A representative of the BOE said they are "one of the poorest Counties per student" in the state.
I just LOVE how these Liberals can twist words. "One of the poorest". Well, do tell us all how many OTHER Counties are poorer? Let's start with Somerset County. Then there's the question of, PER STUDENT.
Look, we are NOT in Montgomery County, PG County, Anne Arundel County and so forth and so on.
It always amazes me how things are never good enough here. I'm going to be very blunt on a couple of issues here.
ONE, if you wanted the best education for your child, why don't you move to these other Counties that does have more funding for education. Did you really believe that you'd get the BEST education here on the Shore over every County in the state? Did you ever wonder that perhaps it's the fact that you might just have poor educators/teachers here? Have they not been getting more and more money every year, yet the grade averages have not gone up?
When you take hundreds of thousands of dollars "for the children" and spend that money on Gift Cards on staff and not the children. When you spend millions of dollars on RENT over spending those millions on better Teachers, perhaps our children would get a better education.
However, instead of addressing this BEFORE they commit to being so poor, they wait until they've signed contracts on renting space they come back after the fact crying the blues there's not enough money.
Any good business person see's right through their load of crap. They should be punished for making such mistakes. They should be held accountable for spending "for the children" money on trips to restaurants and bars.
It's not about the children, ladies & gentlemen. It's about Liberals trying to trick you. They are proving unless you pay a hell of a lot more money in property taxes it's a given your child will not get a good education here.
Prove me wrong!
66 comments:
Here is a question for the BOE , Why not sue or put charges on Rick Pollitt for him and his crew spending the kids $$$ on food and beer at restaurants. ???
They keep saying the casinos are making big profits why are they not going to the children?
Any good business person SEES that you need good teachers to even begin to appear intelligent.
"one of the poorest"????? yeah and one of the most crime ridden, delinquent, disrespectfull toward teachers and administrators, and highest expulsion rates in the state. The schools are full of mental health problems, behavior problems, discipline problems (and in 'not being allowed to') and threats towards staff. I know. I've seen it and read it on reports. Its all covered up. I am all for paying my fair share of taxes for education but not for gangsta wannabes and those kids who claim they "have issues" or "don't like school".
Our school system has ruined the chances for most normal kids to get a good education because they won't expell those who do not belong there. And its for nothing more than political reasons and cover up reasons to avoid the ire of the state mandates put together by liberal democrats or socialists. No wonder they are looking into forming an affordable private high school in Wicomico County.
The second issue is if you took a person and told them for every dollar they could cut from the budget in "fluff" they could keep - well that person would be very weathly. Not talking about salaries, talking about such things as food, "entertainment", "training", vehicle policy, etc. Our system call ask for all the money they want but Salisbury's schools suck so bad I feel sorry for families whose children have to go there. Mardela, Fruitland, Willards......maybe ok.
I agree with you Joe. BOE here has gotten out of control with their spending. If they were thinking about the children they would not be wasting so much money.
You could double their budget money and they would say the same thing. I loathe the lack of accountability in ALL public sector fields. Their only goal is to spend everything and whine for more. ZERO fiscal responsibility, ZERO efficiency, ZERO accountability, ZERO results that better our communities.
The Wic BOE needs to get off the Eastern Shore and see how it really is. Stupid little fools. Baltimore City gets more $'s per student than most anywhere in the whole country (and certainly in MD) and their statistics are dismal concerning drop out rates, chronic absenteeism, test scores etc. If the students of Wic are not performing the fault lies w/the BOE. Instead of being honest and telling it like it is they use the money excuse. They are NO Donald Trump's. They are merely cowardly liars afraid of telling the truth. Student non performance is directly linked to parental involvement and all the money in the world isn't going to help until you have responsible parents.
I love how they ALWAYS use the term "FOR THE CHILDREN " when our children marks are the lowest in the country.
Audit all the individually held credit cards for valid education-based expenses. Charge the cardholder for non-pre-approved purchases (like lunch or dinner with your buddy the vendor!). Audit the entire financials of the BOE! Reduce the non-teaching positions through attrition without beckfilling them.
How about some parent accountability too! If your child doesn't make good enough grades, they get held back or have to attend summer sessions. If your child mouths off to a teacher and gets suspended - their grades should reflect that (see previous sentence).
Now for some teacher accountability - if you're not performing, you should be fired - period! None of this union/tenure crap that got us in to this mess in the first place. This is an at-will state - it should apply here too!
More money for the daycare facilities disguised as schools.
Gangsta another word for blacks. I already guessed your white.
