I’m John Fredericksen, superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools. For my March 2009 Superintendent’s Message, and I will focus on three important topics: budget, HSA and MSA tests, and school activities.
I cover these topics in this month’s video web message, which you can view by clicking on the Superintendent box on the home page. My comments in the video are summarized below.
Budget:
The Wicomico County Board of Education has approved the proposed consolidated current expense budget for fiscal 2009-2010. This proposed budget has been submitted to the County Executive. As we move toward having a final budget by June 30, we anticipate some positive results from the Thornton formula. The Thornton formula is the key to education funding in the state of Maryland, and through Thornton Wicomico expects to receive $5.8 million in new funds for the 2009-10 school year.
That funding increase is primarily driven by the school system’s rising enrollment, a growing percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced meals, and costs for special education services. This $5.8 million is dependent upon the county providing maintenance of effort funding in the amount of $577,056. The County Council has virtually always supported the school system’s budget with maintenance of effort funding. We look forward to working with County Executive Rick Pollitt and the Wicomico County Council on the budget for the next fiscal year.
The school system is pleased and excited to have an entirely new revenue source for public education, and that is the federal stimulus money coming out of Washington, D.C. This stimulus money will come in three important areas: Title I, Special Education, and technology.
Title I allocations are provided to elementary schools based on their percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced meals. Supplemental services are provided for students based on instructional needs in math and reading. Targeted Title I schools serve students identified through multiple criteria, while schoolwide programs may serve all students. The federal stimulus plan will bring approximately $2.6 million in additional funding for Title I programs for the next two years. We are excited about the additional learning opportunities this will provide for our students.
The second area receiving federal stimulus funding is Special Education, which will receive an additional $1.7 million each of the next two years. Again, we are looking forward to helping these students achieve the very best they can.
The third funding area, technology, will receive substantially less money, but we are pleased that the school system will receive approximately $100,000 per year for the next two years for technology, services and tools for our students to use.
We anticipate that this total of about $3.8 million per year for two years will do a great deal to help our students achieve and will also provide jobs in our communities, one of the main goals of the federal economic stimulus plan.
HSAs and MSAs:
The High School Assessments (HSAs) and Maryland School Assessments (MSAs) are important tests for our students and schools, and in the case of MSA, the tests are happening this month. In Grades 3-8 they will be assessed on reading and mathematics skills (March 17-18 MSA Reading, grades 3-8; March 19-20 MSA Math, grades 6-8; March 24-25 MSA Math, grades 3-5). Through the MSA, we will be looking at our students’ performance in comparison with their peers across the state, as well as how their MSA scores match up with their other work here in Wicomico County.
The next administration of the HSAs will be April 20-23 for seniors who must still meet the state’s HSA requirement to graduate this spring. The HSA tests are in the areas of English, Algebra, Government and Biology. These are critical tests. If you know a student who is planning to graduate this spring, please ask how the student is doing with the HSAs. Every student – and every parent or guardian -- should know the student’s status with regard to the HSAs.
About 89 percent of Wicomico students have passed the HSAs and a ready for commencement. Approximately 102 students are still working to meet this goal, and the number drops almost daily. Please help them understand the importance of meeting this state graduation requirement and encourage them as they work to meet the requirement through Saturday Academy, regular day-time classes that we provide for students who need assistance in this important area, Bridge projects and the April retesting.
Activities:
School activities are critically important for the success of our students. Both research and personal experience show us that academic performance generally thrives when a young person is involved in school activities, whether that be an athletic team, music or other fine arts, debate or mock trial, or one of the many other clubs and organizations that schools offer. Please encourage your children or grandchildren to participate in whatever interests them – the arts, athletics, speech, service clubs or one of the many other opportunities students have at school. Involvement in these activities helps students learn leadership, build personal and teamwork skills, and develop a kind of school connectedness that goes beyond what they learn in the classroom.
I cover these topics in this month’s video web message, which you can view by clicking on the Superintendent box on the home page. My comments in the video are summarized below.
