Posted: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 1:00 am | Updated: 11:52 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Goss
Yet the pressure of trimming the remaining $4.2 million from the school system’s $70.2 million spending plan appeared to bubble over into open hostility during the county school board’s brief public meeting Tuesday night.
During the open session, Superintendent Carl Roberts and school board member Kirsten Kammerer engaged in a heated back and forth over the school system’s math curriculum that ended with Kammerer storming out of the school system’s Booth Street offices.
“I want the (school) board to do an outreach survey of teachers and not CCPS, because (teachers) seem to be telling me something and you something else,” Kammerer told Roberts at one point during the exchange.
“I resent that comment,” the superintendent responded. “To say that all the teachers are opposed to the curriculum and that they are not being honest about it is absolutely not true.”
The row between Roberts and Kammerer began just as school board president Lisa Koch was preparing to adjourn Tuesday’s meeting, which had begun with a three-hour, closed-door session in which school administrators reportedly outlined proposed spending in next year’s budget that could be postponed or eliminated.
The school board then held a 15-minute public session to comment on the budget process and vote on personnel items.
After the board completed its formal business, Kammerer said she had an issue she wanted to raise.
“It’s not on the agenda,” Roberts told her.
Kammerer, however, persisted by stating her desire to see all county teachers fill out an anonymous survey regarding the school system’s math curriculum, which a handful of parents have recently criticized as being “a mile wide and an inch deep.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time working on this and it doesn’t appear to me there is one teacher out there who likes this thing,” Kammerer said. “If I wait until the next meeting to raise the issue, it will be too late.”
School board member Christine Sopa said she has also heard similar complaints from teachers.
“This isn’t the time or the place,” Koch interjected.
“This has been an issue for four years and it doesn’t appear anything is being done and I’m not happy about it,” Kammerer responded.
Roberts reminded Kammerer the board is scheduled to hear a presentation on how the school system will address the recent complaints at its next meeting on June 11.
“In all fairness, you know something is being done,” he said. “But we will do it the correct way, with a system approach that includes all the stakeholders. Every school will be visited and all teachers will have an opportunity to provide input.”
Contacted at home, Kammerer declined to comment on the blow-up.
Roberts said simply, “I frankly did not understand what that was about.”
Roberts also said he was unaware the county commissioners voted Tuesday to allocate an additional $500,000 in public school funding above the $65.4 million they had proposed last month.
“Any additional funding is certainly appreciated, but this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Roberts said. “I’ve received no official word of that having occurred.”
The school board is expected to hold another closed-door meeting June 4 to discuss potential reductions in its initial budget request.
A final vote on a revised spending plan for the 2007-08 school year is scheduled for June 11.sgoss@cecilwhig.com
Cecil County public schools got $500,000 in funding added to their budget for the coming year in a surprise move by the county commissioners Tuesday.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
UMBC high school math study expected this month
Posted: Monday, September 10, 2007 1:00 am | Updated: 11:51 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Goss
Student scores on the math portion of last year's Maryland School Assessment exams would appear to back up county administrators' insistence that the math curriculum used in schools is working.
While some grade levels and some schools did show declines in math from 2006 to 2007, math proficiency from third to eighth grade was at its highest level countywide since the testing began in 2003.
Some of last year's most impressive gains on the math test were actually made at the middle school level, where poor reading proficiency among special education students caused all six county middle schools to miss state-defined Adequate Yearly Progress this year.
Such statistics have not done much, however, to quell concern among parents who believe the county's math curriculum is overly skewed to the state test, while failing to prepare students for careers in the fields of science and math.
Parents frustrated by the math curriculum became increasingly vocal and well-organized last year, regularly commenting at school board meetings and even launching a Web site intended to serve as a message board for sympathetic students, teachers and parents.
The debate was essentially put on hold in June when county administrators announced they had contracted two math experts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to conduct a three-month audit of the county's high school math curriculum.
Those three months are up at the end of next week.
Carolyn Teigland, the top county educator under Superintendent Carl Roberts, recently said she does not know what to expect of the report's findings or how it will be presented.
