The Board of Education of Charles County met twice in October. It met on Tuesday, Oct. 15, for its regular meeting, and again on Monday, Oct. 28, for a work session. The regular meeting agenda is posted in the latest news section of www.ccboe.com. The work session agenda is on Board Docs. Board meetings are streamed live at www.ccboe.com and archived on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) YouTube page.

To view the Oct. 15 Board meeting, visit the YouTube page. View the Oct. 28 work session on YouTube.

The following are important meeting updates from the Oct. 15 Board meeting.

Superintendent Report

Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., superintendent of schools, opened the meeting with her report to the Board of Education. She spoke about a presentation the Board would hear at the meeting regarding school climate. School climate is the focus of the Nov. 4 Board town hall which will be held virtually. Navarro urged viewers to visit the State of Schools presentation for helpful links and reminded parents that the i-Ready presentation is available online at www.ccboe.com for reference. She touched on October being National Principal’s Month and the application for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs opening. Watch the report on the CCPSTV YouTube channel.

Human Capital Update

Chief Human Resources Officer Nikial Majors presented a Human Capital Update during which she spoke of recruitment challenges facing school systems including CCPS. Majors, along with David Shimizu, CCPS manager of compensation and classification, Jeremy Campbell, CCPS human resources specialist, and Shirlene Ogburn, supervisor of employee service for the school system, addressed how human resources staff address workforce shortages, shared teacher demographics in the system and hiring data. Later, Majors introduced Kevin Lowndes, chief of teaching and learning, Velvet Gipson, coordinator of staff development, and staff growth and retention specialists Cindy Pryor, Holly Dolan and Corrin Deavers who spoke about staff growth and retention efforts. See the presentation here.

Legislative Positions Update

Staff attorney Eric Schwartz spoke of legislative issues important to the Board in 2025. The report was sorted into budget and fiscal matters, mandates, student issues, labor relations and human resources and other issues such as transportation, school zones and teacher recruitment and retention. View this portion of the meeting on YouTube.

Board Compensation Committee

Schwartz also reported on work done by the Board Compensation Committee. The report outlined how other Maryland school board members are compensated and reasons the compensation for Charles County Board members is being considered for an increase. The compensation report starts around the 1:54 mark.

Process for Referral to Stethem and Student Supports

Chief of Schools Marvin Jones, Ed.D., was joined by Richard Conley, CCPS executive director of schools, Charmaine Young-Waddy, CCPS student engagement and conduct officer, and Corey Dobbins, principal of the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, to present CCPS School Spotlight — Robert D. Stethem Educational Center, Spotlight on Programs and Student Supports. The report touched on student discipline, legal parameters and the CCPS Code of Student Conduct. The presenters discussed procedures and system data related to student suspensions while delving into the procedure students and families go through when a student faces suspension along with the behavior that could lead to a suspension. Programs such as the Virtual Academy, CTE programs and the Opt-In program housed at Stethem were also discussed, as were student supports — within CCPS and the community — that are available. Watch the presentation.

School Climate and Safety Update

Jones, along with Jason Stoddard, CCPS director of school safety and security, Daniel Kaple, principal of North Point High School and DeShawn Kelly, North Point’s youth engagement advocate, presented Spotlight On: School Climate and Safety. The group spoke of school climate, strategies for keeping schools safe and the role of youth engagement advocates. Community partnerships, strategies for keeping schools safe, the types of threats encountered by the school system and the role of the youth engagement advocate were covered. The School Climate and Safety update can be viewed online.

School Renaming Process

Navarro updated the Board on community feedback regarding the potential renaming of General Smallwood Middle School, sharing correspondence sent in from community members. The first possible date for the Board to act on renaming Smallwood is Nov. 12. See the presentation start around the 6:30 mark of the meeting.

Resolutions, Recognition of Students and Staff

The Board presented resolutions on Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month, American Education Week and American Freedom Week. Students recognized were Oshoke Itsuokor of La Plata High School, Jace Williams of Piccowaxen Middle School, Eliana Pillera of Berry Elementary School, Luke Riffle of Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School and Michael Evans Jr. of Eva Turner Elementary School. Staff honored by the Board were Jacquelyn Burch of Berry, Donna Osakowicz of Higdon, Zarina Ameen of Turner, Caitlin Timko of Piccowaxen and Julie Andrews of La Plata. Watch the resolution and recognition portion of the meeting on YouTube.

In a hurry?

Board Vice Chairperson Nicole M. Kreamer gives a brief overview of the Oct. 15 meeting.

 

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

 

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.  CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).