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November 2007 News Releases
November 30, 2007 (#2007-077)
Long Reach High School Pre-Engineering Program Receives National Certification
A visiting team of examiners from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the nationally acclaimed Project Lead The Way Program have completed a thorough examination of the implementation and future plans of the Long Reach High School Pre-Engineering Academy. The examiners recommended full certification for the Pre-Engineering Academy, which is based on the national Project Lead the Way Program.
This national certification is recognized by over 25 universities that give college credit to high school students who complete the courses with a B average and pass the standardized tests at the end of the courses. For example, a student completing all five courses with the appropriate grades and passing the final exam can receive 9 college credits at Penn State University. The number of college credits earned for the courses differs from college to college.
A key component of the examination process was student interviews. Long Reach student Kaartik Mathur said, "They examined my notebook and engineering journal and they seemed pretty pleased." Other students commented that the program helped them understand math and physics better and that the program is really fun, "except for the truss calculations."
Long Reach Principal Ed Evans says, "We recognize the curriculum content of the Pre-Engineering Academy as being on par with that of other content Advanced Placement courses because of the intense level of academic rigor. We are proud that Long Reach High School has met all of the requirements associated with national certification and we congratulate those faculty, students and parents who have contributed to the program's success."
The Long Reach High School Pre-Engineering Academy is open to any student interested in a career in engineering or as a technician working with engineers.
November 30, 2007 (#2007-076)
Board of Education to Hold Community Meeting with STTAR
The Howard County Board of Education will hold a community meeting with STTAR at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007, in Board Room A at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.
November 21, 2007 (#2007-075)
Board of Education to Hold Regular Meeting and Public Hearings on Policies and on Proposed 2008/2009 School Calendar
The Howard County Board of Education will hold a regularly scheduled meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007, in the Board Room at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.
Both the afternoon and the evening session, which convenes at 7:30 p.m., will begin with a “Public Forum,” when members of the public may address the Board on any topic other than those for which a formal public hearing process exists. Advanced sign up is preferred.
During the evening session, the Board will hold public hearings on the following policies:
- Policy 7020, Nepotism
- Policy 9100, Educational Programs for Pregnant Students
- Policy 1010, Discrimination
- Policy 1020, Sexual Harassment
In addition, the Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2008/2009 school calendar.
Individuals who wish to testify at a hearing are asked to limit their presentation to three minutes and to provide 15 written copies of their testimony at the time of the hearing. Pre-registration will take place during business hours during the three weeks prior to the hearing, up to the close of business on the last working day before the hearing.
To sign up to testify at a hearing or to speak at Public Forum, contact the Board’s office at 410-313-7194.
Individuals who would like to request a sign language interpreter for any meeting of the Board of Education may contact Colleen Rice, Interpreter Scheduler, at 410-313-7046. A two week advanced notice is preferred.
November 21, 2007 (#2007-074)
Board of Education to Hold Closed Meeting November 29
The Board of Education will meet in closed session at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007, at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.
November 21, 2007 (#2007-073)
Board of Education Audit Committee Closed Meeting Canceled
The previously announced closed meeting of the Audit Committee of the Board of Education, scheduled for Nov. 29, 2007, has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
November 19, 2007 (#2007-072)
Board, HCEA Reach Tentative Agreement on Representation Fee
The Board of Education and the Howard County Education Association (HCEA) announced today that they have reached tentative agreement on the terms of a representation fee, authorized by state legislation earlier this year. The legislation, passed by the 2007 Maryland General Assembly, specifies that the Howard County Public School System negotiate parameters for a reasonable service fee with the teachers’ association and requires negotiations with HCEA-ESP, which represents paraprofessionals.
A representation fee is a charge to employees who are represented by an agency or union but are not members. Sometimes referred to as a “fair share” fee, the charge covers the cost of services that the Association is required to provide to non-members, such as negotiations, contract administration, including the handling of grievances, and other activities. Funds collected through the fee cannot be used to finance political activities of the Association. The Board does not set the representation fee. It is calculated by an independent audit and generally represents a percentage of the membership fee.
