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Garrett school board meets today

OAKLAND — The Garrett County Board of Education will take action on its capital improvement plan today at 6:45 p.m. Public comment will be accepted at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m.

Other agenda topics include recommendation of a contractor for the detailed energy audit, a discussion of the master plan, and presentations on Dancing Classrooms and the Lions Club vision screening.

The board will meet in its Central Office, 40 S. Second St.

More here.

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>BOE Announces Personnel Changes At Board Meeting

>Jul. 14, 2011

At the Garrett County Board of Education meeting, held Tuesday in downtown Oakland, Susan Waggoner, interim superintendent of schools, announced the following personnel recommendations for the upcoming school year. They were approved unanimously by the members of the board.

New appointments: Timothy DeWitt, custodian III, Dennett Road Elementary, effective July 5; Wayne Resh, custodian III, Northern Middle, effective July 5; Lori Schmidt, secretary/media assistant, Friendsville Elementary, effective August 15; Tracy Rase, teacher, Route 40 Elementary, effective August 18; Melissa Davis, teacher, Broad Ford Elementary, effective August 18; Jencene Tice, teacher, Route 40 Elementary, effective August 18; and Jason Shank, principal, Southern Middle School, effective July 13.

>Budget cuts shutter summer camping program at Garrett outdoor school

>The Cumberland Times-News Sun Jul 10, 2011, 10:57 PM EDT

ACCIDENT — Camp is a lot quieter than usual this year at Hickory Environmental Education Center — especially at night.

For the last several years, the giggles, screeches and snores of at least 50 youth have filled the overnight air at the center, which is the Garrett County Board of Education’s outdoor school.

This year, just about all you can hear is crickets chirping.

Residential camping, which usually takes place over five weeks during the summer, was canceled this year because of budget cuts, said Bruce Taliaferro, the center’s director.

Instead, organizers offered a one-week day camp, which ended on Friday. Forty-two students attended.

Last year, about 250 students camped overnight at the center, located on 77 acres near Northern Middle School, Taliaferro said.

“The budget was gone,” he said, adding that a second week of day camp for another group of students was planned, but was canceled because of short notice and a lack of participation.

“This isn’t our normal summer camp. We’re just trying to figure out what we’re doing with it.”

The center, which opened in 1965, offers programs year-round to Garrett County students, who are bused in daily for programs in the nature center and planetarium. The summer residential program, which is free to campers, has been built up over the years to include students in grades four through seven, Taliaferro said.

State funding shortfalls hit school systems hard across Maryland this year, but especially in Garrett and Allegany counties, where student enrollment is declining. The Garrett County BOE, facing an estimated $3.1 million funding shortfall in April, voted to close Bloomington Elementary School to save around $426,000 a year. Kitzmiller Elementary, which was also on the chopping block, was spared for the time being, thanks to a $700,000 appropriation from county government.

Taliaferro hopes the school board can find funds to continue the residential camping program next year. Hickory Center programs offered during the school year aren’t being affected by budget cuts, he said.

“It’s the summer we lost out on,” Taliaferro said. “I’m concerned about next year. I’d still like to get the full camp next year.”

Students who attended last week’s day camp arrived at Hickory around 8:30 a.m. and went home around 5 p.m., their days filled with swimming, hiking, nature crafts, archery and drama performances.

“We made kites out of Wal-Mart bags,” said Josh Smith, a Northern Middle School seventh-grader, who was attending Hickory’s summer program for the third year.

The day camp was fun, said Josh and his friend, Justin Hershberger, but not as fun as camping overnight.

“You get to stay up late, have pillow fights, just — everything,” Justin said. “When you stay overnight you don’t have to go home. We have a lot less time because we have to go home and then come back … and then we don’t have as many activities.”

Camp counselor Amy Lander coordinated an archery contest Friday morning, keeping score as Josh and Justin and a dozen other children competed. She’s worked with the Hickory residential program the last five years.

“It’s just a completely different feel,” Lander said of this year’s day camp. “It’s harder because we don’t get to interact with the kids as much, so we don’t get to know them as well. There’s not as much team bonding.”

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

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>BOE Minimizes Cuts And Reductions In FY 2012 Budget

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Jun. 23, 2011

Overall there will be few instructional programs significantly impacted within the Board of Education’s fiscal year 2012 budget.

The school system did have additional grant reductions within Title I and Perkins II-C Career and Technology Grants, which will be reduced by approximately $29,000.

Hickory Environmental Education Center summer program will be reduced from a five-week residential program to a potential two-week day camp. BOE representatives have stated that this initiative is in process.

Funds for Academic Intervention will also be reduced. While funding is still available at all instructional levels, there will be reductions primarily at the middle and high school levels. Transportation for Academic Intervention will be included in the budget.

The Alternative program bus that transported students from the northern end of the county to Southern High School has been eliminated. The Alternative program will be retained, however, and will now be provided by each school individually, utilizing current staff.