"CCPS expects to receive a paper report, but we don't know yet if the auditors will be making an actual presentation," she said. "We have already formed a public engagement committee that will select the forum for releasing the findings to the public."
School administrators have so far declined to name the two experts conducting the study.
They say they have only turned over material used to conduct the study but have not been active participants in the audit's preparation.
Teigland said the schools provided hundreds of student work samples from unit tests, textbooks, standardized test data and other materials to Cecil College, which has hosted the math experts while they conduct their analysis.
In addition, the auditors reportedly interviewed teachers, both individually and as a group, although Teigland said administrators have not asked what questions were posed or what answers were given.
She said it is also difficult to predict what will happen after the audit's results are released.
"Some things we may be able to address relatively easily, while other suggestions could involve a fiscal element which may have to go into next year's budget," she said. "It really depends on what they recommend, but any change in resources would require a pilot program before full implementation."
In the meantime, county school administrators will conduct a review of the math curriculum used at middle and elementary schools this fall.
Also, a committee that includes parents will recommend ways the county schools can better include parents in math education at all levels.
"A result of last year was we found out the public didn't feel like we were talking to them about the math program," Teigland said. "We're going to be looking at ways we can address those communication issues."
Pam Kaste, a leading voice among parents calling for a replacement of the county's current math curriculum, said she is convinced county school administrators are making an earnest attempt to objectively assess and improve the way math is taught here.
"Of course, there are lingering concerns that the two lone UMBC personnel may decide that the integrated math does not need to be replaced," she wrote recently in an e-mail. "Such a decision would hardly be expected from math experts, and would be inconsistent with the views expressed by CCPS high school teachers, parents and stakeholders with math expertise, as well as data from the Maryland Higher Education Commission - but still, it is a possibility."sgoss@cecilwhig.com |
Student scores on the math portion of last year's Maryland School Assessment exams would appear to back up county administrators' insistence that the math curriculum used in schools is working.
While some grade levels and some schools did show declines in math from 2006 to 2007, math proficiency from third to eighth grade was at its highest level countywide since the testing began in 2003.
Some of last year's most impressive gains on the math test were actually made at the middle school level, where poor reading proficiency among special education students caused all six county middle schools to miss state-defined Adequate Yearly Progress this year.
Such statistics have not done much, however, to quell concern among parents who believe the county's math curriculum is overly skewed to the state test, while failing to prepare students for careers in the fields of science and math.
Parents frustrated by the math curriculum became increasingly vocal and well-organized last year, regularly commenting at school board meetings and even launching a Web site intended to serve as a message board for sympathetic students, teachers and parents.
The debate was essentially put on hold in June when county administrators announced they had contracted two math experts from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to conduct a three-month audit of the county's high school math curriculum.
Those three months are up at the end of next week.
Carolyn Teigland, the top county educator under Superintendent Carl Roberts, recently said she does not know what to expect of the report's findings or how it will be presented.
"CCPS expects to receive a paper report, but we don't know yet if the auditors will be making an actual presentation," she said. "We have already formed a public engagement committee that will select the forum for releasing the findings to the public."
School administrators have so far declined to name the two experts conducting the study.
They say they have only turned over material used to conduct the study but have not been active participants in the audit's preparation.
Teigland said the schools provided hundreds of student work samples from unit tests, textbooks, standardized test data and other materials to Cecil College, which has hosted the math experts while they conduct their analysis.
In addition, the auditors reportedly interviewed teachers, both individually and as a group, although Teigland said administrators have not asked what questions were posed or what answers were given.
She said it is also difficult to predict what will happen after the audit's results are released.
"Some things we may be able to address relatively easily, while other suggestions could involve a fiscal element which may have to go into next year's budget," she said. "It really depends on what they recommend, but any change in resources would require a pilot program before full implementation."
In the meantime, county school administrators will conduct a review of the math curriculum used at middle and elementary schools this fall.
Also, a committee that includes parents will recommend ways the county schools can better include parents in math education at all levels.
"A result of last year was we found out the public didn't feel like we were talking to them about the math program," Teigland said. "We're going to be looking at ways we can address those communication issues."