Budget:
The Wicomico County Board of Education has approved the proposed consolidated current expense budget for fiscal 2009-2010. This proposed budget has been submitted to the County Executive. As we move toward having a final budget by June 30, we anticipate some positive results from the Thornton formula. The Thornton formula is the key to education funding in the state of Maryland, and through Thornton Wicomico expects to receive $5.8 million in new funds for the 2009-10 school year.
That funding increase is primarily driven by the school system’s rising enrollment, a growing percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced meals, and costs for special education services. This $5.8 million is dependent upon the county providing maintenance of effort funding in the amount of $577,056. The County Council has virtually always supported the school system’s budget with maintenance of effort funding. We look forward to working with County Executive Rick Pollitt and the Wicomico County Council on the budget for the next fiscal year.
The school system is pleased and excited to have an entirely new revenue source for public education, and that is the federal stimulus money coming out of Washington, D.C. This stimulus money will come in three important areas: Title I, Special Education, and technology.
Title I allocations are provided to elementary schools based on their percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced meals. Supplemental services are provided for students based on instructional needs in math and reading. Targeted Title I schools serve students identified through multiple criteria, while schoolwide programs may serve all students. The federal stimulus plan will bring approximately $2.6 million in additional funding for Title I programs for the next two years. We are excited about the additional learning opportunities this will provide for our students.
The second area receiving federal stimulus funding is Special Education, which will receive an additional $1.7 million each of the next two years. Again, we are looking forward to helping these students achieve the very best they can.
The third funding area, technology, will receive substantially less money, but we are pleased that the school system will receive approximately $100,000 per year for the next two years for technology, services and tools for our students to use.
We anticipate that this total of about $3.8 million per year for two years will do a great deal to help our students achieve and will also provide jobs in our communities, one of the main goals of the federal economic stimulus plan.
HSAs and MSAs:
The High School Assessments (HSAs) and Maryland School Assessments (MSAs) are important tests for our students and schools, and in the case of MSA, the tests are happening this month. In Grades 3-8 they will be assessed on reading and mathematics skills (March 17-18 MSA Reading, grades 3-8; March 19-20 MSA Math, grades 6-8; March 24-25 MSA Math, grades 3-5). Through the MSA, we will be looking at our students’ performance in comparison with their peers across the state, as well as how their MSA scores match up with their other work here in Wicomico County.
The next administration of the HSAs will be April 20-23 for seniors who must still meet the state’s HSA requirement to graduate this spring. The HSA tests are in the areas of English, Algebra, Government and Biology. These are critical tests. If you know a student who is planning to graduate this spring, please ask how the student is doing with the HSAs. Every student – and every parent or guardian -- should know the student’s status with regard to the HSAs.
About 89 percent of Wicomico students have passed the HSAs and a ready for commencement. Approximately 102 students are still working to meet this goal, and the number drops almost daily. Please help them understand the importance of meeting this state graduation requirement and encourage them as they work to meet the requirement through Saturday Academy, regular day-time classes that we provide for students who need assistance in this important area, Bridge projects and the April retesting.
Activities:
School activities are critically important for the success of our students. Both research and personal experience show us that academic performance generally thrives when a young person is involved in school activities, whether that be an athletic team, music or other fine arts, debate or mock trial, or one of the many other clubs and organizations that schools offer. Please encourage your children or grandchildren to participate in whatever interests them – the arts, athletics, speech, service clubs or one of the many other opportunities students have at school. Involvement in these activities helps students learn leadership, build personal and teamwork skills, and develop a kind of school connectedness that goes beyond what they learn in the classroom.
2 comments:
How about middle school sports programs? Oh yea there are none!Discrace!
I thought the BOE blocked this site?? Guess super wants people to see what he is..oops what he isnt doing..oops.. how he could care less about the KIDS..oops.. my finger keep slipping on the keys..sorry...hahahaha...
Our Super...is no different than what we had before. Only diff is he has more of a ADHD side to him. And Lies to your face. Beware Parents.. We have our kids in his hands..OH LORDY
Post a Comment