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>New Students Must Register With BOE

>Jun. 2, 2011

In a recent press release, the Garrett County Board of Education stated that parents/guardians should register their children who will be entering school for the first time.

If a parent/guardian did not register the kindergartner or first-grade student during the recent pre-registration program, one may do so by contacting the principal of the local school to arrange an appointment. This should be done as soon as possible.

Parents must take their child’s birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of residency with them for the registration process. Students can not be enrolled without first providing this documentation.

Acceptable proofs of residency documents are: deed or mortgage agreement, current property tax bill, current lease or rental agreement, current utility bill with the parent/guardian’s name and address, or a notarized Statement of Residency Verification form (available from county schools or the Pupil Services Office of the BOE). A child’s Social Security number is also requested for state reporting requirements.

Any child who will be 5 years of age on or before Sept. 1 must be enrolled in kindergarten or apply for a one-year maturity wavier. Any family who plans to use home instruction (home-schooling) instead of enrolling a student in school must submit forms at least 15 days prior to the first day of the school year.

Information may be obtained through the Pupil Services Office located at the BOE building or by calling 301-334-8939 or 301-359-9209.

>BOE Weathers "Perfect Storm"; No Layoffs Scheduled For 2012

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May. 19, 2011

At a special meeting of the Garrett County Board of Education held on Tuesday, Dr. Wendell Teets, superintendent of schools, announced that no school personnel would be laid off in 2012.

This news, well received by a few teachers and faculty members in attendance, was attributed in part to the savings gained from a retirement incentive offered by the school system.

In all, the incentive allowed the schools to reduce through attrition 27 faculty positions, apply those savings to the budget, and avoid terminating any employees.

“This program has saved a lot of young teachers and provided an investment in the future,” Teets said of the incentive. “Without it we would have had to look at layoffs.”

In a presentation on the 2012 budget, Teets dubbed the recent impact on the county’s state aid a “perfect storm.”

Initially faced with a budget shortfall of around $3 million, the Garrett County education system recorded the state’s largest drop in enrollment and its largest per pupil wealth increase, all while the state’s per pupil wealth decreased.

Read the full article here.

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>Garrett BOE to maintain staffing levels thanks to appropriations, retirements

>Kristin Harty Barkley
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Tue May 17, 2011, 11:29 PM EDT

— OAKLAND — Garrett County teachers who received pink slips earlier this month can breathe a little easier.

They’re keeping their jobs — at least for the coming year.

After months of struggle, Superintendent Wendell Teets presented a proposed fiscal 2012 budget Tuesday night that maintains most existing programs, including some that were previously on the chopping block, such as afterschool and athletic programs.

And, thanks to 27 teachers who are retiring through an incentive program, the school system can maintain staffing levels in the coming year.

“That program saved a lot of young teachers and provided an investment in the future of the school system,” Teets said during a special meeting of the Garrett County Board of Education. “We would have had to look at layoffs.”

Though the school system’s budget is 2 percent less than last year, the budget presented Tuesday salvaged far more than many had expected.

Initially faced with a $3.1 million funding shortfall, the board has been considering a variety of painful cuts, including closing its two most-expensive-to-operate elementary schools — Bloomington and Kitzmiller.

After receiving additional appropriations from the county and state, the board voted in April to close Bloomington at the end of this year, saving around $426,000 in the fiscal 2012 budget.

Kitzmiller, it decided, could remain open — for now.

“It’s been a hard year,” said Teets, who is retiring this summer after 14 years as superintendent. “Tough decisions. But we’ve been able to protect our program and support our students, and we’re doing the best we can to support our personnel.”

Education funding is expected to be in short supply for the foreseeable future as Garrett County faces declining enrollment and increasing wealth, based on a state funding formula. Enrollment in Garrett County schools has declined by around 10 percent over the last decade and is expected to decline another 10 percent by 2019, data shows. Currently, there are around 4,200 students in the system.

Like many other residents, Garrett County teacher Mary Jo Johnson anticipated the worst Tuesday when the proposed budget was unveiled.

“It was dread. Total dread,” said Johnson, who arrived just in time to hear a summary of the good news that all teachers will keep their jobs.

The board, which is reviewing the proposed budget, is expected to vote on a final version at its June meeting.

“They reinstated everyone — wonderful,” said Johnson, who teaches second grade at Accident Elementary School. She said two teachers there received layoff notices earlier this month.

“They may not necessarily be back in their same positions, but they have a job. That’s a big thing.”

Also on Tuesday, the board approved the following personnel appointments:

• David Yoder, principal of Accident Elementary School;

• Dawna Ashby, principal of Broad Ford Elementary School;

• Patrick Damon, principal Kitzmiller Elementary.

• Jessica Fratz, principal Swan Meadow School.

• Tracie Miller, principal Friendsville Elementary.

• Todd Shaffer, principal, Dennett Road Elementary.

• Deneice Shultz, pupil personnel worker, Central Office.

• Richard Stevens, assistant principal, Northern Middle School.

• Mary VanSickle, family support worker, Dennett Road Elementary.

