The Board of Education of Charles County held two meetings this month, a regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, and a work session meeting on Monday, Jan. 23. Agendas for both meetings are posted to BoardDocs here. All Board meetings are streamed live at www.ccboe.com and archived on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/c/ccpsmd.

The following are important updates from the Board’s Jan. 10 meeting.

Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson

The Board of Education of Charles County elected Michael K. Lukas as its chairperson and Yonelle Moore Lee, Esq., as its vice chairperson at the start of the Jan. 10 meeting. The Board votes annually in January to elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson. Both Lukas and Moore Lee were elected unanimously by Board members. The chairperson and vice chairperson serve a one-year term.

State recognitions

The Board recognized the boys football team from North Point High School for winning the 2022 4A/3A state championship. Also recognized were four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) seniors who are representing the school system this year in the Maryland General Assembly’s Student Page Program. They are seniors Jordyn Davis, North Point; Gabrielle Moore, St. Charles High School; Madeleine Schmidt, La Plata High School; and Vernon Stover, North Point, who is serving as this year’s program alternate.

Find the start of the recognition at the 5-minute and 26-second mark of the YouTube recording of the meeting.

Superintendent’s update

Superintendent of Schools Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., in her report to the Board highlighted the school system’s work toward equity, diversity and cultural competency. She briefly highlighted the upcoming presentation on the FY2024 proposed operating budget, CCPS’s focus on mental and personal health, and plans to meet with staff, students and parents to learn more about their experiences with CCPS and schools.

Superintendent’s proposed FY2024 operating budget

Superintendent Navarro, Karen Acton, CCPS chief financial officer, and Sherri Fisher-Davis, CCPS budget manager, presented to the Board highlights of the proposed FY2024 operating budget. Acton presented the budget to the Board with an overview of the budget process while Fisher-Davis presented specifics of the budget. The full report can be viewed at the 48-minute and 42-second mark of the YouTube recording of the meeting. Find a copy of the presentation here.

Project status update

Mike Heim, CCPS chief of operations and supporting services, presented to the Board updates on current projects underway at CCPS schools. Steve Andritz, director of planning and construction, shared an overview on the breakdown of funding for current projects. The start of the update can be found at the 1-hour and 30-minute mark of the YouTube recording. 

Blueprint for Maryland’s Future update

Christina Miller, CCPS coordinator of district innovation, shared an update with the Board about the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation. In her presentation to the Board, Miller gave an overview on the Blueprint and gave background information on Pillars 1 and 2.

She also covered the pillars’ Early Childhood Education Objectives; and High Quality and Diverse Teachers and Leaders areas. Find the full presentation on BoardDocs here. The start of the update can be found at the 1-hour and 53-minute mark of the YouTube recording of the meeting.

Recognition of resolutions, students and employees

During the recognition portion of the meeting, the Board presented resolutions for February. The resolutions included Black History Month accepted by Mario Bailey, junior at Westlake High School; Career and Technical Education Month accepted by former CCPS Teacher Academy of Maryland and Education Career program students; Gifted and Talented Education Month accepted by It’s Academic first-place winners from Maurice J. McDonough High School; the fall chess tournament champion from La Plata High School and the tenth grade chess champion from Westlake High School; and National School Counseling Week accepted by school counselors from McDonough and North Point.

Students from Maurice J. McDonough, La Plata and Westlake high school’s accepted the Gifted and Talented Education resolution at the meeting. Including McDonough’s It’s Academic first place winners and on-air team, Julie Perriello, sophomore, Jean Hughes, senior and Skylar Belisle, senior; Joshua Dieterle accepted the resolution for La Plata as the fall chess champion; and Alfred Johann, Cruz, sophomore at Westlake also accepted the resolution as the 10th grade chess champion. Gifted and Talented students have demonstrated outstanding talent and performance, or show the potential for performing, at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with their peers. The resolution was presented by Board Member Jamila Smith. Credit: Charles County Public Schools
School counselors, Valerie Benton of Maurice J. McDonough High School, and Antoine Cook of North Point High School, accepted the National School Counseling Week resolution. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is observed annually in February. This year the week is set for Feb. 6-10. The week highlights the contributions of school counselors and their work in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. The resolution was presented by Board Member Linda Warren. Credit: Charles County Public Schools
Former CCPS students in the Teacher Academy of Maryland and the Education Careers program who are now current CCPS teachers accepted the Career and Technical Education (CTE) resolution. Those who received the recognition were Imani Phelps, Spanish teacher, North Point High School; Tiana Dukes, special education teacher, General Smallwood Middle School; Abigail Nichols, kindergarten teacher, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; and Elijah Steele, social studies teacher, Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. The CTE program’s focus is on the development of skills, leadership and efficiency consistent with the American work ethic. February has been recognized by the Board as Career and Technical Education Month. The resolution was presented by Board Member Nicole M. Kreamer. Credit: Charles County Public Schools
Mario Bailey, junior at Westlake High School and member of Elite Black Men, accepted the Black History Month resolution. “I am proudly accepting this recognition on behalf of Westlake,” Bailey said during the Board meeting. “Elite Black Men has a lot of people in the group that forms unity and brotherhood.” The 2023 theme is Black Resistance. The theme takes a look at how African Americans have resisted oppression—historically and ongoing. CCPS schools infuse instructional learning activities in all subjects throughout the school year which incorporate contributions made by African Americans and to provide appropriate ways of observance for Black History Month. The resolution was presented by Board Member Dottery Butler-Washington. Credit: Charles County Public Schools

The Board also recognized exemplary students and staff members from North Point, Mattawoman Middle School, and Walter J. Mitchell and Mary B. Neal elementary schools.

Read about the recognized students.

Read about the recognized staff.

Action items

On the action item portion of the agenda, the Board approved minutes and personnel.

The following are important updates from the Board’s Jan. 23 work session.

Superintendent’s proposed FY2024 operating budget

Superintendent of Schools Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., Karen Acton, CCPS chief financial officer; and Sherri Fisher-Davis, budget manager for CCPS, presented to the Board changes made to the superintendent’s proposed FY2024 operating budget. The total state funding increase is $27.9 million compared to last year with a county ask of an additional $11 million. The group also presented a brief overview of budget implications. View the full report on BoardDocs here.

Acton referred Board members to their follow-up questions posted on BoardDocs for staff to provide answers and for further discussion. Superintendent Navarro, Kevin Lowndes, CCPS chief of teaching and learning, and Michael Blanchard, Ph.D., CCPS supervising psychologist, answered questions from the Board. The start of the update can be found at the 13-minute mark of the YouTube recording.

Overview of Student Member of the Board voting rights

Eric Schwartz, CCPS staff attorney, presented to the Board information about the voting authority of student members of boards of education around the state. View the presentation on BoardDocs here.

Student Member of the Board Amira Abujuma shared a statement with the Board on the expanded voting authority of Student Board Members in Maryland.

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