This afternoon my Wife and I received a letter from Delmar Elementary School informing parents the YRE program will end July 2010.
They claim it is based on "proposed budget cuts" yet the state of Delaware pays Wicomico County for the Delaware Students who attend that school.
In the midst of a $500,000.00 a year Travel Budget for certain Board Members to travel each year around the Country, this is just plain stupid. The kids don't come first and we're going to prove that in the coming days.
Oh yes Mr. Fredericksen, we're about to blow the roof of of your expense account. You know, things like daily morning expenses to Rise Up Coffee, Starbucks and so on. These people can't buy their own cup of coffee in the morning, they have to get special coffee, (including WaWa) and charge it to their expense accounts.
Much more to come Folks.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
48 comments:
Joe:
It's "Dr." not "Mr." Frederickson -- "Freddy" to his friends!
I bet they waste lots of money on assistants and vehicle leases.
I think year round school is a great idea. If I had kids, I would want them in it.
The problem with continuing this is that there was never middle and high schools. Why did they only keep Delmar as a year round program and not extend it so a kid could go year round from pre-k through 12th?
I was amazed to see next years budget data -- much less than 50% of the money is coming from the County -- that's got to be about the lowest funding per student by a county in the entire State of Maryland if not the entire Country.
And it's already very low now.
Looks like we really do need to have "maintenance of effort" folks.
That is ashame. Year round school is a great program. I think every state should have it. I hope they change their mind.
I have two children in the year round program at delmar. I am so upset. They could of made cuts to themselves. Did anyone hear if they are sending the 5 th grade next year to the middle school?
The year-round school at Delmar has been growing smaller each year. It is yet again a small select group which expects the rest of us to bend over backwards for them. It has NOT proved to be better for the students...just for the parents who don't want to pay for babysitters.
anonymous 6:20, you are so full of sh!t it isn't funny!
There's a 2 to 3 year WAITING LIST to get intothat program.
It's no wonder you hide behind anonymous because I would have LOVED to call you and Idiot by name.
Thats just the School. I wonder what kinda dirt is hidden with the Town government.
Yes 5th graders are going to the middle school next year, The BiState agreement was signed last night at the board meeting. Delmar Elem. seems to be taking a huge hit for the county.
Year round is an expensive program because of the costs of air conditioning the cafeteria, gym, media center, YRE classrooms, etc., during the summer. Also, the special area teachers (art, music, media, p.e.) are paid contractually to offer those classes to YRE students during the summer. That money is in addition to their salaries for working on the traditional school schedule for the rest of the year. A nurse and cafeteria workers are paid, also. Buses are paid for by the county during the summer, although there are only a few YRE students on each one. One summer a bus ran for just one YRE student. Then, during the YRE intercessions, people are paid to do remediation and enrichment classes for the YRE kids if their parents want to send them to school. All of those costs are in addition to runnning Delmar Elementary during the days school is open for the other kids. It was hoped that kids would have better attendance, higher achievement and fewer discipline problems with a YRE schedule, but that has not happened.
Joe, I dislike Freddy as much as you do, but he doesn't get an expense account when he's not on the road. Any local coffee purchases and all of the central office staff are on their own.
Anonymous said...
I think year round school is a great idea. If I had kids, I would want them in it.
5:37 PM
No offense, but you don't have a dog in this fight.
Anon 6:20 PM sounds like a board of ed central office employee spouting that so call information.
to anonymous 6:20 Year round has been a benefit to my children. If you have never had a child go to the year round than you should not even be in it. My kids love going and having their break every term. I work full time and my kids are in daycare anyway so its not so I dont have to pay for a babysitter. I am sad to see this go.
Joe...question?
If... you are the one that received this letter this afternoon please tell me it isn't so? The Wicomico County Board of Education met last night at 7:00 PM to vote on the budget which had a reduction to eliminate the Year Round Education Program at Delmar Elementary School.
