Category: school closures

Interim superintendent says reopening Kitzmiller, Dennett Road would create $1.4M budget hole

Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — Members of the Garrett County Board of Education hope to use some of the $1 million-plus it will receive in additional state funding to return eight personnel to the schools, according to interim Superintendent of Schools Sue Waggoner.

During a special meeting Wednesday night, board members also discussed using funding from the passing of the state Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act for transitions of school closings, staff development and academic intervention, Waggoner said. Some of the money may also be used to alleviate transportation congestion at Southern Middle and Broadford and Yough Glade elementary schools.

“We are working with the county to make them more user-friendly and to make sure the drop-offs are safer,” said Waggoner.

Board members did discuss the possibility of reopening the schools they recently voted to close and also considered a petition for a revote. However, no motion was made by members of the board to rescind their decision to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools.

“We would be $1.4 million short for fiscal year 2014 if we reopened schools,” said Waggoner. “I feel confident and truly believe that the children will be fine. Change is never easy.”

The board followed the same procedure with the closings of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller as it did last year with Bloomington Elementary School, according to Waggoner.

“It has been a very difficult year. Hopefully now that we have a final decision, the healing process can begin,” said Waggoner. “Many have said things that have hurt people.”

Some of the residents got upset and yelled at the Wednesday meeting, according to resident Elizabeth Hebden.

Members of the Parents for Garrett County Education are unhappy about the decision to close the two schools a day earlier that the rest of the county’s schools, said Diane Donham, the group’s spokeswoman.

The group has filed an appeal with the Maryland Board of Education to stop the closures. The state board will have to hear the county board’s side and will have 20 days from the date it received the appeal to respond. The appeal was sent Monday, according to Donham.

The doors of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools are set to close May 30. The remaining Garrett County schools will close June 1. The Maryland State Department of Education granted Waggoner’s request for a two-day waiver to close the schools.

“You indicate that 360 students will be moving from Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools to the new school for the 2012-2013 school year,” wrotes Bernard Sadusky, interim state superintendent of schools, in a letter to Waggoner. “Approving this request will allow staff time to pack up their rooms and move to their new schools without students being present.”

The board did not vote on approval of the budget but will likely vote on it at the June 12 meeting. Waggoner is working with Larry McKenzie, director of finance, to make the changes to the fiscal 2013 budget. The budget will be available for public comment on the board’s website by June 1, Waggoner said.

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

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Decision upsets parents; Garrett BOE meets tonight

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — The doors will close permanently on Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools at the end of the month unless the school board decides for a revote at tonight’s meeting or the appeal to the state to stop the school closings comes through.

Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools will be closing May 30, a day before the rest of the schools close, according to Amy Barnhouse, human resources/administration for the Board of Education.

Members of the Parents for Garrett County Education are unhappy about the decision to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools a day earlier, according to Diane Donham, the group’s spokeswoman.

“At this point we are feeling pretty aggravated and we are not feeling hopeful that the board will decide to keep the schools open,” said Donham.  “We encourage them to rebuild the community relationship. It’s something that has to be done. If the board decides not to close schools, we will work with the Board of Education to come up with a better plan.”

The board is meeting tonight to discuss how it will spend $1 million-plus that will be received from the passing of the state Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2012. Spending scenarios that will likely be discussed include retaining more personnel and revisiting the decision to close the schools.

Parents for Garrett County Education filed its appeal to stop the school closings with the Maryland State Department of Education on Monday. The appeal includes a petition, an appeal letter and a copy of an audit from when the decision was made to close Bloomington Elementary School last year, according to Donham.

On Monday, Leo Martin, mayor of Mountain Lake Park, presented a petition with more than 2,400 signatures to the board asking for another vote on the school closings.

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

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

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State board of ed has 20 days to respond to appeal

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — A group called Parents for Garrett County Education is working on filing an appeal with the Maryland Board of Education to stop the closures of Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools, according to Diane Donham, the group’s spokeswoman.

The group has until May 24 to file the appeal and hopes to have it filed by the end of the week.

The state board must hear from the Garrett County Board of Education before they respond to the group’s appeal, according to Donham.

“I hope the state board of education responds in time so more teachers don’t lose their jobs,” said Donham.

The group is also circulating numerous petitions to keep the schools open, some of which will be provided to the state board with the appeal.

The state will respond 20 days after a copy of the appeal has been sent, according to Maryland Office of the Secretary of the State.

“Last year, people were given raises instead of keeping the schools open,” said Donham in an interview with the Times-News.

In October 2011, county commissioners provided the BOE with a preliminary appropriation of $24,859,000 to allow for budget planning for fiscal year 2013, according to a news release provided by the commissioners.

Last year, the commissioners provided the BOE with $700,000 to keep Bloomington Elementary School open, according to a previous Times-News article. Then, in April 2011, the BOE voted to close the school.

Prior to the decision to close the schools on April 24, the commissioners provided the BOE with $500,000 for fiscal year 2013 and suggested the schools remain open.