Pam Kaste, a leading voice among parents calling for a replacement of the county's current math curriculum, said she is convinced county school administrators are making an earnest attempt to objectively assess and improve the way math is taught here.
"Of course, there are lingering concerns that the two lone UMBC personnel may decide that the integrated math does not need to be replaced," she wrote recently in an e-mail. "Such a decision would hardly be expected from math experts, and would be inconsistent with the views expressed by CCPS high school teachers, parents and stakeholders with math expertise, as well as data from the Maryland Higher Education Commission - but still, it is a possibility."sgoss@cecilwhig.com |
Math curriculum doesn't compute to success
Posted: Friday, October 19, 2007 1:00 am | Updated: 11:49 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Goss
In about two months, a committee of 40 people will lay out a map charting a new direction for math instruction in Cecil County public schools.
In the meantime, details from a commissioned report on the county's high school math curriculum could indicate the magnitude of the changes that lie ahead. The report recommends not only doing away with the textbooks used in some high school classes, but also suggests a redesign of the county's math instruction altogether.
Last week, county administrators publicly presented the report's final recommendations, which include replacing the textbook series on which most of the high school math curriculum is based.
The full version of the 57-page report released days later is highly critical of the county's current high school math program, citing its weakness as one of the reasons less than 17 percent of county residents over the age of 25 held a bachelor's degree in 2000.
The high schools use the "Integrated Mathematics" series published by McDougall-Littell for algebra I, geometry and algebra II courses.
The report describes the textbook series as an alternative to a more traditional, single-discipline approach that weaves various math subjects together so that "every year, for three years, students study topics from these different branches of mathematics."
The series, however, is so lacking in follow-up examples and practice problems that county teachers and administrators have had to develop thick binders of supplemental material, according to the report.
"Generally, we find the size and makeup of these supplements to be very inconsistent and expect that they would be difficult for students to use," the report states. "It seems it might be more efficient to find a textbook that needs less supplementation."
Further, the report finds that higher-level math courses offered in county high schools appear to be designed to address gaps in students' algebraic knowledge and skills rather than teaching the higher-level concepts generally associated with courses such as trigonometry and calculus.
Those criticisms are particularly poignant, given the county's long-term plan to provide local students with a realistic opportunity to take advantage of the high-paying science and technology jobs many believe will become available with the future growth at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Public school administrators have been working with Cecil College for years to plan a seamless 16-year education pipeline in which public schools provide students with advanced preparation for acceptance into Cecil College. The two-year school, in turn, would offer courses that mesh with those offered at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which recently signed an agreement to open a satellite campus here.
The report, however, suggests that the public schools' math curriculum is the weak link in that pipeline and could leave incoming students without the math background UMBC expects.
The report notes, for example, that the test Cecil College uses to place incoming students in the appropriate math course places more than 50 percent of county public school students in the most basic class.
Bonnie Tighe, one of the report's authors and a math professor for 20 years, wrote that the biggest problem she encounters every semester is new students with no grasp of algebra, geometry and trigonometry concepts.
"New university students are overly reliant on their calculators and often expect to be given a series of steps to carry out, rather than to think about a problem that is to be solved," she wrote. "At UMBC, virtually all mathematics professors do not allow the use of calculators."
The report later concludes that the high schools' textbooks and curriculum de-emphasize algebraic concepts and fail to adequately prepare students for college coursework.
It also recommends specific, traditionally focused and single-discipline textbooks for each of the math courses that currently use the Integrated Math series.
Whether those textbooks will be considered, the extent of the county's math reform efforts and the timeline for implementing those changes are to be determined by a 40-person math reform committee appointed by central office administrators.
The committee is tasked with choosing which of the report's recommendations to follow and developing a plan for implementing those reforms.
Carolyn Teigland, the county's top educator under Superintendent Carl Roberts, said she has no concerns about the size of the committee, which includes 15 teachers, 10 central office administrators, five parents, five students, four school-based administrators and one professor from Cecil College.
"We have experience in managing large committees and a lot of the work will be done in sub-groups," she said. "Our intent was to include a broad base of stakeholder groups from the start."
