* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Investigative Hearing - Administration - Baltimore City Public School System
FOR the purpose of requesting the President of the Greater Baltimore Committee to apply the considerable expertise of the organization's membership to assist the City Council in determining if the limited resources of the Baltimore City Public School System are being effectively used for the education of students by, in part, determining if the size of the Baltimore City Public School Administration appropriately reflects the downsizing of the student population and the physical plant; and urging the CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System and the Chair and Members of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners to fully cooperate with this effort to ensure that the best interests of the students and the system are being served.
Body
Recitals
The Introduction to Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners Decision Regarding Proposed School Closings, Program Relocations, And Building Reconfigurations March 28 and April 6, 2006 states "FACT: In many parts of Baltimore City, we have too many school buildings and too many empty seats; FACT: BCPSS has facilities to accommodate 125,000 students. Enrollment for school year 2005-2006 is just under 85,000 students, a difference of 40,000 empty seats; FACT: Overall enrollment in the school system has been dropping for many years. This trend is due to city-wide population losses as well as declining birth rates in prior decades..Projections suggest that although stabilizing, the BCPSS enrollment decline will continue but moderate over the next ten years. Projected enrollment for 2011 is about 76,500."
Included in the long range vision for reformation of the Baltimore City Public School System is a plan for high school reform that calls for transforming large neighborhood high schools into smaller learning communities to, in part, reduce excess capacity in the high school inventory; a similar initiative to reform middle schools by creating more neighborhood preK-8 programs; the development of smaller, enhanced middle school programs at selected sites across the City; a system-wide reduction of class size; and an integration of special education and alternative education students into comprehensive programs.
The Maryland State Department of Education defines administration as expenditures for the general regulation and control of the LEA (local education agency) and for the LEA instructional programs that include activities that generally involve formulation and execution of educational or financial policy for the LEA as a whole, rather than the administration of a single building or narrow phase of school activity, and includes board of education services; office of the superintendent; community relations; business services; human resources; data processing; printing and duplicating; purchasing; legal services; planning, research and evaluation services; centralized support services; and general support services.
Given this broad range of activities, it would not be difficult to lose track of administrative costs in a school system of decreasing size, changing educational models, and altered capital needs. To ensure that does not happen and, more importantly, to make certain that the optimum amount of money is dedicated to the education of our children, a closer look at the activities of the North Avenue administrative offices of the Baltimore City Public School System is warranted.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the President of the Greater Baltimore Committee is requested to apply the considerable expertise of the organization's membership to assist the City Council in determining if the limited resources of the Baltimore City Public School System are being effectively used for the education of students by, in part, determining if the size of the Baltimore City Public School Administration appropriately reflects the downsizing of the student population and the physical plant; and that the CEO of the Baltimore City Public School System and the Chair and Members of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners are urged to fully cooperate with this effort to ensure that the best interests of the students and the system are being served.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Greater Baltimore Committee is requested to report its findings to the City Council within 90 days of the passage of this resolution.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the President, Greater Baltimore Committee, the Interim CEO, Baltimore City Public School System, the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, the Director of Finance, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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