They have enough money to build new schools, they have enough money to pay for those cars they drive, they get enough money when they use excess to buy Starbucks and have Vegas retreats for so called education fairs or meetings or whatever they did in Vegas a few years back...
I feel sorry for the teachers. Recently I had to attend my child's special education meeting at James M Bennett HS. The meeting was in a location that required me to walk down some hallways to a conference room. As we were walking, which was at a time when class was in session, there were about 10 to 15 students ( ALL were AA) just hanging out around the main stairway. A teacher was trying to get them to go to class and I heard several students curse her out. They called her a bitch, told her to get the "f-ck away from them and one also said " this is f-cking funny". I was so shocked and disgusted. How can this be? Why is this happening in our schools ? My child said this is what goes on everyday! The teacher was only asking them to go to class. So ridiculous. Witnessing this made me realize how out of control our schools are. We are looking at private or home school as I do not want my child to be unsafe. It was truly a shocking scene.
I am not a teacher, but I believe the issue is not poor teachers. It is the curriculum they are forced to teach. It has all been dumbed down so as not to have one child excel over another. As long as the government is involved it will continue. More money is not going to solve the problem. The problem is the school curriculum is setup like a business model and can't function in such a stringent manner and allow for flexibility to address the need to have multiple levels of education.
We need more progressive thinkers running the show instead of a bunch of backwoods bumpkins.Kind of mirrors the County Council. Non Productive paper pushers who can't make a decision. Unfortunately we are finding our County Executive is falling into the same old rut.
They should be sued for the money they have stolen from the hard working taxpayers of this county for their out of control spending and lack of transparency. I am fed up as a taxpayer! Taxation without representation! Average employee makes more or double than what the rest of us make! Something needs to change and soon!
Now these FOOLS will want a raise on school taxes on the backs of the TAX PAYER Don't do it Bob culver.
start with cutting the pork and HUGE salaries/perks
So you're saying if you live on the Shore you should not expect your child to get a good education? Love the way you are so willing to lower expectations when it comes to a childs education. Fact is we should do everything in our power to ensure the children on the shore get the best education and educators as they will need to compete with the western Counties and out of state students when it comes to acceptance in College and Universities. Not everyone "settles" for a 10th grade drop out education or lack thereof.
Let me give everyone MY VIEW of how to easily fix things.
Rather then hiring a Superintendent making six figures, pay them $50,000.00 a year, plus bonuses.
Set the bar high enough to allow that person to be REWARDED up to $200,000.00 a year. I'm NOT saying they'll reach that figure but they deserve the opportunity IF they are that good.
I know for me personally, I'd rather have a CHALLENGE every day to PROVE I am the very best and IF I CANNOT achieve proven success, I should be terminated.
But NOOOOO, LIBERALS want it handed to them and they do not want to EARN it.
Just imagine how great things would be if you actually had a leader who really cares. Who really wants to better the system, the teachers, the students.
Funny, it seems to work in other counties across America. THINK, other areas have much better control. Garnish more respect. Put a TERM LIMIT on every Superintendent to TWO terms. Their value elsewhere will be incredible, IF they are successful.
So why does the Eastern Shore LIMP, because it's run by chart making LIBERALS.
They have more than enough money for the kids to get a good education. Look at what Christian school teachers make about $20,000.00 a year. Yet those kids get better educations and are smartwer and more respectful than kids in public school. Also the teachers make more than people that put their lives on the line everyday for our safety. Such as soldiers,police, correctional officers. Yet they do their jobs well. You don't see prisoners escaping from ECI. It is just more be we have always thrown more money at education yet it gets no better no matter how much money you give them.
Bernie Sanders will be taxing the democrats 90% then let the school democrat crying Begin lol.
You take a graduate of one of the Wicomico County High Schools, and a graduate of other high schools across the US, and you will definitely see the difference in the type of education they get. Kids here are no where near ready for the next step in their lives after graduating high school. Parents blame the teachers and teachers blame the parents but if both took their jobs seriously, things would change. Parents need to be involved in the schools their kids are attending and teachers need to teach, you went into this profession just for that reason, right?
7:54 AM - The county executive really has no sway over what the BOE gets to spend, but can lobby the state (good luck with that.)
The county council only passes the money through. They can only add to the budget "requested", not subtract from it. They could refuse to sign off on it, but it wouldn't go well.
The money spent on coffee, lunches, etc., was not spent by the county executive or the county council, only by the BOE employees and administrators. Complain all you want about BOE spending to the county executive and council about it, but remember that they have virtually NO oversight on BOE matters.
Culver can refuse a school property tax increase, that's what the BOE will ask for.
