Dear Joe,
Let me start by saying that I agree with G.A. Harrison and believe that we need an elected school board in Wicomico County. I attended the budget meeting for the Wicomico County BOE and I must say I was a little confused by the information given at the meeting. First thing is I don't really understand why they would think of cutting a teaching position before any of the administrative positions. Most of the schools (if not all of them) have more than one Vice Principle. Why do they need more than one, and why would a Vice Principle keep their job over a teacher when the most important person in a child's education is the teacher? Also why does the Superintendent need two Personal Assistants? I don't think even one is necessary. These are just a few positions that could be done away with instead of taking teachers and technology from our children.
Second, there was a comment made that Pre-K was a non-funded government mandated program. I may be wrong by I think there is specific monies set aside from our taxes that go specifically to the Pre-K program to assist the underprivileged children (Thornton Commission), and I also believe that Delaware pays to Maryland for that program because Delmar, DE children attend school on the Maryland side. I believe the best way to cut the budget is to skim the fat from the top. Leave the teachers, class sizes, number of schools etc. alone. The school board at this point will pretend to listen to what the community has to say and then turn around and do what is best for them not our children. I felt as though they were blowing smoke you know where. I feel that if the community can make an impact with the county council that urges the council to have elected school board officials then maybe the irresponsible spending and unreasonable budget cuts will dramatically decline.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
14 comments:
And then they will want to rebuild Bennett Middle into an overpriced palace.
Most every position you list is mandated, The government pays for positions to run programs that parents think will better the education system. The mandate is government will pay all expenses for x number of years to get the program up and running. After that the school is mandated to continue the program at the BOE expense or pay back all funding they received.
Another mandate is the government decides what programs best educate all children, such as "No Child Left Behind". The government helped with initial cost but after that the schools had to pick up the cost. While cutting Central Office personnel seems to be one answer, many of the positions are mandated by the government. If positions are cut, so is funding and there is a great possibility that any monies paid by the government has to be repaid.
One cannot say, cut this, this and this without knowing exactly why the BOE has these positions listed in the budget.
Think about cutting the office help at Bennett High School. When you go in there are at least 5 people sitting at desks and not one looks up to see if they can help you.....What are their jobs there??
As far as vice principals (and deans of studnnets while we're at it), at the middle school and high school levels, they're dealing with 15+ discipline referrals every day. Each grade has their own administrator because, frankly, it's needed.
BMS has 1,000+ kids, more than 300 in each grade level. The smallest of the 3 high schools in the city, Wi-Hi, has over 1,100 kids. If even just 5% of the kids are getting in trouble on a given day (and let's face it, it's often the same 5% getting in trouble over and over), then that's 50+ referrals a day to be handled by just the admin team, who still have teacher observations, hallway duty, and a million other responsibilities.
The directive has come down from the BOE we can't suspend kids for anything other than fights, weapons or drugs, so the kid who's late to school or skips class 9 times in the first 20 days of school (not an exaggeration) or tells his teacher she can go do anatomically-impossible things to herself gets an office referral, that needs to be handled by an administrator. It's not just a few times a day. Each admin is seeing 10+ kids daily before they get to any other duty they have that day.
And I don't think anyone wants a palace to replace BMS. Just a building with a functional heating and cooling system that's not falling down and where you can actually see in the hallways.
And with the $10 million in cuts the County Council will make to the BOE for the FY 2013 budget, you could fire everyone at the BOE and it wouldn't make up next year's deficit in county funding, let alone the $10 million on top of that expected in FY 2014.
OMG, "15+ discipline referrals every day". I wonder just what a SPD Officer would say about the 40+ calls they get per Officer, per day? I wonder what the customer service rep would say about the hundreds of people coming into WalMart each day to return stuff they never bought there or have no receipt.
Those poor BOE Employees!
When I went to Bowie High School we had 1,200 in our senior class alone, in 1980. Come on people, you act as if so much has changed. There were drugs and guns and NO Police Officers assigned to any school!
Are we to really feel sorry for an overloaded staff. Are we really supposed to believe that every BOE Employee is not replaceable? Are we really to believe Leaders who step up and say they might have to go to a 4 day work week and a 4 day school week?
The way I see it is, they have gone way too far and way over the line. IF you happen to be a BOE Employee outside of being Fredericksen him self, point your fingers at him first because IMHO I would FIRE any employee who would ever even think of going to the public with such extremes. FEAR FACTOR comes to mind when it comes to the liberal BOE.
I don't work in a school, but am well aware that the resources needed to mete out discipline has taken a severe jump since I was in school...yes, in 1980 as well. We had the issues in the schools that they have today - fighting/violence and drugs. The issue is that more & more of the administrators have to spend more & more time with the parents who believe their children are angels..never act up...have been treated unfairly..etc. Administrators now to have to be prepared to speak to a child's attorney regarding discipline (yes, this does happen) Back in 1980..parents & teachers stood together as a united front to raise children to be decent, well mannered members of society. These additional costs are directly related to a lack of trust & respect between parents & administrators/teachers.
