Hello All! Thank you so much for coming out to last
night’s Education Forum. The following is a suggested list of IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS!
For a recap of last night’s
information, see the above post.
Based upon Commissioner Howard’s
presentation, several individuals have asked “who, what and how” they should
contact. Here are some suggestions and
appropriate contact information.
RECOMMENDED
DIALOGUE
· Based upon the information presented, the county revenues are up, county taxes have been cut and the county currently has a surplus of $14 million dollars. Therefore, it makes no sense to close a school at this time.
· Closing a school in ANY community, will have a harmful, negative impact on children, families and the community-at-large.
· My children have a right to the best education the county can offer and they should be able to attend a school with their friends IN their community.
· Closing a school based upon the age of the facility only makes sense if that school is SEVERELY under enrollment and the facility cannot house other school-based programs/initiatives.
· I/we don’t feel the school system has allowed enough time or enough public input to be making decisions regarding redistricting or school closings at this time.
· I/we do not feel the “initial” Utilization survey was written or conducted in such a way that it gathered accurate responses in terms of how parents and communities feel about closing a school/facility.
· I/we believe that strong communities are built around strong schools and closing any school will have an immediate, long-term, negative impact on the community and the county as a whole. It will only decrease property values and drive families out of the community.
· I/we believe that holding the school system to “Maintenance of Effort” (MOE) for the next 4-5 years, will have a severe, negative impact on our student achievement, retaining quality teachers and will ultimately hurt the county’s top ranking as the most desirable district to move to. (Source: Baltimore Sun “The Baltimore-area school district to which families are most likely to move (no, not the one you think)”, August 30, 2012)
Please use these as
“suggestions”. Nothing is more powerful
than your own thoughts and opinions.
As suggested, you should share
your feedback with the Superintendent, the Board of Education AND all five
County Commissioners. Below is the
appropriate contact information for each.
*********************************************
BOARD
OF EDUCATION
125 North Court Street
Westminster, MD 21157
Mr.
Stephen Guthrie, Superintendent
410-751-3000
*********************************************
COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
Carroll County Office Building
225 North Center Street
Westminster, Maryland 21157
225 North Center Street
Westminster, Maryland 21157
Commissioner
Robin Frazier (District 1)
Commissioner
Haven Shoemaker (District 2)
Commissioner
David Roush (District 3)
Commissioner
Richard Rothschild (District 4)
Commissioner
Doug Howard (District 5)
Phone: 410-386-2043
Fax: 410-386-2485
Finally, please take time to
attend or view the Candidate’s Forum on October 2nd (Channel 19)
where candidates for the School Board will be talking about their views on
education.
Also, you may wish to attend the
October 10th Board of Education meeting, where the school system
will be presenting “recommendations” and/or “options” for the Board’s
consideration. The meeting will also be
streamed live at www.carrollk12.org
KELLI NELSON
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