According to the agreement, the Association can charge a representation fee when its membership reaches 75 percent of eligible employees in the HCEA-Teachers unit and 51 percent in the HCEA-Paraprofessionals (ESP) unit. Currently, 80.1 percent of eligible employees are members of HCEA-Teachers. HCEA-ESP’s membership is at 51.4 percent.
Current employees are not subject to the representation fee, which will only apply to individuals hired by the school system on or after December 1, 2007. Student assistants, food service workers and all school system employees with annual salaries of $20,000 or less are also exempt from the fee and therefore were not included in membership calculations.
Board of Education Chairman Diane Mikulis says the Board is pleased with the agreement. “We are satisfied that this is a fair, reasonable agreement. That was the Board’s goal throughout the process.”
Association President Ann DeLacy reports that HCEA’s goal was to negotiate a service fee to cover the cost of services for non-members. “The process was both long and difficult. As in all negotiations, we are not pleased with every aspect of the agreement. However, we recognized the importance of reaching an accord with the Board of Education regarding ‘fair share’ at this time.”
The school system is Howard County’s largest employer, with a workforce of approximately 7,630 employees. Eighty-two percent, or 6,295 of those employees, are represented by the Howard County Education Association.
November 15, 2007 (#2007-071)
Atholton High Teacher Wins Prestigious Milken Educator Award
Mabrooka Chaudhry joined the rest of the Atholton High School faculty and students in the school’s auditorium this afternoon to welcome State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick, who was visiting the school in recognition of American Education Week. Or at least that’s what Ms. Chaudhry thought. In fact, Dr. Grasmick was on hand to congratulate the very surprised Atholton social studies teacher for her selection as a 2007 Milken Educator Award recipient.
Chaudhry was hired by the Howard County Public School System in 1998 and has taught social studies at Atholton High for the past nine years. She is one of two Maryland teachers selected as Milken winners this year. Chaudhry and the other 2007 Milken Award recipients will each receive an unrestricted $25,000 check during the Milken National Education Conference held in Los Angeles this spring.
Educators are recommended for this prestigious honor without their knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel appointed by each state’s department of education. Candidates are selected on the basis of the following criteria:
- Exceptional educational talent as evidenced by effective instructional practices and student learning results in the classroom and school;
- Exemplary educational accomplishments beyond the classroom that provide models of excellence for the profession;
- Strong long-range potential for professional and policy leadership; and
- Engaging and inspiring presence that motivates and impacts students, colleagues and the community.
Ms. Chaudhry now joins the Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,300 distinguished educators whose expertise serves as a valuable resource to fellow educators, legislators, school boards and others shaping the future of education.
November 9, 2007 (#2007-070)
Board of Education Audit Committee to Hold Closed Meeting November 29
The Audit Committee of the Board of Education will hold a closed meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007, at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.
November 9, 2007 (#2007-069)
Board of Education to Hold Regular Meeting, Public Hearing and Work Session on Long-Range Attendance Area Plan and Public Hearing on Policy 2030, Ombudsman
The Howard County Board of Education will hold a regularly scheduled meeting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007, in the Board Room at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City.
Both the afternoon and the evening session, which convenes at 7:30 p.m., will begin with a “Public Forum,” when members of the public may address the Board on any topic other than those for which a formal public hearing process exists. Advanced sign up is preferred.
During the evening session, the Board will hold a public hearing and a public work session on the Long-Range Attendance Area Plan. In addition, a public hearing will be held on Policy 2030, Ombudsman.
Individuals who wish to testify at a hearing are asked to limit their presentation to three minutes and to provide 15 written copies of their testimony at the time of the hearing. Pre-registration will take place during business hours during the three weeks prior to the hearing, up to the close of business on the last working day before the hearing.
To sign up to testify at a hearing or to speak at Public Forum, contact the Board’s office at 410-313-7194.
Individuals who would like to request a sign language interpreter for any meeting of the Board of Education may contact Colleen Rice, Interpreter Scheduler, at 410-313-7046. A two week advanced notice is preferred.
November 8, 2007 (#2007-068)
Board Hires New Ombudsman; Dennison Second to Hold Position
The Board of Education will introduce the second person to hold the position of Ombudsman for the Howard County Public School System at its 4 p.m. meeting today. Rosemarie Dennison accepted the Ombudsman position last week and began work on Tuesday, November 6. She will work 24 hours per week at an annual salary of $30,240.