Teigland said she expects the committee to release its action plan before the end of 2007.sgoss@cecilwhig.com
In about two months, a committee of 40 people will lay out a map charting a new direction for math instruction in Cecil County public schools.
In the meantime, details from a commissioned report on the county's high school math curriculum could indicate the magnitude of the changes that lie ahead. The report recommends not only doing away with the textbooks used in some high school classes, but also suggests a redesign of the county's math instruction altogether.
Last week, county administrators publicly presented the report's final recommendations, which include replacing the textbook series on which most of the high school math curriculum is based.
The full version of the 57-page report released days later is highly critical of the county's current high school math program, citing its weakness as one of the reasons less than 17 percent of county residents over the age of 25 held a bachelor's degree in 2000.
The high schools use the "Integrated Mathematics" series published by McDougall-Littell for algebra I, geometry and algebra II courses.
The report describes the textbook series as an alternative to a more traditional, single-discipline approach that weaves various math subjects together so that "every year, for three years, students study topics from these different branches of mathematics."
The series, however, is so lacking in follow-up examples and practice problems that county teachers and administrators have had to develop thick binders of supplemental material, according to the report.
"Generally, we find the size and makeup of these supplements to be very inconsistent and expect that they would be difficult for students to use," the report states. "It seems it might be more efficient to find a textbook that needs less supplementation."
Further, the report finds that higher-level math courses offered in county high schools appear to be designed to address gaps in students' algebraic knowledge and skills rather than teaching the higher-level concepts generally associated with courses such as trigonometry and calculus.
Those criticisms are particularly poignant, given the county's long-term plan to provide local students with a realistic opportunity to take advantage of the high-paying science and technology jobs many believe will become available with the future growth at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Public school administrators have been working with Cecil College for years to plan a seamless 16-year education pipeline in which public schools provide students with advanced preparation for acceptance into Cecil College. The two-year school, in turn, would offer courses that mesh with those offered at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which recently signed an agreement to open a satellite campus here.
The report, however, suggests that the public schools' math curriculum is the weak link in that pipeline and could leave incoming students without the math background UMBC expects.
The report notes, for example, that the test Cecil College uses to place incoming students in the appropriate math course places more than 50 percent of county public school students in the most basic class.
Bonnie Tighe, one of the report's authors and a math professor for 20 years, wrote that the biggest problem she encounters every semester is new students with no grasp of algebra, geometry and trigonometry concepts.
"New university students are overly reliant on their calculators and often expect to be given a series of steps to carry out, rather than to think about a problem that is to be solved," she wrote. "At UMBC, virtually all mathematics professors do not allow the use of calculators."
The report later concludes that the high schools' textbooks and curriculum de-emphasize algebraic concepts and fail to adequately prepare students for college coursework.
It also recommends specific, traditionally focused and single-discipline textbooks for each of the math courses that currently use the Integrated Math series.
Whether those textbooks will be considered, the extent of the county's math reform efforts and the timeline for implementing those changes are to be determined by a 40-person math reform committee appointed by central office administrators.
The committee is tasked with choosing which of the report's recommendations to follow and developing a plan for implementing those reforms.
Carolyn Teigland, the county's top educator under Superintendent Carl Roberts, said she has no concerns about the size of the committee, which includes 15 teachers, 10 central office administrators, five parents, five students, four school-based administrators and one professor from Cecil College.
"We have experience in managing large committees and a lot of the work will be done in sub-groups," she said. "Our intent was to include a broad base of stakeholder groups from the start."
Teigland said she expects the committee to release its action plan before the end of 2007.sgoss@cecilwhig.com
Roberts' remarks were disingenuous
Posted: Saturday, March 8, 2008 1:00 am | Updated: 3:45 pm, Wed Nov 25, 2009. From: Pamela J. Kaste
North East
This letter addresses the March 5 article, "Schools say they acted swiftly on math failure."
The wreck that has been the Cecil County Public Schools math curriculum could have been avoided if the superintendent (Dr. Carl Roberts) had proper respect for, and heeded the advice of, our teachers.
