Notes From The Wicomico County Board of Education, Summer 2011

Notes from the Board of Education meetings held on Aug. 9, July 12 and June 28.

Board Notes August 2011

The Wicomico County Board of Education at its monthly meeting on Aug. 9:

Public Comment

Heard public comments from:

Mary Ashanti, President of the Wicomico County NAACP, who shared an article from the April issue of Ebony Magazine regarding zero tolerance discipline policy. Mrs. Ashanti spoke about the success of the NAACP Back-to-School Rally held at Salisbury Middle School on August 4 that over 386 students attended. She thanked Dr. Fredericksen, Mrs. Kim Finger, Mrs. Amy Eskridge and their staff for overall support with the event.

A parent who spoke about concerns regarding Title I services being eliminated from her child’s school.

A student from James M. Bennett High spoke regarding concerns with the transfers in the physical education department. The student was in support of a transferred PE teacher from JMB not being transferred.

Superintendent’s Report

Heard from Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen that:

Most employees have been hired to begin the new school year; we are still in the process of adjusting data in payroll regarding the actual number of employees hired and their specific pay levels.

In response to the public comment made at last month’s meeting regarding a concern with the administration at one of the schools, several meetings had been held with that commenter and additional meetings have been planned.

The Title I School Choice Option at Prince Street Elementary had 82 students request to be moved to a different school. Title I services have been eliminated from four schools due to the need to reallocate resources to meet instructional needs, resulting in staffing adjustments. Stated that it is disappointing to have had to reduce programs due to the lack of adequate funds.

Changes in school start and end times were made to eliminate school bus runs. School buses are testing routes to determine if any adjustments need to be made.

A meeting was held with the city Aug. 8 regarding the use of Onley Road to access James M. Bennett High to allow for a reduction in traffic and congestion on College Avenue.

The preliminary results have been received for the T.E.L.L. (Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning) Survey completed by educators. Results can be found at tellmaryland.org.
A book study group has begun on the book, Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in Montgomery County Public Schools. There may be additional groups forming within our system.

The school system has been working on a gang policy and is in the process of rolling it out at the beginning of the school year.

There have been a number of construction projects during this summer in our schools. They are all going well and on track to begin the school year.

The athletic teams and marching bands are busy preparing to begin the year. You may have noticed or heard them outside practicing at our high schools.

We have a received a grant from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention entitled “Disproportionate Minority Contact Reduction” in the amount of $73,250. This grant, which is 100% fully funded, will allow for support staff to develop a steering committee to assist in this area in collaboration with the Department of Juvenile Services.

U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski sent a letter applauding the school system and Judy Center for showcasing early childhood education services at the 2011 School Readiness Fair held on July 15.
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