June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

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Board Meeting Minutes MR. JONES: When did the schools get their budgets for hiring? MS. RUSSO: They're going out Thursday. MR. JONES: They don't have them yet? MS. RUSSO: No. No. No. They're going out Thursday. Commissioners, I'd like to discuss Edison with you. As you know, Edison has been in front of us for the last three meetings discussing their proposals. We've seen several letters. And, in addition to that, Commissioner Welch and I have met with them, with both parties, directly, and listened to their presentation. We've had an opportunity to ask questions. I would just like to say to you this evening that we have reviewed Edison's proposal, in light of our plan and our vision for the Baltimore City Public School System, and in light of our financial resources, and the availability of an appropriate facility. So, this evening, I am recommending to the School Board that the students now attending the three Edison Schools should attend either Hamilton Middle or Booker T. Washington Middle, under the supervision of the Baltimore City Public School System. We are planning an enriched program for both schools. We are also creating targets and benchmarks with the Maryland State Department of Education, as you heard this afternoon from Dr. Gradsmith (phonetic). We want to ensure that we maintain high standards and a rigorous educational program for all the students attending Booker T. and Hamilton. If you vote this evening to have the students at the three Edison Schools return to the Baltimore City Public School System, we will be moving forward with several program enhancements. And I just wanted to give you a feel for it. At Hamilton Middle School, we will be putting in the Ingenuity Program, Honors Mathematics classes, and afterschool tutorial programs. At Booker T., we will be adding a World Language class, also Honors Mathematics class, and afterschool tutorial. In addition to that, depending, of course, on your vote this evening, the Baltimore City Public School System will have an open house for parents and students, both the week of June 17th, and then again in August, giving our parents and our children two opportunities to visit the schools. And, of course, we will be sending letters to the parents notifying them of their September 2002 placement by the end of June, the first week of July. I just wanted to also share with you that we really would like to do a very thorough student orientation in both schools during the month of August. So in anticipation of some of the questions you might ask, I thought that I would give you a flavor of some of the things that Dr. Jones and staff have been working on, depending, this time, on the outcome of this evening's conversation. MS. WELCH: I'm sure we will have some discussion. MS. SIEGEL: Will there be -- and I don't know if we've anticipated this, but you're going from one type of school program into another. Will we be able to monitor to see that there are no lapses, that -- I'm concerned about whether or not the change is striking, and what kinds of -- where our expectations are. MS. RUSSO: That's exactly what Dr. Gradsmith and I were talking about. And we said that, depending on the vote, that we will sit down together, with our State partners, and we will ensure that we put in place appropriate mechanisms and benchmarks so that we have more controls. MS. NOEL: So moved. MR. STRINGFIELD: Second. MS. WELCH: Properly moved and seconded. All in favor? THE BOARD: Aye. file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html Page 34 of 41 9/23/2002
Board Meeting Minutes MS. WELCH: Opposed? MR. TILDON: I'd like to make some comments, if it's allowed. MS. WELCH: Dr. Tildon? MR. TILDON: During his presentation, Mr. O'Neill, I responded by telling him that I felt insulted. I think it's important that the public know, at least, my feelings on this issue. I think it's somewhat disingenuous for someone to imply that if we don't make a decision that's favorable to them that we lack courage. I think that anyone that has a sense of this Board knows the approach that we have used in our deliberations. We may error in our judgments, our actions, and our decisions, but there is nobody at this table that does not have the children of Baltimore totally in their eyesight. And I know from my work with all of the people at this table that we leave our egos at that door, we leave our agendas at that door, and we have an open mind to gather and understand our own assumptions, and to revisit them over and over again. I think that it's important, at least, for the public to understand my support of the CEO, because there has been a major public relations effort to castigate this System, and I think you ought to stop that. I think your efforts to promote your own educational programs should stand on their own rhetoric. To tell us about the 40-odd thousand children that have to go to summer school, as an indictment of this System, of this Board, equally of the Board, of the system, reeks of insult. But the fact of the matter is, considering the proposal that I received, I would describe them as ambiguous, lacking focus, and not having any substantial evidence to tell me that the group that has run an elementary school can now run a middle school. I appreciate your willingness to assist this System, and we will seek partners throughout wherever. We sat here and we heard the parents and the teachers provide us with their concerns. And, as a matter of fact, one of the things that stuck with me, Mr. Dugger said we shouldn't call these children kids, and he's right. So there are words of wisdom that come to us, and we incorporate them a lot. But, Mr. O'Neill, I have to tell you, I don't know what you had in mind, but the very statement you made insulted me, and I think this Board, and I did not accept your apologies. MS. WELCH: Commissioner Streuver? MR. STREUVER: I would also strike my vote void of the CEO's recommendation. As a Board representative, I think the Advisory Board has been one of the champions of the notion that it's on an important to innovate. Perhaps there's a better way to doing things that will benefit the entire System, using -- contracting out the management of the schools. And so over the last -- Baltimore's really been a leader in this. We've been, I guess, Stay-in-School Student of the Year for all six years. MS. WELCH: It's been more than that. Page 35 of 41 MR. STREUVER: So we've been asked this for some time, and we have a process for it. It's called the New School Initiative. And cycle 4 of those New School applications were due for the 2003/20003 school year reviews in early December last year. And most of those that we -- that were approved for going forward in our planning year was in recognition that -- while we do believe in putting the pedal to the metal, as Commissioner Stringfield was saying, we need to do that with some careful thought and planning. And ensuring that we're experimenting with this model for innovation through New Schools, contracting out management, that we're balancing that with your larger efforts to move forward our reform agenda across the System. We've got 173 schools; 95,000 students. The responsibility really is to that entire student population. And we have, what I believe, is an exciting middle school reform action plan, we have an exciting high school reform action plan, and a top priority for us to put the pedal to the metal in moving forward and implementing that, in terms of our allocations of funding and staff resource. Booker T. Washington, I know Commissioner Murphy, in particular, has been hard at work file://S:\CMS_Content\meetings\2002\J11_02.html 9/23/2002
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June 11, 2002 - Baltimore City Public Schools

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