December 17, 2024 Staff & Community Update: Highlights from the Superintendent’s December 2024 Press Conference
Watch the press conference
Dr. Myriam Rogers held a media availability today, December 17, to share updates, information and important reminders for Team BCPS.
MD Report Card
- Team BCPS started the month of December celebrating great news with the release of the 2024 MD Report Card.
- The data for BCPS shows significant improvement across all grade bands and that is thanks to the collaborative efforts of the entire staff – including those in schools, central offices and operations. Dr. Rogers thanked Team BCPS staff for their intentional focus on providing the highest quality instruction and supports for all students, and commitment to continuous improvement.
- We are incredibly proud of our 20 5-Star rated schools—the most in the state—and the 38 schools- elementary, middle and high schools that worked hard to increase their star rating. We also have the top-rated high school (Eastern Technical) and the top two elementary schools (Rodgers Forge and Sparks). We also want to celebrate and applaud McCormick Elementary School for their 2-star increase!
- As Dr. Rogers shared with staff and the community, this is news that should be celebrated, and we are doubling down on our efforts because we know there is much more work to be done. We remained focused on our priority areas and creating the conditions for success. Our charge to every member of Team BCPS is that we continue working together to build on this momentum and strive for even greater success for all.
Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget
- As we approach the end of the calendar year and prepare for winter break, we are working to finalize a recommended Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget request to present to the Board of Education and Team BCPS.
- We are in the homestretch and have spent the last several months engaging our staff, families and stakeholders in in-depth conversations about the budget. Their feedback has been vital, and it is clear from their feedback that there are critical priority areas for our system. We are grateful to our Board of Education, County Executive Olszweski and the County Council for the full funding of our FY25 budget.
- For the upcoming budget, our community wants to continue to see continued investments in staff recruitment and retention, strategic programs and opportunities for students and more. Their input and insights have helped shape the request that Dr. Rogers will submit to the Board in just a few short weeks.
- We know there is lingering uncertainty regarding blueprint funding as the state is facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, however, fast forwarding student achievement and learning will remain our main priority and at the center of our work. We want the operating budget request to clearly lay out the strategies we intend to use to bolster student progress and move our system forward.
- We are committed to working with the Board of Education, the interim county executive, members of the county council and county delegation to see this budget through. Moving BCPS back to the top will require significant investments. These investments will yield positive results not just for our system, but also for the county and the state.
- The Team BCPS community is invited to tune in at 9 a.m. on January 13 as Dr. Rogers presents her budget request to the Board, administrators and Team BCPS stakeholders.
Bus Citations
- The Baltimore County Police Department recently shared that since the official start of school bus camera enforcement program, more than 7,437 citations have been issued.
- We join the BCoPD in urging motorists to slow down and stop for our school buses as they pick up and drop off students. The citation numbers are alarming. Hundreds of motorists are passing by stopped school buses each week. We must work together as a community to prioritize student safety as they head to and from our schools.
- As a reminder, Maryland law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from a stopped school bus with activated flashing red lights. Motorists who fail to stop will receive a $250 fine.
- It is our collective hope that our community will follow the law. Let’s do our part to keep children safe.
Talk Space
- This time last year, we announced the launch our partnership with Talkspace to provide more than 32,000 Team BCPS high school students with access to high-quality telehealth therapy and mental health resources.
- Talkspace is one of the many ways we are responding to growing student needs and extending support that students can access beyond school hours, year-round, at their convenience.
- In addition to unlimited messaging therapy, students have access to Talkspace Go, a comprehensive teen mental health self-guided program.
- We are pleased to share some data on the implementation of Talkspace as of the end of November 2024:
- Therapy: 526 New Users
- TalkSpace on the GO: 1,306 New Users
- Total Impact: 1,832 New Users
- Chat Messaging: 24,013 chats
- Sessions: 3,791
- In addition to TalkSpace, we are providing support to students through our Mind Over Matters Campaign. Schools are connecting activities to student learning to increase awareness about self-management with activities that include self-care activities that promote healthy habits and routines.
- We also announced at the start of the school year the launch of our partnership with Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports to expand access to behavioral health services for students.
- Examples of expanded services include Family Care Coordination focused on improving mental and behavioral health towards positive attendance and Botvin Life Skills groups. There are also students receiving mental health services to address complex mental health needs.
- We are pleased to share that the consortium has released a third Request for Applications (RFA) that BCPS and the partnership HUB, Baltimore County Local Behavioral Health Authority (LBHA) will be partnering on. We will host an information session on December 18, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. on the Greenwood campus to provide more information.