He can also Veto any Concil increase in taxes.
Bs your telling me Rick money pockets Pollitt had NO SAY in controlling spending??? This must be RICKY BOY HIMSELF.
as far as I can tell, MD Counties' BoE Superintendents are accountable to no local agency and therefore not the taxpayers who fund their budgets
8:38, REALLY? You actually believe your children will get the best education in the state here on the Shore? Well, you have high hopes, with all due respect.
HOWEVER, you just put your foot in your mouth in a very big way and let me explain.
It is not Joe Albero's fault your child or children are not getting the best education they deserve. It is 100% the fault of the Board of Education. The leaders, all the way down to the Teachers.
Some Idiots here want to blame it on 30 year old schools they want completely demolished a rebuilt. More attention is going towards how bad things are.
Well, guess what. I have MANY friends who don't live in palaces but let me tell you, they are some of the greatest people I've ever known. It is ALL about what you make of each situation. IF your child wants a great education, I believe most teachers here can and will deliver it. Oh, God Forbid parents admit they are partially at fault for their child's behavior.
Dorchester county just approved the replacing and building North Dorchester High School. The cost for this new school was 50 million dollars. Why in Wicomico County did it cost 78 million or more for each of the new Bennett schools. Wicomico county has always been know for spending and it doesn't mean better education.
8:20, I already guessed you're a democrat.
Hogwash! Private schools don't get any Federal grants and run on a lower budget than public schools and their SAT scores are higher than any public schools.Explain that,Liberals.
School choice vouchers would solve all of this and prove that there is nothing the Government does that private sector cannot do better and cheaper.
Fabulous Freddie and his band of merry crooks (yes board of education members) can not be gone soon enough for the taxpayers of Wicomico County. An elected board of education cannot make it to the voters because of the likes of Norman Conway (a double dipper - along with his wife) and Ronald Willey (another retired teacher - being on the board).
The old James M. Bennett Senior or Bennett Junior High buildings could have been revamped into board offices, thus resulting in a cost savings for the taxpayers. Enough square footage in one of those schools to last the board another 20 years plus, along with ample parking space and a convenient location. Can you say that would be much too logical for saving money?
No, we had to have new and not used property for each of the rulers of the Kingdom of Wicomico Board of Education.
It's the same in Delaware. Hartly,DE elementary school had 3 administrators making 6 figures. For an elementary school? ??
Where does the Board think MORE money is going to come from? The tax base has been destroyed. Instead of always crying for more money, why don't they realize the REALITY of the situation? They should work for grass roots volunteer support to help the schools through donations of time, talent and treasure (from those who can give). They don't care about the struggles of the citizens just to make ends meet for their families. The Board of Ed's greedy, self-absorbed stance is disgusting. It has created the dislike and lack of trust in their leaders.
Stop cantering to the unions. I don't want to hear you can't blame the teacher. They are the ones who didn't say ANYTHING when their pay kept going up. Or the useless teacher aid certificate idiots who are just daycare monitors. Or when the students aren't worth the time and effort because they are thugs. EVERY TEACHER SHOULD HAVE A FIREARM. If a thug threatened your life do what you have too.
As an ex employee, let me tell you how your dollars are being wasted in the Maintenance Dept. The manager, Rick hair, spent several hundred thousand dollars on remodeling the maintenance shop. There was never a budget, or any kind of plan. He threw away thousands of dollars in stored parts and materials. The cost of this project was buried and hidden. His boss, Brian Foret instructed that it be kept quiet, even threatened people with their jobs.
When allegations of wrongdoing were sent to HR, they covered up for Hairr. I can provide proof and witnesses.
I agree with 10:19AM. Moving out to the office complex behind Lowes was ridiculous. They could have rehabed one of the Bennetts to accommodate their needs, but they opted for the new rather than making due, so to hear them cry fowl is ridiculous.
Also, I remember not too long ago about the embezzlement scheme where the upper echelons were misappropriating money and diverting gift cards meant for the KIDS to entertain and treat themselves with expensive dinners at local watering holes. Credit cards used for personal purposes is considered embezzlement. They have abused their spending power at the taxpayers' expense; therefore, they need to make due with what they have rather than crying about being the poorest county.
Somerset county is one of the poorest counties but they're not moving to fancy office complexes and (hopefully) not misappropriating funds. Dr. F deserves and F for his performance as a superintendent as he's no better than an 16 year old cut loose in Hollisters with an unlimited credit limit. The public education - with or without Common Core - is substandard and the BOE is an inefficiently-run bureaucratic machine.
