PTSA Meeting
Draft Minutes
Co-President Marilyn Shoenfeld called the meeting to order
at
Updates on After Prom
& Silent Auction:
After Prom donations are slightly ahead of last year, but a lot more money and volunteers are still needed. Volunteers are needed for set-up, chaperoning, clean-up, and in particular, for fundraising. If interested, contact Diane Foley.
Silent Auction is behind in donations. Many businesses are not donating this year. More donations from parents and staff are needed in order to meet our goal.
SGA
The 3rd Annual Mr. Blazer competition will be
held during Blair Fair and proceeds will benefit the Prom; a
Principal’s Report:
A sprinkler broke in the gym causing substantial flooding and as a result, the floor is buckling and portions of the gym are not useable; construction to house a second air condition unit for the school will begin soon; the track on the Colesville side is not up to standards and the contractor has to re-do it. They are taking advantage of the reconstruction by placing a sprinkler system with help from Park & Planning. In June, four portables will be placed near the concession stand to alleviate overcrowding. No additional time will be allowed for students to get to classes housed in these units. The Senior Class does not have to worry about the High School Assessment tests this year.
Tracking Debate:
Representatives from the Montgomery County Education Forum were present and gave a brief overview of their mission which is to achieve educational equity. They said that the term “tracking” was not one that they devised, but rather was taken from a newspaper article reporting on the Math Audit. Statistics on students taking Honors courses were reported and discussed. It was suggested that now that we have statistics, we need to take action, not gather more statistics. The overall consensus was that educational equity must begin at the elementary level and that these discussions will continue at future PTSA meetings.
School Improvement
Plan:
Carole Working distributed a list of objectives and stated that these objective will continue to undergo modifications. The three major goals are: 1) By 2005, closing the achievement gap; 2) By 2005, Blair graduates will demonstrate increased career and post secondary education preparedness; and 3) By 2005, Blair Freshmen will demonstrate increased academic achievement. A brief discussion followed detailing the process for achieving these objectives.
Overcrowding:
Mr. Gainous reported that we are currently pursuing grant money available for extended day classes. They hope to extend the day by a few periods to give students an option of starting and ending times. This would alleviate overcrowding in the early morning and late afternoon periods. Many other options are being explored. The reopening of Northwood will also relieve overcrowding.
New Business:
There was a brief discussion on private fundraising for public schools and the inequities that could result. Suzanne Costilo will report back on the timeline for the School Board to take action.
The next PTSA meeting will be on April 16, at
The meeting adjourned at
Elsie McGuire,
Secretary