Statement by Superintendent Dr. John Fredericksen on State Board's Denial of Wicomico's MOE Waiver Request
Statement by Dr. John Fredericksen, Superintendent of Schools, on the Maryland State Board of Education’s decision Friday to deny Wicomico County’s request for a Maintenance of Effort waiver of $2 million:
We look forward to having the opportunity to work with County Executive Rick Pollitt and the Wicomico County Council to complete the budget process for fiscal 2010. We fully anticipate that we will be able to work out ways within our budget that will allow the county realize the $2 million in savings it needs while ensuring the appropriate level of funding for the school system to leverage new state aid of approximately $4.6 million.
In making these funding decisions with the county, we will all be looking for ways to make the best possible use of county and school system resources to minimize the effect of any cuts on the students of Wicomico County Public Schools.
The school system is already prepared for a variety of funding scenarios. Earlier this year, at my direction, staff prepared budgets that reflect a slight 1 percent increase, flat funding, and a 5 percent cut.
The Board of Education will hold its second Budget Input Session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the Board Office. The public is invited to attend and give input on the fiscal 2010 budget. The Board will adopt a final fiscal 2010 budget by June 30.
Please note: The State Board’s MOE waiver decision letter is posted at:
http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/stateboard/decisions_moewr.htm
Please note: The decision letter states incorrectly that the Wicomico County Board of Education opposed the MOE waiver and spoke at a state hearing on the waiver April 27. The Board of Education members received information on the county's MOE waiver request too late to take a position as a Board. Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen presented the school system’s opposition to the waiver request both before the hearing and at the hearing.
24 comments:
Frankly, I am disgusted at the superintendent of our county school system. Why he would put Rick Pollitt through this when in fact there are funds that can be used to make up the 2 million. Wicomico County isn't a rich county. Our people of hard working and barely making ends meet. For some "come here"that would oppose the difficult decision of our elected official is appalling.
Dr. Fredericksen actually has balls to stand up for the school system against all of the political bs.
Say what you want about him but just remember how lame Dr. Knowledge was and then everyone called Mr. Field a good ole boy.
Everybody wanted the BOE to go outside the county to find someone qualified for our system. Robin Holloway and others did just that and it was an awesome decision.
No matter what decisions Dr. Fredericksen makes, half will hate it and half will love it.
I applaud him.
The good Dr. deserves beaucoup kudos for standing up to the VOICE brigade (Palmer, Plummer, Miller, etc.)!
It's tough work -- that's why Pollitt won't do it, not to mention the Democrats in name only on the Council (McCain, etc.) and RINO Johnny Cannon.
Maybe Dr. Fredricksen can teach the people of this county to stand up to the elected officials of this county by setting the example he just has set. Wake up people and quit tolerating the bull from the likes of Pollitt the snowball maker. I do not agree entirely with the way Fredericksen handled this situation but its about time someone stands up to all of the smoke and mirrors. The whole situation with this county is like giving candy to a child they think as soon as all of what they have in their store house is gone they can just go get more! Its time this county comes to grips with what they have to work with and make the necessary cuts starting at the top.
To Anonymous 11:29
I wouldn't hold my breath because you'll be handing out kudos to virtually everyone when you realize that the VOICE brigade comprised of almost 3/4 of our entire registered population of this County.
I was there at the Chamber of Commerce building when they organized and I can tell you first hand that I couldn't even get-in to the building because of outraged crowds.
1:53, while the "Voice brigade" won what is turning out to be a Pyrrhic victory, it was not comprised of "3/4 of our entire registered population of this county." Rather, the vote represented 3/4 of those who voted, quite a difference. In addition, many of those who voted for the revenue cap did not understand what they were voting for. All they understood was that their taxes would be lower. Not only was this not the case for many, but they thought that it was a 2% cap on their taxes. There is quite a difference between a tax cap and a revenue cap.
1:53 --
There's a last time for everything, pal, and that won't happen again because the winds have shifted since VOICE conned most of the people on the tax cap issue.
