The Garrett County Board of Education recently held its public hearings for the potential closings of Kitzmiller and Dennett Road elementary schools. The hearing for Kitzmiller Elementary was held last Thursday (Jan. 19) in that school's multipurpose room, while the hearing for Dennett Road Elementary took place on Tuesday in the gymnasium of Southern High School – a venue chosen to accommodate the large crowd expected by the board.
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Both events began with a presentation by Sue Waggoner, interim superintendent of schools. Those presentations showcased the fiscal problems faced by the county and the BOE, namely the trending loss of enrollment and Maryland's wealth formula, which ranks Garrett County as the state's fifth-wealthiest county despite its large number of students who qualify for free and reduced meals.
"This is like a grieving process as we're dealing with the potential loss of our schools," Waggoner said. "We're looking at every aspect of this situation while trying to make tough decisions."
Waggoner also talked about trying to attract some of Garrett County's 294 homeschooled students into the system through the use of technology and offerings in advanced-placement courses. This addition of students would potentially increase state funding, though, as Waggoner explained, this would require some support from lawmakers in Annapolis, as Maryland currently does not permit funding for part-time students.
More here.
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