September 2, 2010
The St. Mary’s Board of Education has submitted its state capital improvement plan to the Board of County Commissioners, requesting $12.7 million in state aid for the construction of a new elementary school. The Washington Post reports,
Despite the completion of a 200-seat addition to Leonardtown Elementary School two years ago, the school already exceeds capacity, as does Evergreen Elementary School, which opened last year, said Kim Howe, the schools’ coordinating supervisor of capital planning and construction.
Even if the proposed school, which would have a capacity of 644 students, opens by the start of the 2015-16 school year, county elementary schools are projected to exceed capacity within two years.
Leonardtown Elementary opened this year with about 690 students; it has a capacity of 613. Evergreen Elementary has about 675 students this year; its capacity is 644. Both schools will probably top 700 students by the end of this month, Howe said.
To qualify for state aid, a school system must show that its schools are overcapacity by at least half the population of a future school, when the school is approved, and that it will be able to fill the school once construction is completed, Howe said.
“We were in a very good position last year. One of the things we had to do was show a capacity need,” which is clearly demonstrated, Howe said. The other requirement is a school site, which now is in place at the Hayden Farm, near Leonardtown.
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Posted by Emily Hollis
September 1, 2010
As Montgomery County students returned to school on Monday, parents and teachers alike noticed an increase in class sizes and student enrollment. The state’s largest school system had anticipated for an increase in class size, as well as, a decrease in teaching positions due to a 4.4% cut in the school systems operating budget; however enrollment figures surpassed the original enrollment projection. The Washington Post reports,
(Montgomery County Superintendent Jerry) Weast said he was confident that students would wind up in their correct classrooms, even if a wave of late registrations meant that the school system won’t know exactly how many students it has for another month. Montgomery schools expect about 144,000 students this year, and more than 2,200 students have registered in just the past few weeks. They’re still streaming in, officials said.
“Just think of planning a dinner party, how exciting it is, without knowing how many people are coming,” Weast said.
Weast also marked the release of a report Monday praising Montgomery’s early childhood program. The report, by the Foundation for Child Development and the Pew Center on the States, says the program has helped the county improve literacy and narrow performance gaps between racial and ethnic groups.
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Posted by Emily Hollis
August 30, 2010
An August 29 Baltimore Sun article discusses how Maryland school systems are preparing to receive nearly $400 million from the federal Race to the Top initiative and the education jobs bill. The monies provided from both sources of funding are one-time only.
Unlike states where budget tightening has increased class sizes or shortened school days, Maryland is starting the school year largely protected from such drastic changes — and looking forward to a $400 million infusion of new federal money over the next several years. …
Over the course of the next year, students should begin to see the effects of the cash infusion: more rigorous assignments, a greater use of technology and an overall rise in the level of teaching, said James Foran, an assistant state superintendent and project manager for Race to the Top. …
While local school officials say no decisions have been made yet, Foran said each district is likely to target the area that needs the most improvement. …
The money also commits the state to developing a new evaluation system for principals and teachers, directly linking student test scores to teacher performance. Teachers unions will begin negotiating with their school boards in the next year over the details of those evaluations, and some counties will begin pilot programs in the spring.
The second half of the Race to the Top money will be spent by the state to provide teachers and principals with more training, and to develop the new state curriculum and other programs such as a statewide data collection system.
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Posted by Les Knapp
August 27, 2010
New figures released from the Maryland Department of Education indicate that there has been more than a 10 percent decline in new teacher hires for the 2010-11 school year. The Gazette reports :
“Being in an economic downturn, we’re retaining our teachers. People are not as apt to up and leave the system or retire, and so therefore we have less attrition,” said Amber Waller, an at-large school board member for Prince George’s County.
For 2009-10, 3,463.5 teachers were hired in Maryland’s 24 public school districts, compared with 2,991.5 teachers for the upcoming year, including full and part-time teachers, according to the state Department of Education statistics. This represents a 13.6 percent decline. Prince George’s County Public Schools experienced the most dramatic drop-off in hiring — from 663 new teachers hired as of mid-August last year to 220 this year, a decrease of about two-thirds.
While a number of school systems throughout the state continue to deal with budget cuts, decreases in employment opportunities, and increases in class sizes; Baltimore County has witnessed an increase in their new teacher hires.