The Chamber of Commerce deserves lasting criticism for spawning VOICE and its consequences. I quit then and will never go back.
The whole stupid VOICE thing started when the county wanted to put a transfer tax on property transfers. The real estate agents howled and cried, then formed VOICE to oppose all taxes. Just think of all the money the county could have made during the housing boom years. People at settlement would have never missed the transfer fee money. Meanwhile the real estate agents went on to rake in big bucks during the housing boom. I suspect now that the real estate market is going belly-up, they want to drag the schools down with them again. Our schools and infrastructure would be in much better shape.
The other Superintendents supported the waiver in their counties and were also denied. Dr. Frederickson knew the chances were slim for the waiver and the devastating effect that the loss of the MOE state money would have on Wicomico County Schools. Worcester County worked it out, hell even Somerset and Dorchester ( some of the poorest counties in the state) managed to fund the MOE for their schools.
Dr. Fredericksen is a hero, right?
Yes he is. A hero to the teacher's union, that is.
Actually, he is a good foot soldier doing he job: TO GENERATE MORE PAY, BENEFITS AND RETIREMENT DOLLARS FOR BOE EMPLOYEES.
Look, if more money for Education equates to better education, then the test scores of the public students should be dramatically higher than the students of some of the poorer "private/parochial" schools.
It isn't.
It's about money, Dude. Not education.
Want to know the tip off?
The word "public" before the word "education."
9:14 :
It will really be "awesome" if Robin Holloway and the others have the guts to tell Pollitt that he should get with the program or else accept responsibility for underfunding the school system.
For the schoolteachers and administrators that are bashing the Revenue Cap, you can always quit. Noone is forcing you to hang-in there. You have other options just like 98% of the rest of us here in America.
Maybe its time you moved-on instead of bellyaching.
That's right all you minimum wage, uneducated, VOICE idiots like 5:49. Teachers have mobility and will move to greener pastures, hence the BOE's actions on retiree health benefits. Teachers are leaving to other conties and states. Don't think that as soon as the housing market gets better, teachers won't sell their houses and move on to someplace that respects them, unlike here in Wicomico
5:49--my guess is that you have no children now attending school. If you did, you would feel quite differently. The Revenue Cap has had an enormously negative effect on not only the BOE but virtually all the departments, and it will only get worse. Then you will probably howl because the services you have become accustomed to won't be there.
4:07
That's right public education means that every child must be educated in the public schools. No matter what the soci-economic background, disability, and emotional problems the schools must take them in and educate them. The private schools get to choose who attends their schools, so they can do more with less money. I know a family who sent all their kids to private school except one. That child has a diability and the private school would not take the students and now that is their only child attending public school. To compare public and private schools is just stupid.
How is it that many here say we are underfunding education and yet the first thing the board does is give more retirement benefits just days before the waiver is decided. How is that "for the kids?"
"For the schoolteachers and administrators that are bashing the Revenue Cap, you can always quit."
Quitting? That's the coward's way out. I helped in the fight against the revenue cap when it was on the ballot (and it was 65/35, not 3/4 of the county), and I'll help any group committed to getting it repealed.
Close to half of teachers are looking at no salary increase next year, and I've yet to here a single teacher I work with complain. We're not blind, we see where the economy is. We may lose teachers to counties that pay better (come August, Worcester County ought to collect a toll on former Wicomico teachers who work there, they'd make a mint!). But I seriously doubt you will find one teacher complaining about not getting a raise next year.
But I've yet to figure out how a mechanism that makes it illegal for county revenue collection from real estate taxes to even keep pace with inflation is supposed to HELP this county.
9:14
That will never happen. Robin Holloway is a piece of trash that only votes to generate public opinion. She is more concerned about her imagine and polical offiliation. She is a yes woman to those in the business industry. It is time for her to step down...she is worthless to the BOE.