For years teachers (even board certified) and school principals who had taught math, tried to fix the problem, but top administrators would not listen. The teachers' concerns were validated by local college math professors who related that CCPS graduates were increasingly ill-prepared and cited data (from the MHEC) showing that math remediation rates for CCPS graduates have been increasing for nearly a decade. This occurred entirely under the direction of our current superintendent.
For the superintendent to claim that students have not been harmed is uncaring and untrue. Many CCPS graduates pay college prices to learn high school math in remedial courses, are six times more likely to drop out, and are not prepared for the job market either.
Clarification is needed - it was the board who acted swiftly to address the math failure, which the superintendent and top administrators ignored. With no disrespect to our appointed members, the elected board members have demonstrated they are capable of improving our children's education.
The board is working to select the next superintendent. Hopefully they will ensure that he/she is respectful and responsive to the CCPS staff. Those working directly with students are the real experts, and their input should count more than that of a few office administrators. Integrity and accountability in a superintendent would be refreshing. Our children deserve no less.
North East
This letter addresses the March 5 article, "Schools say they acted swiftly on math failure."
The wreck that has been the Cecil County Public Schools math curriculum could have been avoided if the superintendent (Dr. Carl Roberts) had proper respect for, and heeded the advice of, our teachers.
For years teachers (even board certified) and school principals who had taught math, tried to fix the problem, but top administrators would not listen. The teachers' concerns were validated by local college math professors who related that CCPS graduates were increasingly ill-prepared and cited data (from the MHEC) showing that math remediation rates for CCPS graduates have been increasing for nearly a decade. This occurred entirely under the direction of our current superintendent.
For the superintendent to claim that students have not been harmed is uncaring and untrue. Many CCPS graduates pay college prices to learn high school math in remedial courses, are six times more likely to drop out, and are not prepared for the job market either.
Clarification is needed - it was the board who acted swiftly to address the math failure, which the superintendent and top administrators ignored. With no disrespect to our appointed members, the elected board members have demonstrated they are capable of improving our children's education.
The board is working to select the next superintendent. Hopefully they will ensure that he/she is respectful and responsive to the CCPS staff. Those working directly with students are the real experts, and their input should count more than that of a few office administrators. Integrity and accountability in a superintendent would be refreshing. Our children deserve no less.
Mistake to keep pushing inclusion
Posted: Tuesday, May 9, 2006 1:00 am | Updated: 11:43 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. To: The editor
From: Alexandra Logan
As another school year winds down, I am sad to say that Cecil County Public Schools is continuing their push with inclusion. Pretty soon, many children will be left behind. I cannot believe the school system truly feels that severe special needs students will benefit from the general education curriculum. What can they gain in algebra class when some cannot identify numbers 1 to 20 consistently?
What is so wrong with separate special education classrooms? These classrooms provide certain students with what they need. I do not see how regular education classrooms can do the same. Having a special needs student at the back or side of the class doing different work than their peers is not inclusion. It is a special education student in a regular education class.
General education classes are appropriate for many special needs children. I find that a positive concept and encourage the school system to look for these children. However, for those that it is not appropriate, do not push it on those students and their families. What about the regular education teachers? They did not go to school for special needs education. Do they want to deal with special education issues? What about the distractions the included students may cause? Is that fair to the non-special needs students?
Concerned parents should plan to attend the special education meeting on May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Elkton public library. Ask questions and state your opinion. Maybe something will change.
From: Alexandra Logan
As another school year winds down, I am sad to say that Cecil County Public Schools is continuing their push with inclusion. Pretty soon, many children will be left behind. I cannot believe the school system truly feels that severe special needs students will benefit from the general education curriculum. What can they gain in algebra class when some cannot identify numbers 1 to 20 consistently?
What is so wrong with separate special education classrooms? These classrooms provide certain students with what they need. I do not see how regular education classrooms can do the same. Having a special needs student at the back or side of the class doing different work than their peers is not inclusion. It is a special education student in a regular education class.