WOW...that is a fast turn around to get those letters printed up and mailed last night to make it to the mailboxes this afternoon. Was this done before the Board even voted on the Budget? Smells kind of fishy doesn't it?
To 6:58 the letters came home with the kids today.
Nunzio threw year round under the bus months ago. He did not fight for them. The magnet principal fought for his students. Maybe the problem is the principal too, not just the school board. Nunzio is NOT a principal for the students and parents of Delmar.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MONEY THE BOARD OF ED WASTES... YOU HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. KEEP DIGGING. IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND.
Nunzio is a good man and I don't think he is the problem.
Joe I think the issues in the Wicomico County School system have been needing to be addressed for many years now. Just like the Mayoral election in Salisbury it is time for us to take our schools back. Get rid of the dead beat elected officials and clean house in the BOE. The best thing we can do for the children is to have an elected school board. An elected school board would work for us the tax payers and they could be replaced if they didn't do their jobs. Get an elected school board now.
Sending letters home with the kids, putting information in the paper or on the Board Website show no class. Was there ever a meeting with the Year Round parents to say why this decision had to be made? Dr. F. is smarmy and confuses oiliness with genuine people skills.
Lets go get em joe, how can I help? Im a Delmar resident and my wife and I were fully prepared to send our 5 year old daughter to year round Kindergaten in July. She is so excited to start.
We looed at the year round schedule and it works so well for our family. If this stuff is true about the 500,000 travel budget, then game on, lets make heads roll. Im there with ya.
Brad Pole
Brad, clearly Mr. Fredericksen wasn't around to experience my work with Barrie Tilghman, Mike Dunn, Lynn Cathcart, John Jacobs, Jim Rapp, Carrie Samis, Chief See, Chief Webster and the list goes on and on. Oh, he'll feel it this time, you just wait and see. You do NOT want to get on my bad side.
Im trying my very best not to. Haha. Do your thing Mr. Albero. We support you 100%.
Anonymous said...
Sending letters home with the kids, putting information in the paper or on the Board Website show no class. Was there ever a meeting with the Year Round parents to say why this decision had to be made? Dr. F. is smarmy and confuses oiliness with genuine people skills.
9:49 PM
There was no dicussion with the parents of the Magnet Program when he had that at the top of the chopping block list. Fredericksen does as he wishes and there is not enough support from the board members to stop him.
Speaking of Delmar. Mr. Thompson the president of the BOE stated last night that he was abstaining from any votes because he was "interning" and on the "sub" list. Would that be a conflict of interest for an appointed school board member to be on the payroll?
The 5th grade moving from the Delmar Elementary school in Wicomico County to The Delmar Middle School, which is a part of the Delmar school district, passed last night via the Wicomico County School Board. However, Tuesday the Delmar school district board will vote on it at 7pm.
The OBVIOUS answer to the dilemma in Delmar is to expand the school. While the economy is bad now, there was a very controversial re-districting in 1999 in which they moved 200 students out of Delmar Elementary. A responsible board of education would have made projections and plans right then to expand the school... they did not. (SIDE NOTE: You County Executor was on the board at the time.)
Now I am not lumping this problem on Freddie, but at some point someone on that board is going to have to do the right thing and expand that school or at least put it in the 5 or 10 year plans. As of now there is NO PLAN!
10:12 Delmar school district, where he interns, is not in Wicomico County, but in Sussex County.
If the entire county was year-round, I could see a reason for uproar, but isn't this just one school? If it's for the benefit of the entire county, I'm not sure what the big deal is. I'm not a teacher, but I'm quite sure that many of the commenters on this blog couldn't handle being one. Educate yourself, before you criticize an educator.
Well, if Delaware wants year round school, then I guess they will have to foot the whole bill. If Wicomico County doesn't have the money, what are they supposed to do? Maybe Maryland should hurry up and get the gambling going so they can start generating some revenue.
How about they just start going through these schools and start weeding out all of the "special permissions" that are granted. If you don't like the school that your child has to attend, move. I live in Fruitland, and can't believe how many kids get dropped off buses on streets, only to hop in a vehicle and their parents off to their house in another district.
