Anne Arundel Board of Ed Unanimously Reappoints Superintendent Arlotto
The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County unanimously reappointed Superintendent Dr. George Arlotto to a second four-year term, contingent on the parties reaching agreement on a new contract and approval by the state superintendent as required by law.
“I have been honored and humbled to serve for the last four years as superintendent and for the last 12 years in this school system,” Arlotto said. “When I became superintendent four years ago, I said the people we have really make the difference, working on behalf of our children. I can say emphatically four years later that the people we have are amazing. I am looking forward to the next four years and beyond working with this #AACPSAwesome team.”
This school year marks Arlotto’s 31st in education. He has worked in Anne Arundel County Public Schools since 2006. Prior to becoming superintendent, he served in a variety of capacities, including director of high schools; chief school performance officer; assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction & school performance; associate superintendent; and chief of staff.
Arlotto’s current contract expires on June 30.
Howard County Conservancy and HCPSS Partner on Butterfly Project
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) and the Howard County Conservancy are partnering on a monarch butterfly program that will connect third-grade students through a live stream with local scientists tracking the 2,000-mile migration of the monarchs to Mexico.
HCPSS, the Conservancy and Howard County Master Gardeners launched a program in the fall of 2017 to plant milkweed, the host plant for monarchs, at every elementary school in the county, with the goal of allowing students to observe the life cycle of the butterflies in their own schoolyard. To complement this program, the live stream will allow students to see the monarch migration through the eyes of a scientist.
Local ecologist Mark Southerland and sustainability adviser Ned Tillman will connect live with students at West Friendship Elementary School to show the migration in real-time and answer the students’ questions.
“Seeing the overwintering site of millions of monarch butterflies in the Oyamel Forests of Mexico is a biologist’s dream, but it is doubly fulfilling to be sharing this … with Howard County third-graders. It is great to see their generation already taking action to save this remarkable species from extinction,” said Southerland.
Tillman added, “We are really looking forward to seeing the winter habitat of the monarchs. We hope to learn more about the impacts of habitat loss and climate change on this important index species.”