion, then it's then it ends and no

184action was taken. All right. Move. I first second. All right, you already got it. Okay, now Okay, we got I don't know. Ms. Dominowski. [clears throat] And then I can't win for trying. And then who seconded it? Mr. Young. All right, may I have a roll call vote, please? Do you all know how to vote? Yes. Okay. I mean, no. Mr. Young? [laughter] No. Ms. Domanowski? No. Ms. Hen? No. Ms. Okumbe? No. Ms. Zelenski? No. Dr. Savoy? No. Mr. McMillan? No. Ms. Pomfrey? No. Ms. Lichter? No. Thank you. Okay. So then we once we find out the date of when you need this, you prefer to bring it back on May 5th. That's our preference. If we need it before What? No, no, we'll bring it back to the May 5th Board of Ed meeting.

185But they need sooner then we have to have a special meeting. Okay. All right, I think you guys are okay to to leave. If you need assistance, let us know. [laughter] All right, where are we? Woo! All right, hopefully this next one will be okay. The next item on the agenda is the proposed Board meeting schedule for 2026-2027 pursuant to Board Policy 8311. Each April, the Board of Education will adopt a schedule of its regular meetings for the succeeding school year. The attached dates and times are for Board of Ed meetings, work sessions, and public hearings for the 2026-2027 school year. May I have a motion to approve proposed Board meeting schedule for 2026-2027? So moved, Young. Thank you. May I have a second? Second, Domanowski. Thank you. Any discussion? Ms. Pomfrey? I apologize, but

186I I have a motion to amend the October 20th meeting to move it to October 21st. Okay. I'll get a second before I discuss. Okay, is there a second? Second. Okay. Um, would you like to speak to your motion, Ms. Pomfrey? Yes, I just I feel like every year in October when the MABE we have the MABE conference some of us have difficulty getting home in time to attend the meeting, and it becomes a particular concern if we serve on a MABE MABE committee as well because they like us to be there for the entire conference. Okay. Further discussion? Okay. So, I need a Did you have a second? Yeah. Emery. Okay, yes. So, now we need a roll call vote on the Right? Mr. Young. A roll call vote on the amended motion of

187moving October 20th board meeting to October 21st. Mr. Young. Yes. Ms. Janomanosky. Yes. Ms. Henn. Yes. Ms. Gombe. Yes. Ms. Zelaski. Yes. Dr. Savoy. Yes. Mr. McMillan. Yes. Ms. Pumphrey. Yes. Ms. Lichter. Yes. Thank you. So, now may we have a roll call vote on the motion to approve the proposed board meeting schedule for 2026-2027 as amended. We have it already? We just have to Mr. Young. Yes. [clears throat] Ms. Janomanosky. Yes. Ms. Henn. Yes. Ms. Gombe. Yes. Ms. Zelaski. Yes. Dr. Savoy. Yes. Mr. McMillan. Yes. Ms. Pumphrey. Yes. Ms. Lichter. Yes. Thank you. Whew. Okay. The next item on the agenda is information which includes the revised superintendent's rules 3130 and 6000. Sorry. What's The next item on the agenda is board member comments and agenda setting. If you have any comments or agenda

188setting, please raise your hand. Mr. McMillan. Oh, here we go. I have a motion typed up in the chat. Okay, I just sent it. I move that we the Baltimore County Board of Education request County Executive Kathy Coxsmeyer to Can hear you. I'm sorry. I move that we the Baltimore County Board of Education request Cath- request County Executive Cathy Coxsmeyer to explain her decision for not continuing to fund full-time library media specialist for the 2026-27 school year. Is there a second? Second, Stolarski. Any discussion? Do you want to discuss your motion? Well, we were informed earlier this evening that that is a a statute or whatever that can be pursued and I'd like to pursue it. Okay. Further discussion, Mrs. Pumphrey. Um my only concern and I'm thinking about this is that maybe we should

189reword it to not specifically ask her to explain her decision for not continuing to full fund full-time library media specialists, but to in general ask her for a report as Mr. Burns mentioned regarding what she approved and what she didn't approve. I don't know exactly how to word that, but that's my concern. I think it should be more general. My comeback to that is then if it's more general, then she might not answer the question. This points out specifically what we want answered. Mrs. Stolarski. I think the details would be um to give a written response to what what was funded, what was reducted, why it was reducted. It would include that because that was on the line items. If you looked at the budget proposed and the um superintendent proposed like you could see

190where it was and what wasn't accepted in in the the on the budget 101, the one that was given to us. So, she would need to explain what the money why why out we she gave us more money, but what it was needed to be used for. So, I understand what you're saying, but I also understand what Ms. Pumphrey is saying. Okay, I'm open to rewording it. Mr. Young. The county executive, as everybody mentioned, gave us work to give us more because she understood the need. Um I think trying to um it's within her purview to decide, you know, what to fund and not fund within our budget. And this was one of the things that she decided not to fund that So, we should not try to um I guess um press her on

