I sincerely understand the concerns of many citizens who believe the Wicomico County Board of Education is "top heavy." Ensuring high student achievement, safe schools, and providing effective and efficient operations are the top three goals of the seven member school board. Constantly the board looks for cost effective ways to improve in these areas, and there is always more work to do.
The Maryland State Department of Education 2006 -2007 FACT BOOK can be downloaded at
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE
Specifically refer to pp 8 - 9 to get comparative data on Equivalent Staff (Full time Equivalent) size for all districts in MD. Page 1 of the book will provide numbers of students for each county to put the data in context.
Just as an example, Worcester has 6,830 students. Wicomico has more than double at 14,427. Yet both districts have 3 in Central Office leadership positions: superintendent and assistant superintendents. (Two years ago when Mr. Field became interim Superintendent, he stepped up from Asst. Superintendent and this position was never re-filled). Worcester has 24 Directors, coordinators, supervisors, pupil personnel workers, school and social workers. Wicomico has 51.
Our comparative and ratio data is very close to Worcester and other counties with a similar number of students.
This data must also be considered in context with the students we serve. Wicomico now has 47% of our students qualifying for Free & Reduced meals (FARM), an indication of economic disadvantage by federal guidelines. Worcester has 32% FARM students.
If you look at Title 1 students, (p. 30), Worcester has 1,212 . Wicomico has 2,920. This is more than double Worcester and a much greater % of the student population. (Title 1 is a federal program to help disadvantaged children meet challenging content and student performance standards.) To receive the federal funds, a full time person or grants administrator - must coordinate and adhere to the program guidelines. In addition, a larger % of Wicomico's student population qualify for Special Education services and are English Language Learners.
These students (FARM, Title 1, ELL & Special Ed) are called Students at Risk. Wicomico ranks among the top 5 districts in MD for the largest number of at-risk students. Thus, more staff is required to address these needs and coordinate a myriad of grant programs and community services to address the needs of these students.
While the frustration and community concern have simmered over the last seven years with the perception that the BOE wastes money, I have witnessed the FARM rate of Wicomico County students climb from 36% to 47% and an almost untenable increase in federal and state requirements and mandates that increase the cost of public education. In some of our in Salisbury elementary schools (like Prince Street Elementary), 77% of the students are on Free & Reduced meals. Wicomico has more than 200 students who are homeless by federal defintions. The demographics of Wicomico County are changing exponentially, student and family needs are growing, and at the same time, we are spending less per pupil than the state average and our neighbors in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset. (pp. 26-27 of the FACT BOOK).
If Joe and/or GA will contact me at RHHolloway@yahoo.com, I will work diligently to get you any information needed to clarify some of the long held misconceptions about the Wicomico County BOE.
Most BOE employees work very hard to maximize student achievement, provide a safe learning environment, attain greater organizational efficiency and ensure compliance. It is not a perfect system by any measure, but there are passionate and dedicated educators and staff working diligently in often challenging circumstances to achieve results.
The Board of Education is in the final stages of a national search for a four year superintendent of schools. It is my greatest hope that this community can come together and support a new superintendent for the future of our 14,500 Wicomico school age children.
Robin Holloway
President
Wicomico County Board of Education
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
15 comments:
.
Great post by Ms. Holloway -- it really clears the air of the smoke blown/mud thrown by the anti-public school dodos in Wicomico County.
Vox Populi
OOPS!
"The demographics of Wicomico County are changing exponentially, student and family needs are growing, and at the same time, we are spending less per pupil than the state average and our neighbors in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset. (pp. 26-27 of the FACT BOOK)."
This should read " . . . and our neighbors in Worcester, DOCHESTER & Somerset."
Robin Holloway
Robin, I respect you in your position as Chair of the BOE and thank you for your well thought out post on the subject of schools and comparisons. And I think of you and John as good friends and community leaders. However, you may not have seen things quite the way others in our county see all this stuff that impacts taxes and provides bonuses for teachers and adinistrators that have very good salaries to begin with. Yes, I realize the school system has problems with retention of good teachers, but don't agree that giving big bonuses to people already making fine salaries is the way to go. I think you all need to look at the local salaries offered in other jobs like the public library, where you can see how much over the top teacher salaries seem to be. Giving such a big bonus to those who make near or over the six figures just does not seem equitable to those of us who make, or had made much less!
A. Goetz
Will there be only two asst. supts. after the new supt. is chosen or will WBOE go back to three? President Holloway seems to be saying there will be only two assts. like Worcester has but I'm not sure if I'm reading that right.
There probably are 51 directors, supervisors, coordinators at the central office but not included in that number are the specialists, project managers, liaisons, accounting managers, executive somethings, lead somethings, comptrollers, foremen, etc. What is the total number of central office employees?
Some full-time central office positions were not created because of student need or federal and state mandates. They were created to address specific personnel issues. But I think this happens in every business. The board is not by itself in doing that.
I don't know if Mrs. Holloway would consider proposing no comp time for central office staff. Teachers and school administrators "donate" hundreds if not thousands of hours a year with no comp time at all. If central office people work through lunch or come to a night meeting or come to work early, they are given comp time. Maybe all dedicated people at the WBOE who need to work beyond the required hours of their jobs just give the time to the system the way teachers and school administrators do now.
