The Board of Education will hear updates on the status of reopening schools and the latest health information from Superintendent George Arlotto and Anne Arundel County Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman at its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, January 6, 2021.
Dr. Arlotto will address the Board on matters related to the logistics of opening schools in a hybrid format in the second semester, which begins on February 2, 2021. Dr. Kalyanaraman will discuss the latest guidance from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health related to the reopening of schools.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, Wednesday’s meeting will be held virtually. It will begin at 6 p.m.
The Board will also hear an update from Anne Arundel County Government officials on the revenue outlook for Fiscal Year 2022, which begins on July 1, 2021. Dr. Arlotto presented his recommended budget to the Board on December 16. It can be found here.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear live public comment on agenda items from up to 10 speakers per agenda item during a single section in the early portion of each meeting prior to Board discussion of those items. Those wishing to provide live testimony may register, space permitting, by clicking here. All speakers will be allotted 2 minutes and those who secure spaces to speak will receive emailed instructions on how to join the meeting.
Written comments on agenda items can be submitted via email to boardoffice@aacps.org or dropped off at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis, by noon on the day before a Board meeting. Comments on non-agenda items will now only be accepted in writing.
The complete process for registering to speak and submitting testimony in writing can be found here.
Those who require the services of an interpreter to offer comment to the Board should call 410-222-5311 to make those arrangements after receiving confirmation of an opportunity to speak at the meeting.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, for the sole purpose of voting to immediately go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public.
The public may listen to the open portion of the meeting, including the vote to go into closed session, by calling (605) 468-8781 and entering access code 685333 followed by the pound/hashtag symbol.
The public portion of the meeting will resume at 6 p.m.
A complete agenda for the meeting accompanies this news release. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab.
The general session of Wednesday’s Board meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Broadstripe, and Channel 1961 on Verizon.
The meeting can also be viewed live on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
Archived videos of Board meetings can be found online here.
Board of Education meeting agenda, 1-6-21
BUDGET HEARINGS, WORKSHOP
The Board of Education has scheduled two virtual public hearings and a virtual public workshop on Dr. Arlotto’s FY2022 budget recommendation. Public hearings will be held on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, and Thursday, January 7, 2021. Both are limited to 100 speakers who will be allotted two minutes each.
Those wishing to sign up to speak at the January 5 hearing may do so here.
Those wishing to sign up to speak at the January 7 hearing may do so here.
Due to space limitations, those wishing to testify may do so at only one of the two budget hearings.
The Board will also hold a virtual public workshop on Dr. Arlotto’s budget recommendation at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. No budget-related public testimony will be taken at the workshop or at the February 17, 2021, meeting at which the Board is scheduled to adopt the budget. Should the Board offer amendments at the February 17 meeting, testimony will be taken on the amendments.
The hearings and workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.