The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will receive an update on the school system’s readiness for the 2023-2024 school year and vote on any redistricting proposal or proposals to move forward to public hearing at its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 2023.
The school year begins for most students on Monday, August 28, 2023. The report to the Board will focus on student enrollment and programs, staff recruiting successes and existing vacancies, and the preparation of facilities for the new school year.
The Board is also scheduled to vote on which proposal or proposals regarding Phase 1 of the school system’s comprehensive redistricting plan it wishes to move forward to public hearing later this fall. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell presented his recommendation to the Board at its July 12, 2023, meeting. That recommendation, as well as two potential scenarios developed by consultant WXY, can be found here. The Board can move forward any or all of those plans, and also has the ability to propose its own plan or plans.
Phase 1 of the redistricting process will establish attendance areas for Old Mill West High School and West County Elementary School while balancing enrollments across schools in the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast, and Old Mill clusters. The plan is scheduled to go into effect in August 2024.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Board will:
- hear a presentation regarding modifications to the secondary school schedule for students.
- consider a new charter school application from the New Village Academy Public Charter School.
The meeting begins at noon and will be held in the Board Room at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public and subject to normal space limitations in the Board Room.
A complete agenda for the meeting can be found here. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab. Protocols, procedures, and expectations for those attending the meeting can be found here.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 10 a.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.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear public comment:
- from up to 10 total speakers (combination of virtual and in person) per agenda item (excluding personnel items, reports, and recognitions) during a single public comment section in the early portion of the meeting.
- from up to 10 total speakers on items not on the agenda (excluding any student-specific or personnel items) near the end of the meeting.
The link to register to comment before the Board will be published at www.aacps.org/boardcomment at 3 p.m. on the Friday prior to the meeting. Registration will close at noon on the Monday prior to the meeting. Those wishing to provide comment must register through that link. Speakers may sign up for no more than two agenda items but only once on any individual agenda item.
The following also apply:
- For any item with more than 10 registered speakers, the Board will employ a lottery process to select the speakers.
- Registrants who secure a slot to speak will be notified by email at the email address they provide when they register. All speakers will be allotted 2 minutes and must address the specifics of the agenda item for which they sign up. For details on the specifics of agenda items, click on the Board Docs link found at aacps.org/board. Comments about student-specific items and/or personnel matters are not accepted. Because the Board will be holding hearings specific to any redistricting plans to be developed in the coming months, it will not accept comment on redistricting at this meeting.
- Written comments on agenda items can be submitted through an online form that can be at aacps.org/boardcomment beginning at 3 p.m. on the Friday 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.
Those who require the services of an interpreter to offer comment to the Board or who need other accessibility accommodations for Board of Education meetings should call 410-222-5311 to make those arrangements.
The complete process for registering to speak and submitting testimony in writing can be found here.
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 Astound, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High-definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Astound, 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 TO CONDUCT WORKSHOP ON LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
The Board will hold a public workshop at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 21, to discuss its 2024 Legislative Program. The program outlines the Board’s legislative priorities and guides AACPS advocacy before federal, State, and local officials.
The workshop will be held in the Board Room of the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public, but no public questions or testimony will be taken.
The Board is scheduled to formally adopt the 2024 Legislative Program at its September 6, 2023, meeting.
The workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Astound, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High-definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Astound, and Channel 1961 on Verizon. The workshop can also be viewed live on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Board of Education’s committees will hold upcoming virtual meetings according to the following schedule. The meetings will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meetings can access them by telephone through the codes listed below.
- Policy Committee: 3 p.m., September 5, 2023. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 154 085 108#.
- Budget Committee: Noon, September 18, 2023. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 792 512 942#.
- Equity Committee: 3 p.m., September 19, 2023. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 339 374 06#.