When Mrs. LesCallette ran the BOE, it was done by a woman who truly valued education and wanted students to succeed. It certainly was not to get rich. (May I remind you, she was a widowed mother of three children who didn't suck the system dry like Dr. F and his happy band of thieves.) She wasn't making the staggering salary the current king is making, that's for darn sure. Agree with another viewer that $50K is more than enough for a person who supposedly has a passion for child education.
Another thing, Brian Foret's wife worked in the office at Parkside CTE. Every time she had a problem with ac or heat, she would call the energy manager or her husband and DEMAND her air be fixed. The HVAC department had to drop what they were doing (ie, working on the schools, for the kids) and address her concerns immediately. Ultimately a new 5 ton unit was put on her roof, the money for which was fast-tracked by her hubby, while schools went wanting. The cost of this was around $10,000. Demand accountability!!! you aren't getting it.
Bingo! Teachers are always so shocked when they are blamed but the Union for which they are members plays a huge role in how things are. Who supported less discipline and suspensions for minorities, bogus ways to evaluate teachers, and PARCC testing ? The MSEA, WCEA, and NEA! The teachers union have supported the democrats at every level of government and its these democratic agendas that have torn our schools apart. It is so sad that these teachers just don't see it and they fall for these unions who play off their ignorance. Are teachers to blame? Yes as long as they support these unions they are to blame.
Some thoughts,
1) ALL staff work on annual contract with performance review conducted by MSDE, not the local system administrators - salary tied to potentially achievable bonus structure for all employees (see Joe's comments earlier)
2.) ALL budget particulars available annually, and audited by an independent contractor appointed by the Governor
3.) Governor's independent commission as an over site board
4.) ALL public assistance tied to conduct and grades for students and mandatory substance abuse testing of anyone applying for benefits
This will certainly not stop all problems, but it is worthy of consideration for a start
Paladin
SCHOOL VOUCHERS SCHOOL VOUCHERS ON the ballot will solve this waste abuse and Misappropriation of education funds..
Too much waste and corruption...Privatize schools.
i think all the teachers should get a big pay raise for all the hard work we do
Will the minority parents chip in for paying this bill? .
What does Joe Ollinger & John Palmer have to say about all of this? They have been on the board long enough to get a flavor of what is going on and yet both have been pretty quiet. I heard Joe-O interviewed on Pac 14 by Greg Bassett, and Joe just kept saying that it is all interesting! What say You now?! Have they fallen into the "It's for the kids" line already?!
If you want your children to get a top notch education, home school. It's been proven children that are home schooled have the highest GPA percentage wise than any other system.
It takes sacrifice, but You are responsible for your child's education, not the government or anyone else. period
Joe like your plan it works. I wonder what kind of school Einstien went to before college. Teachers have to be on their game. Teaching is an art and a science. Have you ever been out with a group of teachers. Enough said. Some still have what it takes. Some in it for the pay check. Just as in any profession you have to have the heart for it.
Joe,let me tell you how it is....over half the public school teachers in some eastern shore counties send their OWN kids to private school.Hmmm....if the public system is good enough for them to work at but not for their kids then what does that tell you about their confidence in the very system they milk for every dollar the teachers union can get them?
Lets be even "more real".Nepotism is run wild in most county school systems.The teachers favor the children of their "cronies" and if you are not part of their social circle,your kid is screwed!
Then,despite them feeding at the Federal money trough,they beg the parents for money at every turn for this or that.
My advice? Private school or home school.
In closing,I know a teacher who left public schools and went on to teach at a private school.She took a huge pay cut but she doesn't have to deal with disrespectful kids who cuss and cause mayhem everyday.She doesn't have angry uneducated parents threatening her because their little darling is stealing or hitting or not doing their work and were disciplined.
The ones that work, will be paying for it too.
If the public school teachers are sending there kids to Private schools I DON'T want to here them cry poverty?,$$$
That may be correct. But they are socially inept.
I do not care how much money you give to the BOE and it will never be enough and the education will be the same. Money does not educate children , qualified teachers without being mandated by the state and Federal Government. No child left behind is the same as no child will get ahead.
What's wrong with stating the truth?? Majority of black kids try to immulate the so called gansters and thugs they look up to. What else would you call kids walking around with their pants not even covering their A** smoking dope and whatever else is supposed to be "dope" or cool right
nobody is held accountable around here Joe, unless of course you are poor and expenable.
