board of education – Page 2 – Jay's Real Estate Blog

Garrett’s board of education sets meeting to talk spending

Superintendent to offer scenarios on how to hold on to employees

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — The Maryland General Assembly’s passing of the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2012 means $1 million-plus for education in Garrett County.

The legislations’ enactment also means the school board needs to meet to decide on the best use of the money, said Charlotte Sebold, the board’s president.

A special meeting of the Garrett County Board of Education is being held Wednesday to discuss possible spending scenarios.

Scenarios that will likely be discussed include retaining more personnel and revisiting the decision to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools, according to Sebold.

“The superintendent will provide scenarios on what the board can do with monies to best serve students of Garrett County and to preserve jobs,” said Sebold. “We are looking at keeping as many employees as possible.”

There are no laws that prevent the board from revisiting the decision made at the April 24 meeting to close the two schools, Sebold said.

The commissioners provided the board with $500,000 for fiscal year 2013 and suggested that the money be used to reduce the number of instructional employee cuts from 40 to 28. In total, the county has appropriated $25.3 million to the board for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The General Assembly passed an income tax hike on Wednesday that targets six-figure earners and will avoid about $500 million in budget cuts.

Gov. Martin O’Malley emphasized that the special session was needed to protect education, to keep college tuition affordable and preserve public safety.

Leo Martin, mayor of Mountain Lake Park, presented a petition with more than 2,400 signatures to the school board Monday, said resident Elizabeth Hebden.

The petition contained signatures of more than 10 percent of all registered voters in Garrett County, Hebden said.

The petition asked board members for another vote on the April 24 school-closing decision, pending the passage of the revenue bill by state legislators and the receipt of additional funding for Garrett County schools.

The petition was accepted by Sebold but there was no discussion on it, according to Sue Waggoner, interim superintendent of schools.

“It was premature for the board to adopt the school closure policy in light of the Maryland General Assembly special session that opened earlier today (Monday),” said resident James “Smokey” Stanton. “The special session was called in order to adopt a state budget with revised expenditures and revenues, and it is likely that state funds for Garrett County will increase as the result of the special session.”

Stanton said the board didn’t have a contingency plan to maintain Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools if the legislature approves additional funds for Garrett County schools.

“Small schools are exceptionally important to the economic health of our small towns and small communities, and it does not seem that this essential factor has been adequately taken into account with the proposed closures for this year and the proposals for future years,” said Stanton.

The special board of education meeting will be held Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Southern Middle School cafeteria.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.

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BOE Hears School Closure Committees

Mar. 15, 2012

The Garrett County Board of Education heard three advisory committee reports on Tuesday concerning the proposed closure of three county elementary schools – Dennett Road, Friendsville, and Kitzmiller. All three committees made appeals to the board to keep the schools open and operating.

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The advisory committee representatives made their respective cases in the cafeteria of Southern Middle School, a venue selected by the board to accommodate the larger than usual crowd expected.

The groups cited the stress that would be placed on children by longer commute times, the loss of educational programs, and the damage that would be done to the surrounding communities as reasons to not close the schools.

It was also generally believed by the advisory committees that eliminating the three schools would cause crowding at other facilities and also adversely affect Garrett County’s ability to attract new industries and businesses.

“Class size is important,” stated Leo Martin, Mtn. Lake Park mayor, during the public comment forum.

“If we close these schools what do we do with the buildings? You simply create another burden for the tax payer. Like it or not, Garrett County will develop – what do we do then without adequate space for students?”

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MACo Supporting Local Lawmakers' BOE Funding Bills

Feb. 16, 2012

Garrett County commissioner Gregan Crawford announced yesterday that the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) has voted to support House Bill 660/Senate Bill 586 – Education – State Aid – Grant to Limit Decreases in Funding. Crawford is a member MACo’s board of directors and Legislative Committee.

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The proposed legislation, which was introduced by Sen. George Edwards and cross-filed in the House of Delegates by Delegates Wendell Beitzel, Kevin Kelly, and LeRoy Myers, was drafted for the purpose of requiring the state to provide a certain grant to a county board of education for fiscal years 2013 through 2015 if certain funding provided to a county board decreases by not more than 5 percent.

