Anne Arundel County Public Schools board meeting, Nov 5, 2025
4 h 12 min · 4 public speakers
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What happened
What happened at this meeting
Board advances amended Phase 2 redistricting plan to public hearing on 5-3 vote 4:08:32
- The board also approved four new courses 8-0. 1:43:20
- An amendment to let students entering 5th or 8th grade in 2026-27 stay at their current schools failed, with 6 in the negative and 2 in the affirmative. 2:15:00
- Motions passed on votes of 8-0 and 5-2, and Joanna Bache Tobin, Ph.D., then moved to amend BR3 to retain the split articulation of Nantucket Elementary School. 3:08:35
- The board voted 5-3 to move Board Recommendation 3 for Phase 2 redistricting, as amended, forward to public briefing and public hearing. 4:08:32
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Item by item (14)
- Opening and agenda 10:10
- Monthly recognitions 12:33
- The board recognized its Educator of the Month for November 2025, citing expansion of robotics programs across elementary, middle and high schools. 12:39
- The board recognized its Employee of the Month for November 2025, a cafeteria leader at the Old Mill Complex. 19:39
- Dana Schallheim presented the November 2025 Volunteer of the Month recognition to a volunteer at Windsor Farm Elementary School. 25:00
- Public comment 29:16
- Robert Silkworth said there were no speakers on agenda items and 7 individuals were listed to speak on non-agenda items. 40:52
- Speakers at public comment asked the board to expand the agriculture education program at Southern High School to students outside the school's district. 43:28
- A speaker at public comment offered to provide internships on a farm in southern Anne Arundel County. 52:21
- PTA and committee reports 1:04:26
- The PTA report noted an IRS deadline of November 15th and said the county council of PTAs is seeking a secretary for 2025-2027. 1:04:39
- The Equity Committee report said the committee met October 28th to examine equitable practices for students in advanced learning opportunities. 1:08:09
- Dana Schallheim said the Policy Committee met November 4th and discussed Policy KA, Distribution of Non-School Communications, and several regulations. 1:09:37
- President's and superintendent's reports 1:10:16
- Robert Silkworth said more than 70 individuals testified at a redistricting public hearing on the 27th and over 90 testified at a second hearing on November 3rd. 1:12:43
- The superintendent said the district now has 15 5-star schools on the Maryland Report Card and that 13% of its schools hold that rating, compared with 7% statewide. 1:14:37
- The superintendent also shared updated vacancy numbers, including 0 bus driver vacancies and no school nurse vacancies. 1:22:06
- New course approvals 1:22:47
- Staff sought approval of Forensic Science 2, AP Cybersecurity, AP Business with Personal Finance and Integrated Computational Thinking, beginning in the 26-27 school year. 1:23:18
- Staff said Integrated Computational Thinking will be a required middle school course in 8th grade. 1:26:35
- One board member asked about teacher professional development and student safety and said, "I will definitely support it." 1:35:25
- The motion to approve all 4 courses passed 8-0. 1:43:20
- Contracts and personnel 1:43:28
- Policy readings 1:45:23
- A staff member said Policy IIB, Promotion and Retention, on second reading, would require elementary students to meet the state literacy policy to be promoted to grade 4. 1:45:46
- On first reading of Policy IIC, staff described proposed regulation changes reducing required credits from 26 to 22.5 by cutting elective credits from 7.5 to 4. 1:46:45
- A staff member said new Policy JECC would authorize school nurses and designated personnel to give stock bronchodilators to students in respiratory distress. 1:53:02
- Easements 1:54:19
- Staff said the superintendent recommended approval of Carver Early Education Center deeds of public easement. 1:54:39
- Staff said the superintendent recommended approval of Old Mill High School deeds of public easement and an Old Mill Complex forest conservation easement. 1:55:38
- Both bundled easement motions passed 8-0. 1:55:17
- Redistricting motion and legacy amendment 1:56:16
- Gloria Dent moved to advance Board Recommendation 3 with exceptions for several neighborhoods and for the legacy student provision. 2:13:41
- Dana Schallheim moved to let students entering 5th or 8th grade in 2026-27 remain at their current schools if they provide their own transportation. 2:15:00
- One board member said some students could not use that option without private transportation and said, "I cannot support this." 2:21:49
- The amendment failed, with 6 in the negative and 2 in the affirmative. 2:36:00
- Neighborhood amendments and funding questions 2:36:14
- A staff member said Old Mill Middle North was originally scheduled for around $30 million, the state said zero, and the district got it back up to around $10. 2:40:05
- Sarah J. McDermott moved to keep an area at Wachapel Elementary rather than rezone it to Odenton Elementary, saying Odenton is at 101.5% and Wachapel at 94%. 3:05:33
- Dawn Pulliam clarified that the proposal was for the 4 South River Colony neighborhoods designated to be redistricted to Edgewater Elementary School to remain at Central Elementary School, and a staff member said 37 students were designated in that area. 3:11:08
- One motion passed 8-0, and a later motion passed 5-2. 3:08:35
- Nantucket split articulation amendment 3:17:25
- One board member moved to retain the split articulation of Nantucket Elementary School and said, "I have to support retaining this split articulation." 3:19:18
- One board member said the area is declining in enrollment by the district's own projections and that moving the students would push the problem to Arundel. 3:22:31
- A staff member said Crofton High School utilization would be 101 with the split articulation and 111 without it. 3:41:28
- The amendment passed 5-3. 3:46:21
- Final redistricting vote 3:46:26
- The board took a recess so the motion could be checked against the recording. 3:52:02
- The motion as read after the recess did not include junior students entering 11th grade in the legacy provision and retained the Nantucket split articulation. 4:06:10
- Robert Silkworth said the understanding was that the Nantucket split portion would move to Arundel. 4:07:42
- The amended motion passed 5-3. 4:08:33
- Other redistricting recommendations 4:08:37
Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.
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Video: posted by the district as “BOE Public Session 11-5-2025”