The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will receive an update on key education-related legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly during its 2024 session at its next meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
The 90-day session of Maryland’s legislative body ended on Monday, April 8. Members of the State Senate and House of Delegates considered thousands of pieces of legislation, and the Board has been provided with updates since the session began in January.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Board is expected to vote on formal approval of new contractual agreements with Monarch Academy Public Charter School in Glen Burnie and Monarch Global Academy Public Contract School in Laurel. The Board approved continued operations for both schools in February.
The Board will also review the quarterly Construction Status Report, which details work by AACPS’ Division of Facilities on major projects with a total value of more than $930 million.
Wednesday’s meeting 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.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 4:30 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.
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.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear public comment from up to 10 total speakers (virtual and in-person combined) per agenda item (excluding personnel items, reports, informational presentations, and recognitions) during a single public comment section in the early portion of the meeting. Additionally, up to 10 speakers can comment on non-agenda items, excluding student-specific or personnel matters, towards the end of the meeting.
To register for public comment, visit www.aacps.org/boardcomment from 3 p.m. on the Friday before the meeting until noon on the Monday before. Speakers can sign up for a maximum of two agenda items but only once for each item. If there are more than 10 registered speakers for an item, a lottery will be used to select the speakers.
Registered speakers will be notified via email. Each speaker has a 2-minute time limit and must address the specific agenda item for which they are registered.
Written comments on agenda items (250-word maximum) can also be submitted online or dropped off at the Parham Building in Annapolis. Those needing interpreter services or accessibility accommodations should call 410-222-5311.
The general session of the meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel. Archived videos of past meetings are available online.
BOARD WORKSHOP ON NEW ELEMENTARY LITERACY CURRICULUM
The Board will hold a public workshop at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 15, to hear updates from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell and his staff on the school system’s implementation of the newly adopted Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program, as the comprehensive elementary literacy curriculum for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The Board will receive information about the reasons for the shift in curriculum based on the Science of Reading, the way the specific contract was adopted, the general tenets of the curriculum, and the rollout plans for staff and families. 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 workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and 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., April 30, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 171 287 084#.
- Budget Committee: Noon, April 15, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 219 417 930#.
- Equity Committee: Noon, May 21, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 139 346 210#.