Approval of this legislation by the Maryland General Assembly would equate to additional funding for the Garrett County Public School System, estimated to be $1 million. The Garrett County Board of Education is estimating a loss of state revenue for FY 2013 of $2.7 million. Favorable review of this legislation by the General Assembly and the governor would reduce the predicted deficit, according to county administrator Monty Pagenhardt.

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Commissioners Issue Statement On Board Of Education Funding Issue

Feb. 9, 2012

The Garrett County commissioners issued a statement during their public session on Tuesday concerning the local Board of Education’s fiscal year 2013 funding woes. About 50 local residents turned out to hear the announcement.

Commission board chair Jim Raley prefaced the statement reading by noting that he and the other two commissioners have attended all the BOE public hearings regarding the possible closures of Dennett Road, Friendsville, and Kitzmiller elementary schools.

“It is important to understand that while the state of Maryland has cut funding to education in Garrett County due to the wealth factor formula and the declining student population, the county has increased funding in excess of requirements known as the maintenance of effort by $860,000,” Commissioner Gregan Crawford read from the statement. “In fiscal year 2012, the Board of Education funding level was reduced by the state by $1.5 million, while Garrett County increased funding by $1.7 million, which is equivalent to all new tax revenue due the county.”

The commissioners noted that they recognize the serious financial situation that the BOE faces and that closing schools requires complex decisions that will have long-term implications on communities.

“The commissioners also recognize and emphasize that the issue and actions regarding school budgets, closure of schools, and the overall decisions about our school system rest in the elected members of the Board of Education,” Crawford read. “Any action on the part of the board of commissioners as the funding sources is not intended to usurp their difficult decisions.”

The statement notes that Garrett County government has also experienced a financial shortfall and that there are numerous challenges to securing funding for public services for residents, property owners, and visitors.

“Initial estimates reveal that the county real estate values have declined for FY 2012 and likely will result in a loss of $1.4 million in revenues to the county,” Crawford read. “Therefore, we are willing and open to increase county government’s financial appropriation to the Garrett County public school system, but are unable to provide a solid figure at this time, due to several variables.”

In the mean time, he indicated, the commissioners will do the following:

• Encourage the BOE to review retirement incentives in order to encourage retirements that will allow for the reduction of staff numbers without eliminating the jobs of new employees.

• Encourage the BOE to collaborate with the county to identify areas where overlapping services and practices may be consolidated and/or reduced in order to mitigate costs related to maintenance of effort.

• Encourage the BOE to continue to engage the public, central office staff, instructional staff, and administrative personnel for input in ways to enhance and maximize operations, as well as consider all options and proposals that can generate savings.

• Provide and direct additional funding, within affordability parameters, thus allowing the BOE the opportunity to look at a long-range vision of school needs based on projected enrollments and community interests as contained in the reports to be presented by the school communities.

• Support legislation (SB 586/HB 660) proposed by Sen. George Edwards and Del. Wendell Beitzel to cap the loss of state funding to any school district to a 5.5 percent limit.

Raley asked for the public’s help in getting SB 586/HB 660 passed in the Maryland General Assembly.

“We need to inundate the legislative folks with calls, comments, e-mails on that bill,” Raley said. “We need to give that bill some momentum.”

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BOE Postpones School Closure Advisory Meeting

Feb. 2, 2012

The Garrett County Board of Education has announced that it will postpone its special meeting for the presentation of the Dennett Road Elementary, Friendsville Elementary, and Kitzmiller Elementary advisory committee reports.

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The special meeting for these advisory committee reports to the Board of Education will be rescheduled for a date to be announced after the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

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Myers’ bill revives a BOE battle

Kristin Harty Barkley Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — Little Orleans parents lost several battles last year in the fight to keep their children in Washington County schools — first to the Allegany County Board of Education, then to a circuit court judge, then to the Maryland State Board of Education, which rejected an appeal.

But the war isn’t over yet. The latest skirmish is taking place before the General Assembly in Annapolis.

