Kristin Harty Barkley
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Tue Apr 26, 2011, 11:43 PM EDT
OAKLAND — An unprecedented windfall from county government is keeping tiny Kitzmiller Elementary School from closing — at least for the time being.
But the extra $700,000 that Garrett County commissioners scraped together for the public school system wasn’t enough to save Bloomington Elementary.
The Garrett County Board of Education voted 5-0 Tuesday night to close Bloomington at the end of the school year, a move that will save the school system around $426,000 next year. Bloomington’s 32 students are to attend Broad Ford Elementary in the fall.
“I believe very firmly that a school is not the concrete,” said the school board’s newest member, Cynthia Downton, adding that she’s had “many sleepless nights” contemplating the school closings.
“A school is not the bricks. A school is the children, a school is the families … In this county, the children can excel anywhere.”
More than 100 people attended Tuesday night’s meeting, which included the most up-to-date information about how much money the school system expects to receive next year from the state and county.
At least some of the news was good.
Though state funding is expected to continue to diminish in the decade ahead as enrollment declines, next year’s anticipated $3.1 million shortfall has shrunk to about $788,000 — thanks in part to an additional appropriation from commissioners. Altogether, the county is contributing $24.2 million to the schools this year.
“This makes our appropriation for FY2012 the highest amount ever given to the school system, and we’re very grateful for that,” said Superintendent of Schools Wendell Teets, who first recommended in September that the board close both Bloomington and Kitzmiller, the county’s two most-expensive-to-operate schools.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Teets modified that recommendation, saying the board could afford to keep Kitzmiller open next year, but not indefinitely.
“As we look to the future, closing Kitzmiller I think is a reality that we need to face tonight or sometime in the near future,” said Teets, who plans to retire in June. The board approved the appointment of Sue Waggoner, executive director of instruction, as interim superintendent starting July 1.
“The board must continue to look at the number of schools it can sustain as enrollment continues to decline,” Teets said. “We cannot continue to maintain these high-cost schools at the expense of services for all of our students.”
Enrollment in Garrett County schools has declined by around 10 percent over the last decade and is expected to decline another 10 percent by 2019, data shows. Currently, there are around 4,200 students in the system. Kitzmiller Elementary has about 54 students and costs about $410,000 a year to operate. A motion to close the school died Tuesday night without a second.
For Kitzmiller residents, it’s an uneasy reprieve.
“Of course, we’re happy, but we know that long-term there’s going to have to be some adjustments made for the county,” said Matthew Paugh, a Kitzmiller Town Council member and lifelong resident.
For more than a year, the community has been working together to try to keep the school open. “Our strategic plan hinges on using the school as a community center,” Paugh said. “Now we have to turn toward developing that community center.”
Tearful Bloomington residents hugged after Tuesday’s meeting, trying to absorb the finality of the board’s decision. They’ve also been fighting to keep their school open.
“I’m beyond disappointed,” said Kitty Mill, 67, a lifelong Bloomington resident.
Before Tuesday night’s vote, several other residents spoke, asking the board to consider what’s best for all Garrett County students — not just those who attend its smallest elementary schools.
Driver’s education instructor Martin Troublefield lobbied to keep that program intact.
“It’s a model program. It’s very beneficial to the community,” Troublefield said. Longtime Garrett County resident George Scheffel was concerned that funding shortfalls might cause athletic programs to be cut. Others expressed concerns about cutting after-school programs and extracurricular activities.
“You guys and the commissioners will get some serious flack for closing Bloomington and Kitzmiller, but I concur that it must be done,” Scheffel said.
“… The handwriting is on the wall. At least four, maybe even five schools are going to need to be closed in the next decade, and my point is, why wait? We need to look at things long term and not kick the can down the road.”
Contact Kristin Harty Barkley at kbarkley@times-news.com
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