General education classes are appropriate for many special needs children. I find that a positive concept and encourage the school system to look for these children. However, for those that it is not appropriate, do not push it on those students and their families. What about the regular education teachers? They did not go to school for special needs education. Do they want to deal with special education issues? What about the distractions the included students may cause? Is that fair to the non-special needs students?
Concerned parents should plan to attend the special education meeting on May 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Elkton public library. Ask questions and state your opinion. Maybe something will change.
Special ed change sparks anger* Parents doubt benefits of ‘inclusion'
Posted: Friday, May 6, 2005 1:00 am | Updated: 11:41 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Carl Hamilton
“My boy has Down's Syndrome. He can't speak. He can't read. He can't write.
"He can't even go to the bathroom (unassisted)," Kelly Bender of North East said, referring to her fourth-grade son, Lee Rodden, 9.
"And yet," she continued, "he's going to sit with kids in a (regular) classroom and learn right along with them?
"It's not going to work. How can he survive in a regular classroom?"
When should a special ed student be taught in a general classroom?
Whenever possible, is the answer given by Cecil County Public Schools administrators.
But parents who attended a public meeting Tuesday night at North East High School believe the county school system's "inclusion program" n putting challenged students in general classes n is too liberal and ineffective.
According to Kelly Bender, school officials want to transfer her son, Lee, from Perryville Elementary School, where he's taught with six to eight other special ed students, to North East Elementary School, where he will take part in the inclusion program.cahamilton@cecilwhig.com
“My boy has Down's Syndrome. He can't speak. He can't read. He can't write.
"He can't even go to the bathroom (unassisted)," Kelly Bender of North East said, referring to her fourth-grade son, Lee Rodden, 9.
"And yet," she continued, "he's going to sit with kids in a (regular) classroom and learn right along with them?
"It's not going to work. How can he survive in a regular classroom?"
When should a special ed student be taught in a general classroom?
Whenever possible, is the answer given by Cecil County Public Schools administrators.
But parents who attended a public meeting Tuesday night at North East High School believe the county school system's "inclusion program" n putting challenged students in general classes n is too liberal and ineffective.
According to Kelly Bender, school officials want to transfer her son, Lee, from Perryville Elementary School, where he's taught with six to eight other special ed students, to North East Elementary School, where he will take part in the inclusion program.cahamilton@cecilwhig.com
Schools propose biggest spending boost in decade* Cecil superintendent’s plan would add 70 new jobs
Posted: Friday, March 3, 2006 1:00 am | Updated: 11:44 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Goss
The Cecil County Public School System would add more than 70 new employees and $15 million in spending next school year under a budget proposal being considered by the school board.
If approved, the increase would be the largest in Cecil County’s public schools in at least a decade.
Superintendent Carl Robert’s proposed $162 million operating budget for fiscal year 2007 would be 10.2 percent more than the current $147 million spending plan.
The Cecil County Board of Education is scheduled to begin considering the budget proposal Monday night. The members of the board will vote on a final request March 13.
Their version of the proposal then becomes the school system’s formal request to the Cecil County commissioners, who must adopt a county budget by July 1.
“We’ve listened to all the things the administration wants to do next year, and now we’re ready to begin examining whether what they want matches up with our priorities,” school board president William Herold said Thursday.
Even though administrators are asking for more in 2007 than in any one of the past 10 years, Herold said he does not expect the board’s job to be any easier.
“If you look at what it will cost us to meet our obligations to the various employee unions, the federal mandates for special education and keeping up with our fixed charges, you’re talking about $10 to $12 million right there,” Herold said Thursday. “And that doesn’t include money for any new initiatives.”
The school system’s budget has nearly doubled since Roberts was hired in 1996, due in part to legislation that requires the state to pick up a larger share of the cost.
Under the administration’s proposal for next year, the county would contribute $67 million, or 44 percent of the budget, compared to the $85.7 million, or 56 percent that would come from the state.
A decade ago, the county assumed 51 percent of the school system’s budget, while the state picked up 49 percent.
Student enrollment, meanwhile, has increased by 9.9 percent in the last 10 years. The student population is expected to grow by 101 students in 2007, or less than 1 percent.