On Monday, Delegate LeRoy Myers Jr. introduced a bill that would allow children in Maryland to attend public school in an adjoining county if they live more than 30 miles away from the closest school in their home county, with the home county providing funding.

House Bill 335 drew immediate criticism from local school officials, who voted to end the decade-old Washington County School Choice program last summer because of budget concerns.

In an email on Tuesday, Superintendent David Cox asked other members of the Western Maryland Delegation — Sen. George Edwards and delegates Kevin Kelly and Wendell Beitzel — to oppose the bill, saying it would be “further financially devastating.”

Both Allegany and Garrett county school systems have lost a significant amount of state funding because of declining enrollment and other factors. Last year, state funding for Allegany was cut by around $5.3 million, and the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 includes $4.3 million in cuts.

For the last decade — ever since consolidation closed Flintstone School — about 40 Little Orleans children have attended middle and high school in Hancock, which is geographically closer than Cumberland. But last spring, the board voted to phase out the program, while allowing about 20 high school students to finish their education in Hancock. Another 20 middle school students were not included in the grandfather clause, prompting a group of about three dozen families to file a lawsuit against the Allegany BOE.

In August, Allegany County Circuit Court Judge Tom Leasure denied a temporary injunction to allow middle school students to continue attending Hancock, saying that long bus rides to school did not “constitute irreparable injury.”

During months of turmoil over the issue, Myers announced that he intended to file legislation to address the problem, allowing students to attend school in an adjoining county if it is closer.

Myers filed the bill as a statewide bill — not an Allegany County bill — so it doesn’t need the support of a majority of the Western Maryland Delegation. The bill has been assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Kelly said he doesn’t believe the bill will gain much momentum, adding that he expects opposition from the Maryland State Board of Education, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, and the Maryland Superintendent’s Association.

Edwards and Beitzel couldn’t be reached Tuesday for comment.
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“I haven’t spoken to LeRoy about it at all, nor did I expect to,” Kelly said. “If the bill would come out of committee, which would be somewhat surprising, I would not support the legislation.”

Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com

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City Council, BOE candidates locked in

Councilman Hendershot stepping down from post after completing 18th year

Kristin Harty Barkley Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — Close to a dozen candidates have registered to compete for two open seats on Cumberland City Council, but neither incumbent is running.

Longtime Councilman Butch Hendershot withdrew his candidacy at the last minute on Wednesday, saying he is “just very tired” and feels it’s time to step down.

The deadline to register as a candidate for the April 3 primary election was 9 p.m. Wednesday.

“My family met with me last evening — it was an impromptu meeting — and we decided, to a person, that we weren’t willing to go through the rigors of another campaign,” said Hendershot, who is completing his 18th year in office.

Last February, he suffered a heart attack and has experienced other health problems.

“Especially since the heart attack, I’ve been increasingly fatigued,” said Hendershot, who originally filed for re-election on Jan. 5. “I probably prematurely filed. I wish I would have waited now.”

Nine other candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for the two open council seats, meaning that voters will head to the polls on April 3 to narrow the field to six candidates.

Incumbent Mary Beth Pirolozzi announced earlier this month that she would not seek re-election.

While plenty of candidates are stepping up to fill the two available council seats, there’s a dearth of interest in the same number of spots on the Allegany County Board of Education.

Just two candidates had registered to run for the BOE positions by 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Allegany County Board of Elections.

That means that incumbent Ed Root will run unopposed in the November general election, as will BOE newcomer Nicolas Hadley, a former mayor of Lonaconing. Incumbent Jeff Metz, the most senior BOE member with two terms under his belt, will not run for re-election.

In Garrett County, two BOE members — incumbents Charlotte Sebold, a board member since 1993, and Cynthia Downton, who was appointed a year ago — filed for candidacy, as well as Darlena M. Grady, of Oakland, and Gary L. Barlow, of Grantsville.

Hendershot said he believes voters have a “good slate of candidates” to choose from.

“And I think there’s good leadership in place at the city,” Hendershot said.

“I’m real happy with the state of affairs right now, so that makes it a little easier to step away.”

Candidates for City Council include (in order of filing):

• Steven Phillips, a case management specialist at the Department of Juvenile Services.

