The $1.4 million project will be paid for using leftover funds from the school’s original construction budget.
The expansion will address overcrowding and safety issues in the school’s cafeteria.
Paul Butler, director of communications and community outreach for Wicomico County Public Schools (WCPS), said the 1,545-square-foot addition will be built onto the existing cafeteria and will allow for 144 additional seats.
“Right now, we need an additional 60 or 70 seats,” he said, “but this will allow for future expansion for years to come.”
Butler explained school officials noticed an overcrowding issue in the cafeteria last year and said Donna Hanlin, superintendent of schools, put in a plan to address the issue.
More
22 comments:
REDICULOUS!!!!
That is very poor design approved by the school board and other State agencies. Why was the cafeteria not built originally to accommodate the school population? Is there that many illegals on the Shore than is being known about or is there more illegals being relocated on the Shore? We the tax payer need to know if our Shore life is in jeopardy. We do not have a tax base as the Central and Southern MD, Baltimore / DC corridor, has that can raise their tax rate because of the much higher income base in those areas. We have no businesses here that can / will raise the pay rate for us to even come close to their income. That extra money from the original contract should have been forfeited and taken off the tax payers cost.
A few questions come to mind on this addition. Are we building new schools/ additions that are designed to last 30 - 40 years or are we building a throw away school at 20 years? Are we building schools to allow for population growth throughout the life of the school? Seem like planners are not looking past the end of their noses on school planning. Note: cost of new addition is approx $906.00 per square foot.
Noticed an overcrowding? Don't these edumacated folks watch enrollment #s and know ahead of time when they are bumping up against capacity?
Watching the mentality of those educating our youth is disheartening if not downright depressing
This is pathetic and shows just how screwed up the board of education planning process is...there are many other schools in the county that have been waiting a long time for any sort of renovations behind Bennett Senior and Bennett Middle they should just have to deal with the overcrowded situation. Is there no other school that is more deserving than revisiting a 2 year old school with the finest of everything? Stupidity at its finest.
Get rid of tax payer funded public education completely. Go to charter schools and home schooling. All we see is waste, fraud, abuse overpaid and compensated teachers, and mostly thugs turned out of the current education system.
Elected board is needed
Who ran the numbers to determine the cafeteria's seating needs? THAT'S who the blame should go to, not the BOE members, not the designer, not the architects or the builders, all of whole were following the recommendation that they paid dearly for.
I would suggest not using that person or company again.
Sorry 1042 if we did that - we'd be situated with have and have not groups (those that can afford charter/home schooling and those who cannot). Not going to happen in this society.
NOW, if you want a couple of countries to go to war using nuclear weapons - well then you'd have society changes as well as everything else we grow up to know having changed.
I'd rather b*tch about public education than the alternative.
Good. My kids go there and this is much needed. They already had the money set-aside for this.
Paul Butler, director of communications and community outreach for Wicomico County Public Schools (WCPS)???
I thought this was Tracy Sahlers job to to this? What happened there? Did the BOE create a new position or did they get rid of her?
^ I am sure Wi Middle understands what a hardship this is on Bennett Middle 🙄
just go ahead and knock the school down, its too old anyway and we have plenty of money
Oh she is still there. They created a new $96,000.00 position for him.
The Board of Education underestimated the number of illegals brought in under Obama who now are having multiple children and now the working American and Maryland taxpayer has to pony up more dollars to attempt to educate them.
More welfare peeps.
Give the credit to Ricky boy and his "good ole boy" system. That is all that deal was. There was a three way deal involved with the owner of the trailer park, since she held land title, and one of the Mills boys along with long time friend Ricky. The County got screwed royally. They knew this land was worthless and unbuildable. That is why the trailer park could never expand. Within ten years this building will probably be condemn because the structure will be unsafe.
3:03 - don't leave out Stevie Prettyman the deciding vote. Good thing she left town. What a lousy legacy! Nothing but problems with this deal and now the school. Stupidity in charge apparently.
1.4 million for 1500 square feet? A thousand per square foot.
Stevie took off like the law was after her and Fat Rick is down Somerset County laughing and thanking his lucky stars.
Have you been to the local wal marts lately? Definitely a increase in the illegal popoulation
How about redistricting to balance the numbers? The boundaries are not even logical.
Post a Comment