How many cuts will happen at the BOE? I am sure they could absorb a few bucks...after all, it's "for the children!"
If the 5th graders don't go to the Middle/Senior High School, then Delmar Elem would be split apart and the kids sent to numerous other schools. So, if you want the kids to stay in the Delmar schools, you need to support the 5th graders moving to Delaware.
Joe, just look at the budget. No cuts for staff, only cuts for students. The Board is so top heavy needing supervisors and directors and managers for one little department. I don't think they have ever heard of consolidate?? they are continuously taking away from the kids and giving to themselves. The increase in retirement benefits, step increases and why in the world do they need 2 public media people? Fredericksen is for himself and himself only. Thompson is a joke as the President of the Board. Can't stand up to Fredericksen because he does not have a clue of what is going on. Self Centered is what it is. I guess Ms. Wright will be President next year but she does not stand up either. They worship Fredericksen. Elected Board is what WE need.
10:12 & 10:20
But Wicomico has signed agreements with Delmar. Definite CONFLICT of Interest.
Every time there is an article about the Wicomico County BOE there are hundreds of hits and hundreds of comments. Many of those comments are problems that result back to the BOE and the Superintendent. The Superintendent and much of his overpaid staff are the problem and they need to go. Get rid of Fredericksen NOW!
Anonymous said...
10:12 & 10:20
But Wicomico has signed agreements with Delmar. Definite CONFLICT of Interest.
7:15 AM
BINGO!!!!
My point exactly. Why do you think Thompson abstained from voting on the issue at Tuesday nights meeting.
You do not know the half of the conflict of interest. Just suppose someone who is currently interning has been promised a specific position at a specific school for next year?
7:12 Mrs. Holloway ran good meetings and cared about our input as bus drivers. She was always fair and willing to stand up to the staff. The crowd now is just out to make a name for themselves.
This whole thing is nothing but ugly. What has Wicomico County come to?
Brian Kilgore stepped down from the Board because of a future enterprise related to school buses. Mark Thompson's conflict is employment which is a more significant offer. He needs to go now.
Is Thompson a PAID intern? By this rationale, Andy Harris (if elected) and Ron Paul, both doctors, would not be allowed to vote on any health care bills in congress.
Thompson is on the Wicomico County BOE. He interns in another state and county that the WBOE does not deal with often, so when they do he does the RIGHT thing and abstains from voting.
How is that a bad thing?
I'm not stating that Thompson is great, but on this issue he made the conflict known and abstained. That is what he was ethically obligated to do.
My kids came home with the letter in there take home folder yesterday. I'm so upset that they're doing away with the year around program. My kids have always been in year around program. I know it's not Mr.Nunzio that had the final said about the year around program but I think he needs to go.As for the 5th graders on over to the middle/high school.I think they're to young to be in with the older kids.
He is also ethically obligated to leave the Board since he has accepted their offer of employment for next year and has even been told the school where he will be assigned. He does nothing contrary to the wishes of Dr. F. and is useless as an objective decision maker. What is the source of the information about his job and name of the school? Mark Thompson's own mouth. I'm sure Dr. F. thought this would not get out. He overestimated Mark's competence.
To the person that thinks Nunzio is a nice guy,
You must be one of his Friday bar hopping buddies because if you worked or were a parent at his school you would see the true person he is. Nice, truthful, and caring would not be using in sentence to descript him. Clue: if he is wiggling his nose as he talks he is probably telling you a lie. Just ask all the great staff that has left since he took over. Mr. Muir we want you back!!!!!
I have 3 kids.Two of them are in the year around program.Mr.Nunzio said he couldn't put my daughter in the year around program becuase she wouldn't be able to get the support she needs. She has austim & other health problems.I love this program and wish they where not doing away with it.As for Mr.Nunzio.I think someone else needs to take his place.He's just in it for the money.
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