During the April BOE meeting, interim Superintendent Sue Waggoner recommended that the money provided by the commissioners be used to “reduce the number of instructional employee reductions.”

Before the money was provided by the commissioners, 40 teacher positions would have been cut. Now that number would be reduced to 28 positions, according to BOE President Charlotte Sebold.

“I will not be able to vote to close schools tonight,” said BOE Vice President Rodney Durst during the April meeting.

The commissioners cannot obligate or commit to additional funds above $25,359,000 for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, the commissioners said in a news release.

“Regardless of whether we close schools or not, we are going to have to lay off teachers … but if we decide to go that route and the state does come through with the money, we can hire those teachers back,” said Durst during the April meeting, noting that the BOE is restricted by the union as to who must be laid off.

“But I’m afraid if we close the schools, even if they come through with twice the money, they won’t open back up.”

Funding for education will be determined by a special session of the General Assembly that will likely be held May 14.

“My hope is that with the ‘doomsday’ budget they (the General Assembly) will decline the 12 percent decrease during the special session,” said Donham. “So the teachers can get their jobs back.”

Sebold echoed Durst’s sentiments and suggested that the schools remain open, and instead of cutting teachers’ positions, using the money provided by the commissioners to save some of those positions.

Teachers’ salaries account for 80 percent of the budget, according to Sebold.

“Our problem this evening is the fact that we don’t know what is going to happen in the legislative session,” said Waggoner, during the April meeting. “As a result, until we have the dollars in hand, I have to recommend a balanced budget. That’s the reason we are going to be talking about school closures.”

During a special meeting on April 24, the BOE voted 3-2 to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools at the end of the school year.

Students who attend Dennett Road will be redistricted to Yough Glades, Broadford and Crellin elementary schools. Yough Glades will be designated as the special education school.

Students who attend Kitzmiller will be redistricted to Broadford elementary school.

The Parents for Garrett County Education group, whose goal is to to preserve the future quality of education for children in the county, is also currently looking into the possibility of a homeschool co-op, according to Donham.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com

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Commissioners offer $500,000 prior to vote affecting Dennett Road, Kitzmiller elementary

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

— OAKLAND — The Garrett County Board of Education voted to close Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools at a special meeting Tuesday.

The decision was made despite receiving $500,000 from the Board of Garrett County Commissioners earlier in the day for fiscal year 2013 and their suggestion to keep the schools open.

“Public education is not only our number one fiscal priority but also a notable objective of our economic development vision,” the commissioners said in a news release. “We recognize and emphasize that the issues and actions regarding school budgets, closure of schools and the overall decision about our school system rest in the elected members of the Board of Education. Any action on the part of the board of county commissioners as the funding source is not intended to usurp your difficult decisions.”

The decision was also made despite school boad president Charlotte Sebold’s suggestion that the schools remain open, instead cutting teaching positions.

“I would prefer to keep the schools open,” said Sebold, echoing the commissioners’ sentiments. “I don’t know how long that would be. We have got to address the fact that we are short $1 million. We have to have a plan.”

Sebold said the teachers’ positions could be brought back if the money from the potential stop-loss revenue comes through. That funding will be determined by a special session of the Maryland General Assembly that will likely be held in May. Before the money was provided by the commissioners Tuesday, 40 teacher positions would have been cut. Now that number would be reduced to 28 positions, according to Sebold.

“Things that we need here to make the economy grow are families and young people in our communities, said Sebold. “If we close schools, unfortunately we are not doing the things we need to do to grow the economy. We can make it without closing schools.”

Sebold also said she was appreciative of the fact that the commissioners were able to provide the money without raising taxes.

“At this time, the Board of County Commissioners plans to set the real property tax rate at the current rate of $0.9900, which will result in $2 million less revenue based on a reduction in assessments,” said the press release.

During their last meeting, the commissioners discussed the possibility of raising property taxes more than 7 cents.

Dennett Road and Kitzmiller elementary schools will be closed at the end of the school year and will save about $1 million and $279,000 respectively, helping to close a shortfall of $2 million, according to interim schools Superintendent Sue Waggoner.

“No other district has had as large of a one-year percent decrease as we have,” said Waggoner, noting that it was a 10.27 percent reduction in funding.

Students that attend Dennett Road will be redistricted to Yough Glades, Broadford and Crellin elementary schools. Yough Glades will be designated as the special education school and will need about $20,000 to provide the necessary facilities, according to Waggoner. Less money would be needed for the facilities if the work was done in-house, she said.

Students from Kitzmiller Elementary will be redistricted to Broadford Elementary. Both school buildings will revert to county government.

In their statement to the BOE, the commissioners encouraged them to have a discussion with whomever assumes the superintendent position.

“While closing community schools is a simplistic approach, you are encouraged to have an open dialogue with the candidates for the position of superintendent on how to best resolve current expected budgetary issues. It needs to be noted that commissioners cannot obligate or commit to additional funds above this level for FY 2014,” said the news release.

Although Friendsville Elementary was under consideration for closure earlier in the year, it was not included in the recommendation or the vote.

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

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