The Board of Education wants community input as it makes plans for facility use and management.
School Superintendent Steve Guthrie sent a message to parents last week asking them to complete a facility survey to help the school system decide how to utilize school space in upcoming years with declining student enrollment and budget constraints.
Guthrie said in his message: Due to declining revenues, Carroll County Public Schools has been forced to reduce its operating expenses by $20 million over the past five years. Other than continuing to reduce staff, the school system has exhausted most areas of reduction in its operating budget. Therefore it is time to look at facilities to ensure that all school space is being used in the best possible manner. Accordingly, Carroll County Public Schools will be conducting a comprehensive facility study over the next several months.
There has been a lot of public discussion about declining student enrollment throughout the school system, Guthrie said.
This past budgeting session, there was serious discussion of closing Charles Carroll Elementary School as the school is in need of major renovations. The school survived one more year but the school board decided to revisit the decision again next year.
Carroll County Commissioners Richard Rothschild and Robin Bartlett-Frazier commented throughout the budgeting session that the school system, with declining student population, should explore closing schools.
The county currently operates 23 elementary schools, nine middle schools and eight high schools. Serving more than 27,000 students, Carroll County is the ninth largest school system in the state.
According to Guthrie, initial input will be collected from the public through the survey. Public hearings on any recommended options will be held later in the process.
The survey will be available through June 15, 2012.
Results of the survey and other information will be made public as the study progresses. In addition, another community survey seeking input on specific proposals and recommendations will be conducted in late September or early October. The entire study will be completed by December 31, 2012.
Access the survey through the Carroll County Public Schools website.
David A. Grand
6:26 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
His appealing to the public for its surport in pulling the rug out from unde Rothschild and Frazier's proposed closing of schools with small school enrollmennts was a clever tactic, for which he's deserving of the Machiavellian award of the month, if not the year.
JoAnn Nicholls
7:38 am on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
So I take it that Mr. Grand feels it is good solid practice in handling the people's money prudently through a long and painful recession to allow somewhere around nine county schools....some of them only 44% filled, to be heated, filled with paid administrative staff, etc???? KEEP THEM OPEN???? Do you really believe this Mr. Grand??? After last night in Wisconsin where the FIRST state to allow public employee unions in a state suffering a severe deficit....now turning around by the sitting recalled Governor Walker... who is the FIRST politician in history to prevail a recall election...BY A LANDSLIDE..... Mr. Grand.... you sit in your blogging chair and somehow, with three referendums in the state of Maryland, think the citizens here are "different" than the citizens in Wisconsin....REALLY???? There's not a road I drive by in this county where I don't see houses boarded up...lawns growing to the sky....CLOSED!!!! BOARDED UP!!!!! But Mr. Grand somehow feels that which has become common place for mainstream America, ie: tightening your belt, cannot EVER be practiced in the public education system.....REALLY???
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jag
5:24 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tough decisions have got to be made, but I don't see anyone in the CCPS able to make them. Not only should several schools be closed, but over paid central office staff should be asked to leave or stay at a reduced salary.
Sure, 40 route buses have been cut, but there are still students who can safely walk to school that will be riding buses next year.
Mr Guthrie talks about a tight budget, but got upset and laughed off issues of waste that were brought to his attention. Get a backbone Mr Guthrie and investigate these issues. Hold folks accountable!!! Shut down temporary buildings when there are empty classrooms in the school building. Outside lights burning 24 hours a day, the money is not there for stupidity.
Buck Harmon
5:32 pm on Wednesday, June 6, 2012
A couple of years ago Shoemaker put the hard push on to build a huge high school north of Hampstead. The school was built so large that they still can't use all of the space...this is a new school...why was it built ? Shoemaker logic...
Buck Harmon
10:18 am on Thursday, October 11, 2012
4 months later....??