Joe - Do the math and tell me how you come up with 15 kids a day. When a kid is sent for disciplain, the teacher cannot leave the classroom. The teacher has to wait until someone in administrative comes to get the kid. Believe it or not the way you see it is not the true picture. For the sake of all who want to place blame on here, Joe why don't you actually do some invesigation, go to classrooms, talk with administrators, teachers, kids who actually want to learn, school employees, etc. Ask why their jobs are needed, ask why that position is in the budget, just ask questions and observe for at least two weeks.
1st off your portrayal is biased as you believe Dr Fredericksen can do no right.
2nd - We are not discussing Bowie in 1980. Those years are gone My child also graduated in 1980 and there was no where near the problems as my grandchildren face today.
3rd - You do not know what teachers and administrators face daily, so don't pretend you do.
4th - Wicomico County is not the only county with budget problems. This is a nation wide problem.
5th - Parents demanded police be placed in the schools for the safety of their children. The children causing all the problems are not allowed to be disciplined because that takes away the kid's rights.
Please stop the propoganda until you have seen what goes on behind the scenes. Forget Bowie in 1980, forget the customer service rep at Walmart, forget the Salisbury Police Dept. They are allowed more freedom to deal with the unruly than teachers and administrators are - believe me.
anonymous 1:59, read the comment from 11:10 am, that's where the math comes from. That is also why it is in quotes.
2. I happen to like Dr. Fredericksen, believe it or not. I may not agree with his Frank Kratovil style of whining whenever he doesn't get his way. I also don't like much of his way of going about things but all in all Fredericksen is a decent guy doing the very best that he can with what he has in front of him.
3. I wasn't born yesterday, Idiot. I went to school, I was a student and I have a pretty damn good idea what they're dealing with. I speak to a LOT of educators on a regular basis, so stop trying to make it sound as if I'm clueless.
4. Your damn right its the entire wet pants liberal agenda that is the reason for the financial problems.
5. Yeah, parents demand police presence. BS! Pansy ass teachers who are too afraid to confront the gangs and punks are why there's a police presence.
Finally, don't you ever tell me what to say or not to say on MY Blog. I have every right to my opinion as you have to yours. I do NOT put words in your mouth, as you have tried to do with me. If YOU don't like this Blog, don't return. However, a healthy debate would get you much further than coming off like a know it all control freak, like most educators. I live and became successful in the REAL WORLD with street smarts, not book smarts.
If you believe you can do better, I welcome you to start your own Blog. I welcome you to go into the real world and make millions. In the mean time, you do not impress me.
parents, until you demand changes in your government school system you will ALWAYS have a failing, cumbersome, inadequate, money pit.
it hasn't been "about the children" for years. abolish the federal education department and bring everything back to the local level. no more mandates from on high. no more unions having a social agenda and no more tenure.
hire and fire as needed, discipline with common sense, with the money you save (because of no mandates); make class sizes smaller and get serious about educating. if parents and children don't want to be educated; put them to work maintaining roads with trash pick up, painting and other maintenence work for the county.
How about giving Delmar Elementary to the Delmar (DE) School District? The people of Delmar are never going to be happy until they can keep their kids from being re-districted to East Salisbury so just give them what they want and let them worry about the overcrowded elementary school. This would save WCBOE millions, especially considering the school is in need of repair, HVAC & an update.
Why are these kids going to Jolly Rodgers for a field trip??? to make it less expensive and more educational relevant please consider taking them on an educational field trip to a local HISTORICAL place like the Hariet Tubman Museum in Cambridge or the Pocomoke Educatioal center or an ART council or a LOCAL COLLEGE to see what a career in nursing compututer science, MATH or SCIENCE based field.NASA is a local and educatioal place. All the above would be more relevant educational experience and less expensive on the budget.
More educational cost effective field trips -- the public library ---the educational diabetes program at PRMC to teach them health facts like 12 tsp. of sugar is in a 12oz can of Pepsi, etc. Give them life skills not expensive thrills like a field trip to Jolly Rodgers in OC.
Supervisors need to take work home just like teachers and principals do. So many jobs at the central office have been created, like coordinators, so the supervisor doesn't have to do as much. That would apply to reading, math and Title 1. Also, Prince Street does not need whatever position was created for a supervisor who moved from the Board to serve that one school at the same salary she was getting.
Joe,
You did not respond to the recommendation that you visit, observe, and learn firsthand what is happening in the schools. You have a highly visible forum to dispense accurate information. Why not spend time learning the facts about what students, teachers, and administrators face each day?
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