The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will discuss and is scheduled to vote on adoption of its Fiscal Year 2022 operating and capital budget requests at its next meeting. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, in light of the fact that Ash Wednesday occurs on the Board’s normal meeting day.
Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommended $1.37 billion Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget includes 205 additional classroom teaching positions to continue to address instructional needs and increases in technology funding to continue to enhance the virtual learning environment for students and staff. It also provides for additional positions to support the social and emotional needs of students, and for compensation increases for employees.
The $234.5 million capital budget recommended by Dr. Arlotto contains $188 million for new construction, replacement projects, renovations, and additions. More than $80 million of that is directed toward construction of Old Mill West High School and design and construction of the new Old Mill Middle School South, which will be built at the current Southgate Park. The recommendation also contains $93.5 million for construction of replacement facilities at Quarterfield, Hillsmere, and Rippling Woods elementary schools, and a new West County Elementary School.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Board Room of the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. Due to physical distancing requirements the public will not be allowed to attend the meeting in person.
PROCESS FOR 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. The link to register to deliver live testimony will be posted online here at 5 p.m. on the Sunday preceding a Board meeting. Those wishing to provide live testimony must register, space permitting, through that link. In order to allow for a maximum diversity of those who wish to comment, the Board will allocate speakers by their first choice of agenda item on a first-come, first-served basis until available slots are filled. Should additional spots remain open, speakers will be allocated their second choice, again on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers may sign up to comment on no more than three agenda items.
Since the Board has conducted two public hearings on Dr. Arlotto’s recommended FY2022 operating and capital budgets, it will not take public testimony on budget-related items on February 16. Those wishing to express a budget-related opinion to the Board should do so by sending email to boardoffice@aacps.org or dropping written comments off at the Parham Building prior to February 15, 2021.
Should the Board not be able to complete its work on the budget on February 16, it will hold a special meeting on February 18, if necessary, to finalize the budget request.
All speakers at the February 16 meeting will be allotted 2 minutes and those who secure spaces to speak will receive emailed instructions on how to join the online platform from which they will speak. Registration will be open through 5 p.m. on the evening before a Board meeting.
Written comments on agenda items can be submitted through an online form that can be found here beginning at 5 p.m. on the Sunday prior to a Board meeting. Written comments must be no more than 250 words and must be submitted by noon on the day prior to a Board meeting. Comments can also be dropped off at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis, by that time.
Comments on non-agenda items are only 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 meet in a public session at 4 p.m. 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, 2-16-21
BUDGET COMMITTEE TO MEET ON FEBRUARY 16
The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County’s Budget Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
The committee, which examines issues related to the Board of Education’s departmental budget as well as the construction of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ operating and capital budgets, as submitted to the County Executive and County Council, will meet virtually at 2:30 p.m.
The meeting will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meeting can call 301-960-3676 and enter the Conference ID 255559702#.