MISSION

The C.A.C. was established by the

Carroll County Board of Education to serve as a forum for public

concerns, advice and communication to the

Board.

Each school appoints a representative to

serve a two-year term on the Council.

In addition to

providing information to the Board, the

C.A.C. may be called upon by the

Superintendent and/or Board to make

recommendations on matters related to the education of students

in Carroll County Public Schools.

2015/2016 MEETING DATES

September 16, 2015 November 17, 2015

January 21, 2016 March 15, 2016

May 16, 2016

Community Advisory

Council CARROLL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Community Advisory Council Meeting September 16, 2015 The Community Advisory Council (CAC) met on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at the Board of Education offices. Twenty-five members were in attendance. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the May 16, 2015 Community Advisory Council were approved. Boundary Adjustment Committee Recommendations Jon O’Neal, Assistant Superintendent of Administration, presented the recommendations of the Boundary Adjustment Committee (Attachment #1). He explained the leadership role of CAC, provided a timeline for the process, gave background information, and summarized how the committee arrived at its recommendations. The CAC members in attendance felt it was important to highlight the information on slide #9 (Thoughts to Keep in Mind) when talking to their school communities. CAC members also requested a list of the benefits that would come about as a result of the recommended school closures (Attachment #2). Resource pages on the committee recommendations are available on the school system’s website at: http://www.carrollk12.org/boe/boundaryadjustment/default.asp. Information includes the Boundary Adjustment Committee Report, FAQs, key dates, and information on submitting feedback. School boundary maps are also included, as well as a school locator where parents may enter their address to identify the elementary, middle, and high schools their children would attend for each option. Information will be added and updated as it becomes available. State Assessment Survey Committee Steve Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, informed CAC that Superintendent Guthrie has commissioned a CCPS committee to review the MSDE report on state, local, and federally mandated assessments. Specifically, the committee’s charge will be to review the MSDE Assessment Survey and

recommend a CCPS response and to review the current CCPS assessment schedule of all local, state, and federally mandated assessments. Mr. Johnson asked for three volunteers from CAC – one from each grade level – to serve as members of the committee. Michele Rogers (elementary), Lori Hook (middle), and Carmen Shanholtz (high) will serve on the committee. Other Agenda Items In the interest of time, there were two agenda items we did not have a chance to address. The information for both is provided below. Information for New Members If you go to the homepage on the school system’s website, there is a tab near the top that says “Board of Education.” Beneath the tab is a link that takes you to Board Appointed Committees. Here you will find the meeting schedule, agendas, and minutes. There is also a link that takes you to the CAC bylaws. Please take a minute to look at the bylaws and become familiar with them. Promotional Ideas and Materials Last year, we talked about doing more to promote CAC in the schools and with parents. In the beginning of October, we will be sending a Blackboard Connect message to all parents explaining what CAC does. We have also developed a paragraph that we will ask principals to include in their newsletters. In addition, we have developed an FAQ for principals and parents and are in the process of developing a membership directory.

BAC Presentation to the Community Advisory Council

CAC MeetingSeptember 16, 2015

CAC Leadership Role• Understand the challenge and the side effects• Be familiar with the BAC report and its details• Communicate the scope of our challenges• Provide resources to school communities

– BAC website– Key dates/timelines– Ways to provide feedback– FAQ’s

• Seek meaningful input from communities as well as sentiment2

Timeline• Sept. 9 – Initial BAC presentation to BOE; BAC

reconvened to develop other options• Sept. 16 – BAC presentation to CAC• Sept 28 – BOE work session to further clarify

Options 1 & 2 in report• No further action scheduled• All future meetings will be announced

3

Size of the Challenge• Our facilities are significantly below capacity• Enrollment decline continues at steady rate• Resources and educational opportunities are

stretched across the school system• Major side effects

–Tremendous pressure on our operating revenue–Inability to maintain our capital infrastructureWe Cannot Continue to Operate for Long This Way

4

Background

• We reacted to unprecedented enrollment growth for 25 years– Built schools to chase capacity– Schools not strategically placed– No comprehensive redistricting

• We began an unprecedented enrollment decline in 2004– County net migration reversed and was negative– Birth rates flattened to a much lower standard (1600/year)– Enrollments are in steady decline into visible future

5

Compounding Impact of Challenge

• Total enrollment is more or less at the 1997-98 level• Since 1997 we opened: Cranberry Station, Linton Springs, Parr’s

Ridge, Ebb Valley, Shiloh, Century, Winters Mill, Manchester Valley • The recession impacted revenue

– Inflation factor on State aid– Ability of the County to bridge the State funding gap

• The 2000 comprehensive redistricting plan– Would have moved 16% of students (4,300)– May have prevented construction of some facilities

6

Committee Approach in Option 2• Realign system facilities with current and projected

enrollments (10-year) through closures and redistricting• Allow sufficient room for unexpected growth in 10-year

timeframe• Provide sufficient space for regional programs• Result in efficient delivery of staffing, other resources, and

educational opportunities• Consider all factors over 10-year period • Did consider many other options than those in Option 27

Board Charge for Additional Options • Adopted at Sept. 9 BOE meeting• Approved parameters

– To only consider schools that are underpopulated; – To only modify boundary lines for schools impacted by school

closures; and – To minimize the boundary line adjustments across the system.

• Would eliminate 4/5 schools in Option 2• Did not include a timeline for presentation of new options

8

Thoughts to Keep in Mind

• Not liking the options (current or future) does not solve the problem

• Assigning blame for the conditions does not solve the problem

• Feedback that offer alternatives and options to address the challenge will be carefully reviewed

• Doing nothing at all will not solve the problem

9

Instructional Effects of Declining Enrollments Students Teachers Schedules

Smaller elementary and middle school teams result in fewer options to place a student on a grade-level team.

Smaller schools often require more part-time teachers due to fewer course offerings; it is difficult to find teachers willing to work part time.

In general, there are fewer course options offered to students in smaller schools.

Smaller student populations result in more instructional levels in each class.

In smaller schools, more teachers teach outside of their certification areas.

Elective programs struggle in smaller schools. Participation in world languages, fine arts, career and technology education, physical education and health is difficult to sustain in smaller schools.

Fewer teachers make it challenging to find class/club advisors; as a result, students in smaller schools have fewer options for clubs than students in larger schools.

Teachers in smaller schools typically have more preparations than teachers in larger schools.

There are fewer completer programs offered in the smaller comprehensive schools.

Smaller schools find it difficult to field the full complement of athletic teams.

As staffing reductions are made commensurate with declining student enrollment, teachers feel a sense of less job security.

Smaller schools often need to run courses on an every-other-year basis in an attempt to have enough students sign up for the course.

As enrollments decline, fewer interventions for struggling students are available due to corresponding decreases in state aid (i.e., Community Learning Centers, high school crisis counselors, etc.)

Collaborative planning among teachers in like content areas in a building becomes challenging in smaller schools.

Students in smaller schools often are offered the chance to take a course not offered at their school at a larger school.

In smaller schools, it is difficult to separate students who are having conflict issues.

Attendance at CCC&TC is more difficult for students in smaller schools due to limited options of classes offered during mods 1 and 4.