Calvert schools report no MSDE community-school awards yet; Patuxent campus likely to qualify next year

Calvert County Public Schools staff told the Calvert County Blueprint Committee on Nov. 6 that the district currently has no schools identified as Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) community schools and has not received community-schools funding, though one school is near eligibility.

Marcy Groover, who introduced herself as the elementary English language arts supervisor, briefed the committee on the district’s Maryland Blueprint progress and on community schools criteria and funding. She said CCPS has submitted required materials including a career counseling memorandum of understanding and fiscal documents and on Nov. 1 filed a response to “question 23” with the AIB and MSDE; if that response does not meet the success criteria, the district expects to receive feedback and may resubmit by the Nov. 12 due date.

Why it matters: community schools funding provides staffing and wraparound services for high-poverty schools. Groover recited MSDE guidance that schools awarded community-school funds must hire a community schools coordinator and provide full-time coverage by at least one professional health-care practitioner during school hours; awards also include a personnel grant and a per-pupil grant to support wraparound services.

Groover said MSDE awarded roughly $248,000 per community school in fiscal 2022, with inflation adjustments in later years, and that eligibility is determined by a three-year concentration-of-poverty average. For fiscal 2025, the threshold is a 55% three-year average of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged.

Using unofficial Sept. 30 enrollment counts, Groover said only one Calvert school — the Patuxent campus (PAC) — met the threshold, at 56.2 percent, and CCPS expects PAC’s three-year average will be about 57 percent next year, which would make it eligible. Groover said the district does not yet know whether PAC would receive the personnel or per-pupil grant if it qualifies and that CCPS will investigate both the funding type and supports that would be provided.

Committee members asked whether low return rates for free-and-reduced-price meal forms might undercount eligible students. Melissa Gashmore asked whether more complete form returns could change eligibility; Groover said CCPS will check return rates and expects expanded pre-kindergarten enrollment to raise form-submission percentages slightly.

Members also raised questions about smaller/alternative sites and career-technical programs. A committee member asked whether students at the alternative education location or the Career and Technology Academy (CTA) are counted with their home schools for eligibility; Groover said she would investigate whether those sites are counted separately and follow up with the group.

County administrator Mark Willis and committee members encouraged coordination with other county bodies; Jason Oates suggested sharing the slides with the Board of County Commissioners’ joint committee on student safety and well-being to support outreach and public-awareness work.

The committee opened the meeting for public comment but received no public speakers. The meeting concluded after brief closing remarks and a motion to adjourn.

Sources: Remarks and slides presented to the Calvert County Blueprint Committee by Marcy Groover on Nov. 6, 2024; committee discussion recorded during the Nov. 6, 2024 virtual meeting.