Large increases in spending despite relatively low increases in student enrollment are nothing new for the county’s school system.
Since 2003, enrollment has increased by an average of 2 percent a year. Yet the school system has consistently set the record for the largest single-year budget increase in each of those years.
But Herold Thursday said he does not see that as an indication of excessive spending.
“In my mind, it’s not a fair comparison because the real question is what does it cost to educate our students properly?” he said. “I believe that for a long time we were not spending enough for education. Even today, we’re 20th in the state in terms of county spending on public education.”
Funding the school system’s operating budget is split between the county and state governments, with a small portion paid by the federal government and other sources.
The federal government and other sources would fund the remaining $9.1 million, or 6 percent, of the budget.
Of the $15 million in new spending proposed for fiscal year 2007, the county would be asked to cover about $5 million, while the state would pick up almost $10 million.
The largest increase proposed in the 2007 operating budget is a $3.8 million boost for instruction-based salaries and wages, which includes the pay for classroom teachers, support teachers, paraprofessionals, media specialists, guidance counselors and psychologists.
The proposed increase would raise the level of spending in that category from $56.5 million to $60.38 million, a boost of 6.8 percent.
Most of that added cost would come in the form of new hires and pay raises for existing employees.
Barbara Wheeler, associate superintendent of education services, has proposed adding 28.81 new teachers, 3.5 new guidance counselors and 8.5 new paraprofessionals.
Those new hires and pay raises for existing employees would add about $4.3 million to the payroll, while cuts in other areas would eliminate $1 million.
Wheeler said the new instructional positions would support several new school initiatives.
For instance, she said, the expansion of full-day kindergarten necessitates the addition of seven new teachers and more than eight new paraprofessionals. The addition of a dance course in the elementary school would account for another eight new teachers, while the expansion of foreign language instruction in the middle schools would require five new teachers, she said.
Those positions do not include the school system’s proposed allocation for special education teachers and programs.
The special education category is proposed to increase by $2.26 million, or about 14.8 percent. The largest increase in that category would cover transfers, while about $1 million would cover raises for existing personnel and the addition of 28.7 new positions, including seven new teachers and more than 15 new paraprofessionals.
Another $3.8 million increase is proposed in the school system’s budget for fixed charges, which includes employee benefits like unemployment, life insurance, medical insurance, Social Security and other costs.
That increase would raise the amount spent on fixed charges from $24.7 million to $28.6 million, a boost of 15.5 percent.
Rising costs associated with providing transportation and operating the county’s 30 schools would add another $2.76 million in spending under the administration’s budget proposal.
Proposed enhancements to the transportation budget include raises for 26 transportation employees, the addition of a second bus driver trainer, the replacement of 15 buses and the addition of four new bus routes.
Meanwhile, administrators are anticipating a 30 percent increase in utility costs, which include electricity, fuel oil, natural gas and propane. That cost is expected to add $1.3 million to the budget.
Both the board of education’s budget work session Monday night and its final vote March 13 are open to the public.
Copies of the budget proposal can be obtained by calling 410-996-5474 or by accessing the school system’s Web site at Posted: Friday, March 3, 2006 1:00 am | Updated: 11:44 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Gosssgoss@cecilwhig.com www.ccps.org.
The Cecil County Public School System would add more than 70 new employees and $15 million in spending next school year under a budget proposal being considered by the school board.
If approved, the increase would be the largest in Cecil County’s public schools in at least a decade.
Superintendent Carl Robert’s proposed $162 million operating budget for fiscal year 2007 would be 10.2 percent more than the current $147 million spending plan.
The Cecil County Board of Education is scheduled to begin considering the budget proposal Monday night. The members of the board will vote on a final request March 13.
Their version of the proposal then becomes the school system’s formal request to the Cecil County commissioners, who must adopt a county budget by July 1.
“We’ve listened to all the things the administration wants to do next year, and now we’re ready to begin examining whether what they want matches up with our priorities,” school board president William Herold said Thursday.
Even though administrators are asking for more in 2007 than in any one of the past 10 years, Herold said he does not expect the board’s job to be any easier.