• Albert Keener, who works for Alliance Publishing on Virginia Avenue.

• Nicole Wagoner, director of sales at Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.

• Dominic (Nick) DeArcangelis, co-owner at Annie’s Fine Furniture, on North Centre Street.

• David Caporale, vice president of Caporale’s Italian Bakery, on Mechanic Street.

• Sylvester Young, of Oldtown Road, whose Linked In page says he is employed by Friends Aware.

• Carey Walker, who retired from Allegany County Public Schools after 39 years.

• Thomas Taccino, who is self-employed in the auto sales and repair business.

• John Cline, retired chief deputy fire chief for the Cumberland Fire Department.

Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com

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BOE To Meet Next Tuesday

Jan. 5, 2012

The Garrett County Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 10, beginning at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Board of Education’s central office in downtown Oakland.

Following public comment at 4 p.m., the board will meet in a closed session until 5:30 p.m. Election of new officers will take place following the 4 p.m. public comment.

At 5:30 p.m., the board will move to the public agenda items of reconfiguration of fifth grade students into middle schools and the financial resolution for the energy audit performance contract.

Time will be set aside at 7 p.m. for public comment and participation on any topic. The public is invited to attend.

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Garrett County residents will help hire new head of schools

Finding replacement for Teets will begin, end with public input

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — The Maryland Association of Boards of Education is seeking public input on the hiring of a new Garrett County schools superintendent. After public input is sought, the position will be open for applications no later than Jan. 1, according to Tom Carr, president of the Garrett County Board of Education.

Once public input is gathered, MABE will forward the comments to the Board of Education, which will use the comments to put together a job description.

“The interviewing process is going to begin with and end with public input,” said Carr.

MABE will host a public input session Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Southern High School cafetorium and BOE members will not attend this meeting. Those wishing to attend the input session are asked to consider two to three things that make Garrett County a special place to work, live and learn; four to five qualities/characteristics that would be favorable for a new superintendent; and challenges that a new superintendent will face in upcoming years.

“The board is relying on the community to embrace the effort and join us in searching for the best candidate possible,” said Carr.

MABE will receive applications until the end of February/March and a new superintendent will be hired by April to replace interim superintendent Sue Waggoner. She was named to the position in April, following the announcement of Wendell Teets’ retirement.

Selected representatives of stakeholders such as teachers, administrators, support staff, bus drivers, the business community, parents associations and service groups will be invited to interview the top three to four final candidates, which will require a three- or four-day commitment, explained Carr.

Although the position will be advertised nationally, Carr is hoping to find someone local to fill the position.

“I think we have enough talent in these mountains to hire someone locally. However, if we have someone great from the Eastern Shore, that would be fine, too,” said Carr.

Anyone who is unable to attend the public forum may submit written comments to Kitty Blumsack at kblumsack@mabe.org by Nov. 1.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com

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BOE Considers Comcast's Web Access Program

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Oct. 13, 2011

The Garrett County Board of Education recently met (Tuesday, Oct. 11) with a representative of Comcast to discuss that company’s Internet Essentials program.

The initiative seeks to provide students of households without web access with an Internet connection.

Through the program, Comcast is offering an Internet connection for $9.95 per month with free equipment and no installation fees. Comcast will also offer free Internet training for students and their families. The system is stand-alone and there is no need to purchase cable, telephone, or any other services offered by Comcast.

Students who qualify for free lunch also qualify for the Internet Essentials program. However, eligible households must be within the Comcast “footprint,” or locations where the company has installed its cable systems. Those who utilize the program may not have been Comcast customers within 90 days of installation.

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Category: board of education

Garrett’s board of education sets meeting to talk spending

BOE Hears School Closure Committees

MACo Supporting Local Lawmakers' BOE Funding Bills

Commissioners Issue Statement On Board Of Education Funding Issue

BOE Postpones School Closure Advisory Meeting

Myers’ bill revives a BOE battle

City Council, BOE candidates locked in

BOE To Meet Next Tuesday

Garrett County residents will help hire new head of schools

BOE Considers Comcast's Web Access Program

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