Baltimore County Public Schools, one of the state’s largest systems, hired 361.5 teachers for the upcoming school year, compared with 244 teachers for 2009-10, according to the state statistics. In addition, despite the security that a teacher’s job often provides, the projected number of new teachers needed jumped from 300 to 500 in Baltimore County, while the number of students is projected to remain flat from last year to 2010-11 at about 104,100.Baltimore County schools are in good shape financially, having not eliminated any teacher positions this year while implementing cost-of-living increases for teachers, said Charles Herndon, a spokesman for the school system. At the same time, the large number of teachers on the East Coast who have been laid off recently has created a larger applicant pool, he said.
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Posted by Emily Hollis
August 27, 2010
An August 27 Gazette article describes the decision of Montgomery and Frederick Counties to decline Race to the Top funds by refusing to sign onto the State’s Race to the Top application.
The two counties, which share a geographical border, also share the distinction of being left out of the quarter-million-dollar pot coming Maryland’s way. That’s because Montgomery and Frederick declined to sign on to the Race to the Top application. …
“There was concern about a lack of detail regarding how Race to the Top would be implemented, what some of the expectations would be and also the concern about funding adequacy,” said Marita Loose, a spokeswoman for Frederick County Public Schools.
In a written statement Thursday, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig said the school system’s lack of support for Race to the Top centered on how teacher evaluations might differ from what the county uses and the nature of the tests that would be administered to students.
“We are not willing to undo that simply to chase money that will amount to less than 0.3 percent of our budget, much of which cannot be used for direct instructional costs,” Tofig wrote.
August 25 Conduit Street post on Race to the Top
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Posted by Les Knapp
August 25, 2010
As previously reported in an August 24 Conduit Street post, Maryland has been awarded $250 million in federal Race to the Top funding. States who applied for the competitive grants had to make proposals that advanced reforms in four key areas: (1) adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy; (2) building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; (3) recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and (4) turning around our lowest-achieving schools. To make itself more attractive during the application process, Maryland adopted legislation during the 2010 Session, HB 1263, that altered the tenure and performance evaluation process for teachers. In June, the State Board of Education also adopted the Common Core State Standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.
According the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Maryland’s vision for reform is to:
- Revise the PreK-12 Maryland State Curriculum, assessments, and accountability system based on the Common Core Standards to assure that all graduates are college- and career-ready.
- Build a statewide technology infrastructure that links all data elements with analytic and instructional tools to monitor and promote student achievement.
- Redesign the model for preparation, development, retention, and evaluation of teachers and principals.
- Fully implement the innovative Breakthrough Center approach for transforming low-performing schools and districts.
Race to the Top funding is a one-time award and there is concern that if the money were used in local school systems to establish programs with an ongoing cost, this would transform into an unfunded mandate on the counties. To date, MSDE has focused on systemic teacher evaluation and curriculum changes and the implementation of a longitudinal data system for tracking student performance. These changes have largely one-time upfront costs, but MACo will continue to monitor the situation.
An August 25 Maryland Reporter article describes a spirited debate that took place between school superintendents and teacher union representatives over Race to the Top teacher evaluations at the MACo summer conference.
United States Department of Education Race to the Top Website
MSDE Race to the Top Website
Maryland’s Race to the Top Application [Warning - Large Download]
August 25 Washington Post Article
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Posted by Les Knapp
August 24, 2010
The United States Department of Education (USDE) has released application and guidance documents for Education Jobs Fund program. The program provides $10 billion in assistance to States to save or create education jobs for the 2010-2011 school year. The program is expected to help retain or create at least 161,000 jobs. Eligible jobs include teachers, principals, custodians, librarians, bus drivers, and any others that provide educational and related services for early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. The funds may not be spent on administrative or curriculum costs.
Maryland is eligible to receive $179 million, which will fund an estimated 2,500 jobs. However, there are concerns about whether Maryland and other states can meet the program’s maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement due to recent cuts to community college funding. The program’s authorizing statute provides four options to meet its MOE requirements and USDE is committed to working with each state to make sure MOE is met.