191her decision-making process. We're still not fit right, Ms. Pumphrey? That's that's partially the reason for my rewording of this. I don't think it needs to sound as harsh and direct, um but I may I request that Mr. Burns reread the regulation. I think that might be helpful in um formatting our the language. So, that we're doing what it says in regulation that we're that we're entitled to. I think that's my point here. For the record, Darren Burns, board counsel. The statute that board members are citing is section 5-102 of the education article. In 5-102 of the education article in subsection B um excuse me, C uh two indicates that, and this is a quote, "The county executive shall indicate in writing which major categories of the annual budget of the county board have been denied

192in whole or reduced in part and the reason for the denial or reduction." So, if you're asking my advice, I would suggest Ms. Pumphrey's idea is the better way to proceed because you're following the statutory language. And if you have further questions after what you get back, you can certainly follow up. And as far as I'm concerned, you know, Cathy Klosterman is an interim county executive. She's on her way out. You know, we have, according to that document, we have you know, reason to ask him. Why not ask? You know, I think that librarian media specialists deserve an answer. And we can't give them the answer. So, why not ask her? Hold her feet to the fire and ask her. But we're still not finished the budget process. So, county council can still watch this

193and then nix it, too. Okay. And more, right? Um other discussion? Ms. Henn? I've prepared an alternate motion if Mr. McMillan has withdrawn his motion that I'd like to suggest. But I'm open to whatever you got to say. I I put the wording in the chat if you'd like to um use it or modify it, Mr. McMillan. If I may read it. Madam Chair. Yes. Um I move that board council prepare a written request to the county executive as to the reasons for any reductions to the board's FY2027 budget request. I'll withdraw mine. Okay. So, is there a second to So, you're making that motion now? Is that how procedurally we where we are? I can I'm happy to make the motion unless Mr. McMillan would like to make it. Second it. I'll make the

194motion. Okay. Is there a second to the motion that's written in Now, Ms. Pumphrey, I see that you're typing away. What are you about to do? Honestly, I would prefer to use I know it's the statute the legality but my mind speaking. I would like to use the exact wording of the statute which I'm is what I'm typing. It's very similar to what you have. Yes. I In the wording of my motion, I had assumed that Mr. Burns would include the wording of the statute in his In his letter. Okay. And I'm happy to include that if you'd like it in the motion. Ms. Pomfrey, do you Are you still typing or you Are we okay with what Yes, I have a question. So, the difference here is you're asking that Mr. Burns prepare a

195letter requesting this information, and he can include in his letter the exact language of the statute. Okay, thank you. I'm clear. Okay, so we had a motion. Is there Do we have a second to Ms. Hen's motion? Second. Ms. Domanalski. Okay, any further discussion? Okay, roll call vote, please. Mr. Young? No. Ms. Domanalski? Yes. Ms. Hen? Yes. Ms. Ogunbay? No. Ms. Zalewski? Yes. Dr. Savoy? Yes. Mr. McMillan? Yes. Ms. Pomfrey? Yes. Ms. Lichter? No. Favor is six. I went Okay. Yes. I have a question for Mr. Burns. If it's in I mean, if we're legally supposed to receive that, do we even need to make a motion? You don't, but if you haven't received it, there's no reason you can't ask for it, and it's appropriate to come from the board on from the chair

196on behalf of the board or from the superintendent on behalf of the board. It I don't So, can I ask I mean, I just Yeah, but you you don't have to ask for it. You're supposed to get it, but if you'd like to get it and make sure you get it, then you just simply make a request. But, it doesn't Does it have to come from board leadership? I mean, that's usually That's usually what the board's do if they're looking for something from their counterparts at the council and haven't received it yet. But, then wouldn't we But, have we ever received that? We're legally supposed to. I'm very confused now. It says it right here. Okay. So, we're My advice to my I'm going to give legal advice in open here. My advice to you

197is to follow the statute and simply make a request from leadership to leadership for what you need under the statute. Thank you. Okay. All right. Um Okay. Then we're back to board comments or an agenda setting items. Mr. Young. Considering MSDE has changed um math consolidating, you know, three courses into two. Um I guess at some point I would like to see a report from us of how we are handling that or any guidance that's going to be provided from MSDE about that. Okay. Thank you. Any other comments or requests for agenda items? Ms. Pumphrey. I just have a comment. Um we heard a comment this evening from Ramona Basilio regarding the cell phone policy, and I just wanted to state that in my current recent visits this year to middle schools, I noticed a

198huge difference as far as phones not in students' hands. They were engaged in instruction, not in the hallways with their phones, and I spoke to principals and teachers at those schools who are also noticing a big difference. So, I just wanted to acknowledge that we are making a difference as far as the cell phone policy. Thank you for that. Anyone else? And I did just want to add to what Ms. Pumphrey just said. I also spoke to students who originally thought that they weren't going to be fan of the cell phone policy, but since then changed their opinion 100%. So, even the students are being really receptive to that. So, just good news. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay. The last item on the agenda, I'm sorry. Okay, the last item on the agenda, I'm sorry.

199The last item on the agenda are announcements. I'm sorry. My computer just went backwards. The last item on the agenda are announcements. The board's next meeting will be held fingers crossed on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Thank you for joining us tonight. The meeting is now adjourned.