Fredericksen good boy?? the schools with higher test scores is because of the teachers. do you see him in the class rooms?? almost everyone i know that has had a problem in the schools have been brushed off by him. this is a money game for this dr... and his side kicks. he made a comment one time at a school function after Obama thing. A whole gym full of little children that he writes everyones pay check. WOW..YAY!!! like a bunch of smal children care..let me pull my weight...ugh... Rick Pollitt not standing up?? good.. maybe he does not want to be part of what Fredericksen is going to destroy.. he is no hero.. he is a man running around in a costume... with no heart for our children... our schools around here suck. the outside of them r nasty and well lets not get started on the inside. kids r short on supplies in school. half of them have to share stuff. more worried bout themselfs then the teachers that work their butts off. we have teachers that are ill working but do they get any extra attention?? or even hey GOOD job thanks.. u think that they could have gotten a raise..nope. that would take away from Fredericksen... u will all see that he is a fraud. think about it. where in the heck is wico co going to get that kind of money? cut things?? WHAT?? BOE wallets and spending alone maybe we could...
You all need to realize a few things. It IS a tax cap and it IS a revenue cap - of sorts. Actually it's a PROPERTY TAX REVENUE CAP. It ONLY caps revenue generated by property taxes. It doesn't cap revenue generated by the landfill, public works, parks and recs., etc.
Another thing - why have all other departments been directed to cut budget requests 10% and the BOE is going to "consider" a 5% cut?
Soon it will come to pass that we will cut essential services. Not because we have to but because our elected officials want to create an atmosphere where it appears that the property tax revenue cap is to blame for increasing crime, poor road conditions, etc. They will put us over a barrel to get more money out of us so that they can continue spending. Let people who work in private industry run some of these departments and you will see fat cut like there is no tommorrow.
Add 100 people to your household this year, limit your increase in money coming in to 2%, and still provide services to all of them. That's the revenue cap.
Re:
To the Poster that said if the disgruntled teachers are not satisfied they can always quite.
I've got news for you they aren't going anywhere and you can take that to the bank.
With the salaries I've seen posted I can assure you they aren't going anywhere. I just moved from the other side of the Bay and if they think they are going to greener pastures I can sure you they will be kissing the eastern shore ground as they return. They have no idea what it's like in the Baltimore County, Baltimore City schools. They want parity with the western shore?
Then parity it is, slash their salaries by 50% immediately because they would be walking into a literal war zone in Baltimore City.
6:44
It is "for the kids," because it helps attract and retain good teachers. Nothing is better for the kids than a really effective teacher. No computer program, textbook, or fancy technology makes more of a difference in a child's education than an effective teacher. If they can receive better pay and benefits elsewhere, they will go there. Then you are left with the much less effective teachers that can negatively impact your child's education.
4:09
Only an idiot would go to Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Prince Georges County. However, Worcester County, Howard County, Montgomery County, and Calvert County are the more attractive counties in Maryland. Your forgetting that most teachers are not from this area originally anyway. Many come from Pennsylvania, which by the way, many go back to after a few years since teaching has much better benfits and pay in Penn. So, the BOE knows they have to make Wicomico attractive in some way in order to attract and retain good teachers. BTW, if you haven't been paying attention to this blog, Salisbury is turning into a war zone much like Baltimore, just on a smaller scale. I can see the recruiting poster now, "Come teach our gang members in Salisbury, Wicomico County Maryland. Less pay and benefits than other counties, and you can be blasted on the local blogs as being lazy and overpaid!"
As a rule new teachers are not recruited by a 10% bonus for three years for saying when they're retiring. Just look at who's retiring this year and figure it out.
8:28 PM says
"Then you are left with the much less effective teachers that can negatively impact your child's education."
Why should anyone who does not have kids in the public schools care about other's child's education? Especially the senior citizens. Most seniors will likely be dead in 10-years so why should they care about the future of someone elses childs after they're alreaqdy dead, or the future of the world after they die?
This is what I sence from senior citizen in Wicomico County. Cut school funding but don't you dare cut their Happy Times programs.
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