The Governor of each state must apply for the funds by September 9. Each state may reserve up to 2 percent of its allocation for administration costs. The remaining portion of the allocation must be awarded to the local education authorities (LEAS) for use during the 2010-2011 school year. A state may allocate the funds to its LEAs either: (1) through the state’s primary elementary and secondary education funding formula; or (2) on the basis of the LEAs’ relative share of funds under Part A of its Title I funding.
USDE link to authorizing statute
USDE link to application forms and guidance documents
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Posted by Les Knapp
August 24, 2010
An August 22 Yahoo! News article discusses the unveiling of the most expensive public school in the nation, at a cost of $578 million. The article also discusses the trend of building “Taj Mahal” schools – those with a price tag of $100 million or more.
LOS ANGELES – Next month’s opening of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools will be auspicious for a reason other than its both storied and infamous history as the former Ambassador Hotel, where the Democratic presidential contender was assassinated in 1968. With an eye-popping price tag of $578 million, it will mark the inauguration of the nation’s most expensive public school ever.
The K-12 complex to house 4,200 students has raised eyebrows across the country as the creme de la creme of “Taj Mahal” schools, $100 million-plus campuses boasting both architectural panache and deluxe amenities. …
Los Angeles is not alone, however, in building big. Some of the most expensive schools are found in low-performing districts — New York City has a $235 million campus; New Brunswick, N.J., opened a $185 million high school in January.
Nationwide, dozens of schools have surpassed $100 million with amenities including atriums, orchestra-pit auditoriums, food courts, even bamboo nooks. The extravagance has led some to wonder where the line should be drawn and whether more money should be spent on teachers.
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Posted by Les Knapp
August 11, 2010
Following recent action by the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives followed suit and passed H.R. 1586, the amended legislation now containing the so-called “Jobs Bill” that extends support for state Medicaid programs and for local school systems. Today, President Obama signed the bill into law.
From the Washington Post coverage:
In the Washington area, where budget troubles have forced school boards to freeze salaries, trim programs or cut staff, the bill would provide about $70 million for the District, $450 million for Maryland and $540 million for Virginia, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Maryland’s schools superintendent, Nancy S. Grasmick, said the “money will be helpful” in reducing class sizes and rehiring reading teachers and other specialists.
By most accounts, the Maryland effects will include some $280 million for Medicaid, and $170 million to public education. (Update: Recent information provided through NACo offers added support for these estimates)
See a summary here of the legislation’s complete effects.
August 12 Daily Record Article on Medicaid Portion of the Bill
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Posted by Michael Sanderson
August 9, 2010
An August 8 DelmarvaNow.com article examines whether the number of positions and salary levels for the Wicomico County Board of Education are reasonable.
In Wicomico County, public schools receive nearly half of the county’s operating budget, which is generated mainly through county property and income taxes. This year, that’s about $43 million, a $7.5 million reduction from last year. After state and federal aid, the Wicomico County Board of Education budget for 2010-11 totals more than $170 million.
Due to the size of these budgets and cuts, the number of BOE administrators has been questioned in public meetings, on the local blogosphere and in the political arena. It is with this in mind that The Daily Times is publishing a list of top BOE positions, including salaries. …
With well over 14,000 students, 3,000 employees and 26 schools, WCBOE is, by far, one of the largest organizations in Salisbury. Together, its buildings have about twice the square footage of Peninsula Regional Medical Center. In Maryland, the most comparable system is Cecil County schools, with more than 16,000 students, 2,300 employees and 30 schools. …
This year, Cecil schools are spending 2.4 percent of their total budget of $181.7 million on administration and Wicomico is spending 2.8 percent of its $173.4 million. This means less than 1 cent out of every local tax dollar goes to WCBOE administration. The leadership team pay for Cecil schools is slightly higher than in Wicomico. In 2008-09, the most recent year data was available, about 28 percent of staff was noninstructional for Cecil, the same as Wicomico. Both systems recently reduced a central office administrator. …
Visit www.wcboe.org for a glimpse of the programs they administer. Visit www.DelmarvaNow.com for a full list of WCBOE positions and salaries. Differences in pay for identical positions are due to different levels of education and experience. WCBOE is required by law to negotiate salaries, wages, hours and working conditions with unions representing a majority of school level positions.
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Posted by Les Knapp
