October Notes From The Wicomico County Board of Education

The Wicomico County Board of Education at its Oct. 12 monthly meeting:

Moment of Silence

Observed a moment of silence for the late Linda Mable Washington, a Wicomico High School food service worker.

Public Comments

Heard comments from a parent with concerns about the Magnet Program selection process. Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen said the High Performing Learners advisory committee would meet on Oct. 14 to review what has taken place since the last meeting, including the 2010 selection process, and look at the work that needs to be done now. A Q&A on the Magnet Program and High Performing Learners has been prepared for the committee and the website. Board members asked that public comments and questions on Magnet be considered and responses given in a timely manner.

Superintendent’s Report

Heard from Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen that:

The process of writing an action plan for allocating Wicomico’s nearly $3.1 million in Race to the Top (RTTT) funding is continuing, and that RTTT will mean a change to measuring student growth rather than performance on set measures, with teachers evaluated partially on the growth their students make.

The 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress information is out and available on the website and at mdk12.org. In accordance with federal regulations, Wicomico will redirect approximately $400,000 in Title I funding to professional development.

A recent Maryland State Department of Education audit of the school system was a success.

Westside Primary and Pittsville Elementary and Middle were named Maryland Character Education Schools.

Several hundred people attended a Gang Awareness Training event held at James M. Bennett high in cooperation with the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention.

Sherri Harkins of Pittsville Elementary and Middle and Willards Elementary has been honored as the Maryland Foreign Language Teacher of the Year.

Wicomico will use the $825,645 it receives from the Education Jobs Fund Program to focus on prekindergarten teachers and class size preservation.

Planning for the Fiscal Year 2011-12 budget is under way, with planning not just for next year but for several years out with continued difficult budget times ahead.

The Family Portal is open for the 2010-11 school year. So far, 1,017 people have signed up to view their student’s school information online. Sign-in information must be obtained by visiting the student’s school.

The school system anticipates more meetings in the near future as improvements to the Onley/Bateman intersection move forward. The city of Salisbury now has the money from the state for the project. The improvements are needed so that as the construction on the Bennett site nears completion, as either the planned 17 buses or 300+ staff cars and other cars must use Onley Road. Board member Ronald O. Willey emphasized the importance of the situation being resolved as quickly as possible.

The Northwestern Elementary HVAC project was approved by the State to receive Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) funding. This approval allows the school system to collect donations of approximately $12,000 based upon commitment letters received from private sector contributors. The QZAB funding with help fund a portion of the long delayed HVAC project at the school.

The system has a $70,000 Connections grant for services to persistently disruptive and violent students, and will collaborate with Sojourner-Douglass College to use space at its facility. The Board will see a Memorandum of Understanding for the arrangement soon.

Meetings continue with the bus contractors with work on issues including insurance, indemnification, breach of contracts, Ombudsman, and “equal to or greater than.”

A committee will work on making sure that all eligible families are aware of the Delmar One-Time Choice.

The school system’s Central Office crisis plan is being updated, and crisis plan training is taking place throughout the system.

Campbell-Jones cultural competency workshops are taking place and are open to Board members.

Highlighted events in October include the Up with People concert sponsored by the Wicomico County Board of Education (Oct. 12) and the Delmarvacade of Bands (Oct. 16); board members also congratulated Wicomico Teacher of the Year Lisa King of Delmar Elementary, who represented Wicomico at the Oct. 8 Maryland Teacher of the Year Gala. In November, look for Election Day (Nov. 2; schools and Central Office closed, please remember to vote), the next STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Saturday on Nov. 13 for students in grades 4/5 and 6/7/8, and American Education Week (Nov. 14-20).

Contact the school system by e-mail at comments@wcboe.org or leave a voicemail message at 410-677-5251. Visit www.wcboe.org for videos, news and more.

Bennett Middle School Design

Approved the design development for the Bennett Middle School replacement project, for submission to the state. Wicomico is requesting $13 million for its first construction funding request to the State for the project. The school system will also seek $15 million in county funding this year. If the state and county provide the construction funding that is being requested, the earliest start date for construction would be spring 2012, with occupancy in summer 2015. The State will pay 87 percent of the eligible construction costs if the project receives LEED Silver Certification and is approved for funding in FY2012. Board member Robin Holloway said the school system should prepare talking points to ensure the need for the project is well understood and well publicized.

Contract Modifications

Approved a $151,817.14 construction contract modification for Whiting-Turner on the James M. Bennett High replacement project for changes to the project, and a $105,323.46 A/E contract modification for Becker Morgan Group for adjustments to the project’s size and scope.

Negotiating Teams

Approved the members of the 2010-11 Board Negotiations Teams for Unit I, Unit II, and Units III and IV.

PTA Officers

Received for information the list of school PTA officers for 2010-11.

Persons in Charge

Held for further attention and a future vote the 2010-11 list of Persons in Charge in schools in the absence of the principal and assistant principal(s).

School Faculty Representatives

Approved the 2010-11 list of School Faculty Representatives.

Bid Awards

Awarded the contract for Stopware PassagePoint EDU Software for all schools and the Central Office to Identicard Systems Worldwide as the low responsive and responsible bidder. The five-year ownership cost for the system is $57,620. A uniform, comprehensive system is needed for the safety and security of school buildings, said Cathy Townsend, Supervisor of Safe Schools.

Awarded the contract for roof repair crew price to Peninsula Roofing as the primary vendor and Potteiger-Raintree as the secondary vendor as the low responsive and responsible bidders. The contract is for small-scale roof repair projects as needed.

Year-End Audit Reports

Approved the Audit Reports as submitted for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010. Audit documents included the school system’s first Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which will be posted on the website to provide information about school funding and spending to the community. Of note this year is that auditor did not identify any deficiencies through the audit, and School Activities Fund audits, which last year yielded numerous recommendations and only one clean audit, this year improved to 13 clean audits and very few recommendations for the remaining schools.

Monthly Reports

Approved the monthly report on personnel matters for certificated employees and budget transfers, and received for information the monthly personnel matters report on classified employees and the monthly update on grant proposals.