• Lynan Friend, cafeteria worker, Broad Ford Elementary.

• Robert Sines, head custodian II, Northern Garrett High School.

• Tim Sines, head sucsodian III, Northern Middle School.

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

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>Garrett school board will meet Tuesday

>Cumberland Times News

OAKLAND — The Garrett County Board of Education will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Central Office, 40 S. Second St., for the presentation of the superintendent’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget and personnel recommendations.

Frankfort Middle concert Thursday

SHORT GAP, W.Va. — The Frankfort Middle School music department will present its annual Spring Concert on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

The free concert will feature the chorus, directed by Staci Calder, and the bands, conducted by Fred Kesner. Teal Steel will entertain before the concert begins.

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>Commissioners Earmark Another $700K For Board Of Education

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Apr. 28, 2011

After numerous budget review sessions, the Garrett County commissioners have agreed to appropriate an additional $700,000 to the Board of Education for Fiscal Year 2012, county administrator Monty Pagenhardt announced on Tuesday. These funds will be transferred from the county’s unrestricted/undesignated fund balance.
This newest earmark is in addition to the previously announced $1 million increase in FY ’12, compared to FY ’11. Pagenhardt noted that the $1.7 million proposed appropriation to the BOE would be the largest annual increase ever approved.

“The additional allocation of funds will assist the Board of Education with a projected residual shortfall of $1.365 million that has been determined,” he said.

The total proposed FY ’12 allocation to the BOE from the county is now $24,874,000. This is still below what the board had requested from the county – $28,687,825. Its FY ’11 BOE allocation was $23,174,000.

Pagenhardt said that although the BOE has not presented its comprehensive budget to the county, the commissioners project that the additional allocation – combined with cost savings from the board’s employee retirement incentive plan and supplementary public education funds secured in the 2011 Maryland General Assembly session – will reduce the BOE’s funding shortfall to $665,000.

He noted that county officials have worked to close its own $17 million funding shortfall, and reiterate to the BOE that all county departments have incurred budget cuts or have been flat funded in FY ’12. County capital projects have been repeatedly scrutinized and reprioritized, Pagenhardt said.

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>BOE Votes To Close Bloomington, Kitzmiller To Remain Open In 2012

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Apr. 28, 2011

While holding a special session at Southern Middle School Tuesday evening the Board of Education voted to accept the recommendation of Dr. Wendell Teets, superintendent of schools, to close Bloomington School.

Though Dr. Donald Forrester, board member, proposed action on the recommendation to close Kitzmiller Elementary School, that motion was not seconded and died on the floor. After stating that the lack of action had effectively kept Kitzmiller open for the time being, Thomas Carr, board president, remarked that he hoped it was “not a hollow victory.”

Prior to its vote on the recommendations for school closing, the board met in a private session before taking statements from the public.

With a large crowd gathered in the cafeteria of the middle school, a few concerned citizens discussed the negative impact that school closings might have on their small communities and the children who attended the schools. The public comment session was followed with a presentation by Teets, in which he rehashed the budget deficits faced by the Garrett County school system.

Teets pointed out that the cost per student at Bloomington was nearly double that of any other school in the system, and that even with the $1.7 million recently earmarked for education by the county commissioners, the school system still faced a current budget deficit of somewhere between $600 and $800 thousand with a projected trend of shortfalls in coming years.

In the presentation, Teets discussed the drop in student enrollment, the state funding loss because of the wealth assessment of Garrett County, and increases in operational costs as causes for the deficits. Teets stated that the school system could not maintain the high costs of running Bloomington, and that closing Kitzmiller was a reality that must be faced now or later.

The board members that voted to close Bloomington seemed to do so reluctantly with all commenting on the difficulty of the situation. Those who addressed the audience articulated their sympathies for the affected communities, but shared the sentiment that a sacrifice was necessary to maintain the quality of the school system as a whole.

“Schools are not the concrete, the bricks, but the students themselves. I feel our students can succeed anywhere,” stated newest board member Cynthia Downton after acknowledging she had spent sleepless nights considering her final decision.

Similarly, Forrester stated that his vote to close the school came in an attempt to “benefit the mass majority of students.”

Rodney Durst, board bember, related a personal story concerning his own experience as a student of a closed school, before emphasizing the “necessity of looking toward the future.”

Before voting to close Bloomington, Elizabeth Sebold explained that the funds were not available and that one “makes adjustments when the money doesn’t come.”

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Category: board of education

Garrett school board meets today

>BOE Announces Personnel Changes At Board Meeting

>Budget cuts shutter summer camping program at Garrett outdoor school

>BOE Minimizes Cuts And Reductions In FY 2012 Budget

>New Students Must Register With BOE

>BOE Weathers "Perfect Storm"; No Layoffs Scheduled For 2012

>Garrett BOE to maintain staffing levels thanks to appropriations, retirements

>Garrett school board will meet Tuesday

>Commissioners Earmark Another $700K For Board Of Education

>BOE Votes To Close Bloomington, Kitzmiller To Remain Open In 2012

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