Money is not the answer there.Dedicated teachers/support staff need the support of administration.They are gonna reduce suspension time in half due to more minorities being involved.Damn it handle these future criminals with the only thing they respect.A strong response.Stop using kid gloves in these warehouse's.All the hardworking families and single parents want their kids to have a fair chance in this environment without being dragged down to the level of undesireables.
Art:
If you think teachers are overpaid in WiCo. you are really out of touch -- just look at the other counties. It may be that the library staff is underpaid too, but that is not a reason to complain about what teachers make.
Cry me a river...
and what percentage end up in ECI 5years after dropping out?
It is tempting to want to group together all of those who don't want to learn or behave so the other kids can get an education. At least some teachers would be able to complete lessons without constant interruptions, noises, disrespect, etc. However, that could lead to almost completely segregated classes and is not a popular choice. Many think it is better to let the disruptive, non-workers be part of every class. That is thought to be fair, but I'm not sure how it is fair to those who come to school ready to work and learn. It does reduce the achievement gap, though, because nobody is able to learn very much. In general, school officials think it is better to sacrifice the education of the many to give incredible amounts of attention and resources to the few. Telling schools not to suspend those who deserve to be suspended is the same as saying just let the other kids and the teachers put up with the offenders so our numbers will be better. You wonder how the goals of education are served by that. When the offenders are there, nobody learns anything. When they are gone, at least the kids left have a chance at learning. Parents of students who cannot learn because of the actions of others need to beat a path to the Bd. of Ed. Until they stand up and say something, their kids' right to learn will never be seen as more important than an offender's right to continue offending.
Ms. Holloway:
Many kudos to you;
Illegitimi Non Carborundum!
Anon 7:05
You better take that fight to the federal and state elected officials and skip the local people. You haven't figured out what NCLB (NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND) and IDEA (INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITY EDUCATION ACT) means if you think the locals are in charge.
Tell that to the people at the state Dept of Education who tell the local administrators that suspension rates for minority special ed kids are too high.
With meetings to determine whether or not the child's handicapping condition is causing the behavior problem and to determine whether suspensions constitute a change of placement, special ed. students can be suspended. It is incredible that the costly private program the county bought as an alternative to the alternative school will take no special ed. kids and no kids who require medication. Why did we get involved with such a limited offering if special ed. students are committing so many suspendable offenses?
As far as the Choices program you are referring to...they do take special ed kids with or without medication. It is truely the BEST money the county ever spent. The staff is wonderful! They are TRUELY there for the child. Not like "regular school". As a matter of fact, they have told me they have argue with the schools to make them understand the child. Once the child enters back into regular school a staff member goes with the child to help them adjust to being back. I have had phone calls on Sunday from the principal of Choices just to check on my child. Once the child is 16 they even help the child find a job somewhere in the childs field of interest. They will also provide transportation to that job! Lets see the schools do that!!! Most of these are not chosen or allowed to attend thr CTE program at Parkside. And might I add that Parkside is one of the worst schools in the county to deal with. I am the parent of 3 special needs children and I have lost count of the numerous meetings I have had with the Parkside. The meetings have gotten so intense that either the head of special education at the Board of Ed, Bonnie Walston or one of her assistants must attend. I was told my children are NOT behavior problems. But have been told by Bonnie to withdraw him, just let him quit for 2 years. I have been lied to many, many times. It doesn't even matter if the child has an IEP. It's not followed. I think it's filed away in a drawer and never looked at again! After not attending school, but for health reasons I was told to withdraw him. I said I would never sign for him to quit school! They said you don't have to withdraw him, we will and you don't have to even sign the paper. And with that my child was kicked out of school!
I hope that all these children that are not supposed to be left behind, have to take care of the people that are supposed to be giving them an education! After all they are "OUR" future!!! How will they take care of us if they can't take care of themselves without an education?!? Bonnie told me "I can't want their education more than they do". Isn't that every parents job? To make sure their child is educated? What kid wants to go to school? Not very many. I felt like I was doing my job as a parent...to bad the school isn't. We all will suffer in the end!!
I think Choices will work with special ed. students but it's the other one the Ombud that won't. It sounds like taxpayers pay for regular school with special ed. teachers and aides as needed, and they also pay for the alternative school for those who don't behave in regular school, and they also pay for Choices and the Ombud program.
One basic problem is that lots and lots of kids know you don't have to get a job and you don't have to support yourself. Until society stops paying able people to do nothing but have more children, teenagers will never think they need to work for their lifetime so why work in school. One of these programs needs to teach kids that society can't afford to support all of the children they can produce. There are just not going to be enough taxpayers to do that and why should we continue? We need to stop asking why people who can't support kids continue to have so many of them. It's the system we've created.
About the comment from 7:16, let's see the schools do that about giving a student so much individual attention and driving them to their job. In one sense, the schools are doing that because the money to pay for the program is coming out of the Bd of Ed budget. The schools can't do that for everyone, because the schools don't have anywhere near the money it would take to provide that customized service for each and every child. It is costing a small fortune to provide so much attention to the few children who are enrolled. The county's level of spending per student is one of the lowest in the state until you look at the huge amounts spent on each special ed. student. As the number of special needs children increases, the county will spend less and less on the others. So be grateful that your child will be driven to his job, although I really don't see why the county schools should be paying for a program that does that.
Post a Comment