The situation at BOE is exactly same scenario as city circus. Example gentleman was made head of maintenance because of his mother's friendship with someone. He has the whole department in total chaos work production is at all time low and constant legal turmoil. Look in the lot and see where all your money is being spent, one example a piece of equipment well over 100,000 cost fitted with fiber optics just sitting in maintenance lot not being used, a top of line trailer, purchased just to use up all funds in slotted budget to get that or more at next request. When are you going to learn people people in managerial positions actually have to be qualified not because their friends with someone or they completed correspondence courses
If this is the case why don't you get your Union involved? Aren't maintenance employees covered by WCEA, MSEA and NEA? If so why not report this to them?
Where is your Union?
As a wicomico teacher I agree that I should not have to stress over a child who runs away/out. I should be able to focus on the kids who want to learn or at least don't distract class with screaming and crying. That is beyond teaching.... Not fair to kids of parents who took time with their kids to begin with. Not a miracle worker!
Wicomico has become a Welfare County - just like Baltimore City. Just look at the per capita incomes for Wicomico residents. Every year it keeps declining. Jobs vanish, businesses exodus abroad. About the only thing left is service sector employment - and that is being filled by none other than illegal migrants.
Poor mouth all they want - but the BOE had a hand in this mess as they are the ones that are suppose to teach and expose the economic saga. And The Daily Times, WBOC, WMDT, among others are all complicit to.
The only real news is Salisbury News - and everyday I thank GOD for them.
Having lived in 3 other countries and five other US states in my life, I can say as a teacher that the Eastern shore's biggest problems is the selfishness and small mindedness of moron "taxpayers" who think that a teacher making 40K a year and working 60+ hours a week is the problem...total BS. Besides, teacher also pay taxes like anyone else...DUH.. This area is the way it is because it has always been poor and backward compared to the rest of the state...when you add racism and a goodold boy network plus local parents who don't probably even read to their kids while they are home then you have a recipe for disaster...until the stupid local mindset changes and people view their own children and others as a community INVESTMENT than nothing will change...I also agree that the corporate model of paying some BS superintendent 200K per year is utter garbage..but thats not the "liberal" teachers fault as much as the conservative corporate SCUM....
Whoever said vouchers on the ballot for next election is spot on. Perhaps if parents had a choice to send their children to private school, the WCBOE would clean up their act and start behaving accordingly. They seem to forget they are in deference to the taxpayers and opt to run rough shod over everyone while delivering sub par education to Wicomico's children. With Vouchers a reality, it will be an incentive (considering they get federal $$ based on enrollment) to up the ante in their efforts to educate the kids instead of crying over their lack of money due to their own wasteful spending.
I have a brother teaching in Wicomico co. that makes 68k+. No where near 60 hours weekly. Your better then though statements reveal your liberal affiliation. This not a rich County,median income about 26k,there has to be some reality in budgets. The school buildings don't have to be taj mahals so some egotistical administrator can sleep at night. We need accountability and responsibility in these positions. Corporate scum is no different then liberal greed.
This is my first reading of this post, and it makes me angry.
We have the resources to provide a good education to our kids. By the numbers, we have a more than ample budget to accomplish this. What we don't have is the ability, or even opportunity, to deliver effective teaching. Dumbing down the curriculum, not acknowledging and acting upon individual students needs and learning abilities,
We also have the ability to instill and maintain respectable discipline in the schools. Our sheriff should be working on a plan with the BOE and the Executive. Having one armed guard in schools doesn't address the problem, it only cleans up after it.
Throwing kids out of school for misbehaving is counterproductive; sending them back where they learned to misbehave with all-day free time is setting the kids up to totally fail in life and society to pay a hefty price for it for as long as they live.
You decide. Government is waiting.
4:49 PM --
Hmm. A couple of good points. Especially the second part.
We've shot ourselves in the foot by coddling to the touchy-feely academics. It's time to provide the guidance that will turn out kids that will be better than what seems to be acceptable today.
Mike, Bob, John, are you listening? County Council, are you listening, or have you just shrugged and told yourselves that education is not your responsibility?
According to the US census bureau - nearly 1 in 5 Wicomico residents are living below the poverty level. So I agree with one of the above posters that said Wicomico is a welfare county. Fact is - there is no industry, and the few pillar industries that were here have vanished.
The teachers should compel a Civics class curriculum for all high school level students. Until such time that they teach the kids about the economic implications of living in a socialist state - Wicomico, Somerset, and even Worcester residents will continue to live in the doldrums.
Seriously now, what has John Palmer and Joe Ollinger done for us. Um, try NOTHING!
They were the big saviors of the Republican Club and Central Committee. If they have ever done anything positive or put up a good fight it would have made the local new or at least SBYNews.com!
I don't think an elected school board is going to make a difference.
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