Dennison brings to the position experience as a social worker with the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services in Family Preservation Services and Child Protective Services. She is a licensed graduate social worker with a Masters Degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in Social Work, Community Organization and Social Administration, with a concentration in families and children. She also is certificated in basic mediation and divorce mediation.
Dennison is experienced in customer service and working effectively with persons from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, skills she enhanced while employed as an interviewer with the Aspen Institute and as a senior policy planner with the Arbitron Company.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the community and the school system in this capacity,” says Dennison. “Because of my involvement with the school system over the past 10 years, I have developed many positive relationships with staff and community members. I feel this will be a great asset in this position. I thank the Board members for their confidence in me.”
Since 2004, Dennison has been a member of the Community Advisory Council (CAC), formerly the Citizens Advisory Committee, to the Board of Education. She announced her resignation this week from the Chairmanship of the CAC, a position she has held since 2006. In addition, she has served as chairperson of the Hammond Elementary School Health and Safety Committee, the HCPSS Elementary Educational Specifications Committee, and as a representative to the PTA Council of Howard County from Hammond Elementary School.
Dennison replaces Robin Shell, who left the Ombudsman position in June 2007 after 2-1/2 years.
November 5, 2007 (#2007-067)
Judy Center to Host Fourth Annual Meals with Magnificent Men Luncheon
The Judy Center, a federally funded early childhood support program for families which partners with the Howard County Public School System, is hosting its fourth annual Meals with Magnificent Men at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2007. The event, featuring a traditional Thanksgiving lunch, will take place at Cradlerock School, 6700 Cradlerock Way in Columbia.
Meals with Magnificent Men, a fathering outreach program, invites dads and significant men in the lives of kindergartners to participate in the lunch and visit the classroom for literacy activities such as reading stories and learning through singing. Participating in the activities together highlights the important role men play in the lives of their young children and reinforces the need for parent involvement at school. Children whose fathers may be absent or unavailable are paired with school system Central Office and Cradlerock School administrative staff.
For more information, contact Anne Yenchko at 410-381-9024 or Andrea Cohn at 410-313-5500 or 410-381-9407.
November 2, 2007 (#2007-066)
School System Counseling Services Sponsor NCAA Presentation
The Howard County Public School System’s counseling services are sponsoring a countywide NCAA presentation. The event will take place on Monday, Nov. 12, 2007, from 7-8:30 p.m. at Marriotts Ridge High School, 12100 Woodford Drive in Marriottsville. If your high school student is thinking about playing a sport in college, then you won’t want to miss this.
Speakers/Panel will include:
Ned Sparks
MPSSAA
Executive Director
Mike Williams
Howard County Public School System
Athletic Director
Donna Polk
Bowie State
Division 2 Associate Assistant Athletic Director
Kelly Berger and Quinn Carney
U.M.B.C.
Division 1 Women’s Lacrosse
Jemal Griffin
University of Maryland, College Park
Division 1 Football
Matt Hatton
McDaniel College
Division 3 Men’s Lacrosse
Chandra Bierwirth
George Washington University
Division I Compliance Officer
Students, parents, and coaches are encouraged to attend.
November 2, 2007 (#2007-065)
Office of Career and Technology Education to Hold Information Sessions
The Office of Career and Technology Education will hold information sessions to introduce the Career Academies and programs available for high school students with specific academic and career interests. The information sessions will take place from 7-9 p.m. at the Applications and Research Laboratory, 10920 Route 108, in Ellicott City on the following dates.
- November 7 - For 8th grade students and their parents.
- November 15 and 27 - For 9th and 10th grade students and their parents.
The Career Academies which will be represented are:
- Architecture and Engineering
- Biotechnology and Health Services
- Business and Entrepreneurship
- Culinary Arts and Hotel Management
- Human Resources
- Energy, Power and Transportation
- Multimedia Arts and Technology
An interpreter will be available for presentations a 7 p.m. Call Sally Long at 410-313-6629 by Nov. 10, 2007, if you need an interpreter. |
