The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will receive information on ongoing school construction projects at its next meeting and will hold public workshops over the next two weeks on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget and the second phase of comprehensive redistricting.
The Construction Status Report will be part of the agenda at the Board’s January 22, 2025, meeting. The report will provide updates on major projects throughout the county.
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the Board Room of the Carol S. Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public and subject to normal space limitations in the Board Room.
A complete agenda for the meeting can be found here. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab. Protocols, procedures, and expectations for those attending the meeting can be found here.
The Board will also meet in a public session at 4:30 p.m. for the sole purpose of voting to immediately go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear public comment from up to 10 total speakers (virtual and in-person combined) per agenda item (excluding personnel items, reports, informational presentations, and recognitions) during a single public comment section in the early portion of the meeting. Additionally, up to 10 speakers can comment on non-agenda items, excluding student-specific or personnel matters, towards the end of the meeting.
Procedures and protocols for public comment can be found here. A link to register for public comment will be live at 3 p.m. on the Friday before a Board meeting.
The general session of the meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
BOARD BUDGET WORKSHOP
The Board will hold a public workshop on Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget recommendation at 6 p.m. on January 21, 2025, in the Board Room. The workshop is open to the public, but no public comment or testimony will be taken. It will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
The Board has already conducted two public hearings on Dr. Bedell’s budget recommendation, so testimony will also not be taken at the February 19, 2025, meeting at which the Board is scheduled to adopt its budget request. Should the Board offer amendments at the February 19, 2025, meeting, testimony will be taken on the amendments only. The Board has also scheduled time to meet on February 20, 2025, if it is necessary to complete work on its budget request.
Dr. Bedell’s full Fiscal Year 2026 operating and capital budget recommendations, as well as a text of his budget address and a Budget in Brief document, is posted at www.aacps.org/fy26budget.
BOARD WORKSHOP ON PHASE 2 REDISTRICTING
The Board will also hold a public workshop to hear information related to the second phase of comprehensive redistricting at 6 p.m. on January 27, 2025, in the Board Room. At the workshop, the Board will be presented with scenarios developed by consultant WXY. The workshop is open to the public, but no public comment or testimony will be taken.
The scenarios are not recommendations, but different plans on which public comment will be accepted beginning February 3, 2025. That comment will be used by Dr. Bedell to deliver a recommendation to the Board later this year.
Phase 2 of the redistricting process covers the Annapolis, Arundel, Broadneck, Crofton, Severna Park, South River, and Southern clusters. Information on the redistricting timeline will be available at www.aacps.org/phase2redistricting beginning at the conclusion of the workshop.
The workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
BOARD COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Board of Education’s committees will hold upcoming virtual meetings according to the following schedule. The meetings will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meetings can access them by telephone through the codes listed below.
· Policy Committee: 3 p.m., February 4, 2025. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 484 56 624#.
· Budget Committee: Noon, January 21, 2025. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 461 893 827#
· Equity Committee: Noon, February 25, 2025. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 855 986 412#.