Since school let out for the summer, the Carroll County Board of Education has had a “a lot of long meetings,” according to Superintendent Steve Lockard. Some have hovered around the 5-hour mark.
“We have a lot of really meaty topics to discuss. And I don’t think you can just talk about those in 45 minutes,” he said.
The Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) community starts classes Tuesday, Sept. 3 after a period of significant change with a few new policies in place and plans to build on successes.
In June, the school system finalized its first equity policy with priority on removing institutional barriers to accessing education. They updated the “Bring Your Own Device” policy to focus on portable devices and put new guidelines to reduce distractions caused by cellphone use at inappropriate times during the school day.
August saw CCPS set up a committee to develop guidelines for a "comprehensive data governance policy. The school system also passed a policy focused on protecting student data when digital tools used in instruction ask for personal information.
CCPS teachers received a significant salary increase this year, following collaboration between the school system and the county at budget time and thanks in part to new Maryland legislation.
“It’s the largest increase that they’ve seen in many years,” said Board of Education President Donna Sivigny. “And we’re very excited about that we’re showing that we really do value our educators.”
Central office and the Board plan to continue their focus on technology and data into the fall. A comprehensive technology strategy is a goal for the future, Sivigny said.
“We’ve been seeing bits and pieces of it along the way,” she said.
Lockard said one of those is a data dashboard project that the system has been looking at. They want to tap into the potential of data analytics for educators and administrators. Some of that information will also be available to the public so the school system can be accountable for whether it is meeting its goals, he said.
He is also thinking about virtual learning for opportunities for students.
“That’s something that Carroll County Public Schools, I think, absolutely needs to have moving forward. And it’s an area we’ve lacked.” he said.
During town hall meetings, community members have been frustrated that students couldn’t take a course they wanted or needed, often because of a lack of staffing or a limited schedule or because they attended a smaller school.
He sees online courses as a possible solution to some of these woes. Virtual learning is not uncommon in the career and college worlds, he said.
For Lockard, 2019-20 is the start of his second year as CCPS superintendent.
“You know, I don’t know that I’m ever going to be completely comfortable in anything," he said. “One of the things about being an educator, and particularly in this job is you experience new challenges and different things every day.”
And so I approach that by making sure we’ve got a great team of folks ... when those challenges arise, you know, we have folks that can tackle that with care and compassion and common sense to try to best support the needs of our students.”
The themes of his first year were, “a lot of learning, listening ... I knew that I was coming to an outstanding school system, with a lot of successes. Really, my whole goal working with the board, and our staff here was to try to build on those successes. So I did a lot of listening.”
The Board of Education too saw a 60% turnover in its members during the November 2018 election.
Sivigny sees the transition as one that was for the most part “seamless.”
Going forward, she said, “I don’t think there are any major challenges that are going to surprise us, but you never know. But I think we’re we’re well equipped, and we’re working well together, whatever comes up, we’re going to handle it....we’ve got a strategic plan that we all believe in. We’re going to hold hands and just execute on that.”
Those who attend school board meetings are already familiar to the CCPS strategic plan.
It was passed to guide the system from 2018-2023. Goals break down into four categories, called Pilars: Pathway Opportunities for Student Success; Family and Community Partnerships; Successful Workforce; and Safe and Secure Environment.
Lockard emphasized the importance of consulting with all of CCPS’ schools and departments when forming it, “because we don’t just want this to be a plan of the board or of mine, but of our system.”
A presentation on the progress of Pillar I: Pathway Opportunities for Student Success is planned for the September Board of Education meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m.
CCPS recently ranked among the highest in Maryland for standardized PARCC testing, which Lockard sees as a student success as well as a one for educators and supportive families. But he also said the results are a time to talk about Carroll students as “more than a test score.”
“One of the things I’m really proud of, in Carroll County Public Schools is the opportunities our students have to follow their interests,” he said, citing everything from extracurricular and student organizations to internships and courses at the Carroll County Career and Technology Canter, which is anticipating a renovation and expansion.
The school system is also leaning into its partnership with Carroll Community College and their dual enrollment program to allow students to take college credit courses without leaving their high school, Lockard said. CCPS teachers get certified by Carroll Community to teach the courses and students can build those classes into their schedules without communing.
For Lockard, 2019-20 is far from his first start of the school year. But in each community, the experience is different, he said.
At about 25,000 students, CCPS feels like "the perfect size” because of the relationships that form.
“Maybe there’s people that take it for granted," he siad. "I don’t, because I’ve been other places. And not to say that, you know, those other places were bad or anything. They were great in their own way. But here, there’s a unique sense of community and collaboration that I know doesn’t exist in every county,” he said.
Sivigny said that this year, “You can actually feel the energy and the excitement level coming out of educators and the central office staff.”
“It’s just a good environment," she said, noting the high ranking on the PARCC standardized tests, curriculum redevelopment, and new policies, “and folks are excited to get the school year started.”