“If you look at what it will cost us to meet our obligations to the various employee unions, the federal mandates for special education and keeping up with our fixed charges, you’re talking about $10 to $12 million right there,” Herold said Thursday. “And that doesn’t include money for any new initiatives.”
The school system’s budget has nearly doubled since Roberts was hired in 1996, due in part to legislation that requires the state to pick up a larger share of the cost.
Under the administration’s proposal for next year, the county would contribute $67 million, or 44 percent of the budget, compared to the $85.7 million, or 56 percent that would come from the state.
A decade ago, the county assumed 51 percent of the school system’s budget, while the state picked up 49 percent.
Student enrollment, meanwhile, has increased by 9.9 percent in the last 10 years. The student population is expected to grow by 101 students in 2007, or less than 1 percent.
Large increases in spending despite relatively low increases in student enrollment are nothing new for the county’s school system.
Since 2003, enrollment has increased by an average of 2 percent a year. Yet the school system has consistently set the record for the largest single-year budget increase in each of those years.
But Herold Thursday said he does not see that as an indication of excessive spending.
“In my mind, it’s not a fair comparison because the real question is what does it cost to educate our students properly?” he said. “I believe that for a long time we were not spending enough for education. Even today, we’re 20th in the state in terms of county spending on public education.”
Funding the school system’s operating budget is split between the county and state governments, with a small portion paid by the federal government and other sources.
The federal government and other sources would fund the remaining $9.1 million, or 6 percent, of the budget.
Of the $15 million in new spending proposed for fiscal year 2007, the county would be asked to cover about $5 million, while the state would pick up almost $10 million.
The largest increase proposed in the 2007 operating budget is a $3.8 million boost for instruction-based salaries and wages, which includes the pay for classroom teachers, support teachers, paraprofessionals, media specialists, guidance counselors and psychologists.
The proposed increase would raise the level of spending in that category from $56.5 million to $60.38 million, a boost of 6.8 percent.
Most of that added cost would come in the form of new hires and pay raises for existing employees.
Barbara Wheeler, associate superintendent of education services, has proposed adding 28.81 new teachers, 3.5 new guidance counselors and 8.5 new paraprofessionals.
Those new hires and pay raises for existing employees would add about $4.3 million to the payroll, while cuts in other areas would eliminate $1 million.
Wheeler said the new instructional positions would support several new school initiatives.
For instance, she said, the expansion of full-day kindergarten necessitates the addition of seven new teachers and more than eight new paraprofessionals. The addition of a dance course in the elementary school would account for another eight new teachers, while the expansion of foreign language instruction in the middle schools would require five new teachers, she said.
Those positions do not include the school system’s proposed allocation for special education teachers and programs.
The special education category is proposed to increase by $2.26 million, or about 14.8 percent. The largest increase in that category would cover transfers, while about $1 million would cover raises for existing personnel and the addition of 28.7 new positions, including seven new teachers and more than 15 new paraprofessionals.
Another $3.8 million increase is proposed in the school system’s budget for fixed charges, which includes employee benefits like unemployment, life insurance, medical insurance, Social Security and other costs.
That increase would raise the amount spent on fixed charges from $24.7 million to $28.6 million, a boost of 15.5 percent.
Rising costs associated with providing transportation and operating the county’s 30 schools would add another $2.76 million in spending under the administration’s budget proposal.
Proposed enhancements to the transportation budget include raises for 26 transportation employees, the addition of a second bus driver trainer, the replacement of 15 buses and the addition of four new bus routes.
Meanwhile, administrators are anticipating a 30 percent increase in utility costs, which include electricity, fuel oil, natural gas and propane. That cost is expected to add $1.3 million to the budget.
Both the board of education’s budget work session Monday night and its final vote March 13 are open to the public.
Copies of the budget proposal can be obtained by calling 410-996-5474 or by accessing the school system’s Web site at Posted: Friday, March 3, 2006 1:00 am | Updated: 11:44 am, Wed Nov 25, 2009. By Scott Gosssgoss@cecilwhig.com www.ccps.org.
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