Opportunity Gap Commission Members Help Incoming Kindergartners

Crofton MD

31 August, 2021

11:06 AM

Description

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — With the goal of cutting in half the number of students considered to not be ready for kindergarten, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman has named members to the Anne Arundel County Joint Commission on the Opportunity Gap, which will meet tonight, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. "By the 2026 school year, the last year that I intend to hold this office, Anne Arundel County will reduce by half the percentage of children who enter kindergarten not demonstrating readiness," Pittman said. "Anne Arundel County is investing like never before in mental health services, nutrition assistance, affordable housing, public safety and public transportation. And we are doing it in partnership with nonprofits, faith-based organizations and every agency of county government. We are all in." According to the Maryland 2019-2020 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report, only 46 percent of Anne Arundel County students are assessed as ready to begin kindergarten. A key metric in closing the opportunity gap, kindergarten readiness scores vary by race and ethnicity in Anne Arundel County: 55 percent of white students demonstrated readiness in the report, with the number dropping to 34 percent for African American students and 28 percent for Hispanic/Latinx students. The meeting, which will be held virtually from 6 to 8 p.m., can be viewed by members of the public who register here. "Many of our students arrive at school already finding themselves in the gap," AACPS Superintendent of Schools George Arlotto said. "We must continue to work on approaches inside our school system that help close gaps." The commission includes 15 appointed members - six appointed by the county executive, six appointed by the superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and three appointed by the commission once it is seated. The county executive and superintendent's appointees are listed below: Karen Murphy, Anne Arundel County Office of Personnel (County Executive) Conor Curran, Anne Arundel Community College student (County Executive) Thornell Jones, Anne Arundel County NAACP (County Executive) Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort, First Presbyterian Church - Annapolis (County Executive) Monica Lindsey, Connecting the Dots (County Executive) Tatiana Klein, Marshall and Hope Corporation - Allen Apartments Project (County Executive) Indu Bodala, Glen Burnie High School student (Superintendent) Patricia Saynuk, AACPS Coordinator of Early Childhood Education and School Readiness (Superintendent) Stephanie Jones, AACPS Pupil Personnel Worker (Superintendent) Peggy Cruz, Department of Health school nurse (Superintendent) Richard Rogers, Principal, Walter S. Mills-Parole Elementary School (Superintendent) Dr. Julie Ann Halick, AACPS Citizen Advisory Committee (Superintendent) In addition to the appointed seats, the commission will include the following eight non-voting ex officio members: Tameka Smith, representative from the County Executive's Office Monique H. Jackson, AACPS Deputy Superintendent for Student and School Support Pete Hill, Anne Arundel County Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dr. Maisha Gillins, Executive Director, AACPS Office of Equity and Accelerated Student Achievement Dr. Deidre Grim, Program Manager, Health Equity and Racial Justice, Anne Arundel County Department of Health Catherine Hollerbach, Chief of Public Services and Branch Management, Anne Arundel County Public Libraries Cassandra Moore, Director of Enrollment Development and Admissions, Anne Arundel Community College Capt. Ryan Frashure, Commander, Community Relations Division, Anne Arundel County Police Department