On June 6, 2023 the Worcester County Commissioners voted against the additional funds requested by the Worcester County Board of Education. Each year, the BOE asks for extra funding in addition to what is called the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) – the county’s portion of school funding. Worcester county is among the most self-funded school system in the state, contributing approximately 81% toward the per-pupil cost to educate a child in the county. The other 19% accounts for federal and state funding.
The commissioners asked school officials for a detailed line-item budget from the school system and their administration flat-out refused to provide for their request. In response, the commissioners made a simple call to not give a penny over the MOE. Of course this did not come without drama from the school system, the teachers’ union, and the OPEB.
While this bunch tries to drive a narrative to say that the County Commissioners are “anti- education” and “anti-teacher,” the fact is that the BOE is $151M behind in funding their retirement account. They don’t contribute enough yearly to cover the current cost, which is just over $6M. This year once again, the BOE put just over $2M and the County Commissioners have put in $8M to get the BOE OPEB fully funded. Now, who’s really looking out for teachers? The veil is lifted.
Despite the drama, the decision was made 5-2 to lock the 2024 school budget without the gravy, due to the long standing pattern of the school’s misappropriation, poor management, sneakiness, and defiance.
Here is how it ended, establishing accountability with foundational bold comments by Commissioners Eric Fiori (District 3) and Caryn Abbott (District 1).
GOD BLESS Katie, Caryn & Eric!
To all the teachers complaining that they are not going to get their raise, direct your ire at those who were responsible for not being transparent and clear about all BOE expenditures. The BOE gave about 4-5% (in terms of details) when they were directed to do so at 100%. Sucks to get schooled, ain’t it?
It simply doesn’t cost very much money to properly educate our children. Books, time, and caring attention are not very expensive. The rest of the exorbitant school budgets are terrible wastes of money. At best they are misguided and ineffective. At worst they can sometimes seem corrupt. Why should it cost so much to gather students together in a room with a teacher, have everyone share and discuss a reading assignment or an exercise in mathematics or have a review of students’ writings? If you think anything other than that is required for a truly high quality education then you are mistaken. Teach your children well …
Finally the accountability that we’ve been waiting for. Now we need that in Wicomico and Somerset, and probably other counties too!
First they defunded our police, and firemen and now they defunded our the schools…
Give me a break. It’s time these organizations are held accountable for their wasteful spending. Focus on the needs before the wants.
Such a typical union response. Nobody’s intimidated by your baseless ignorance. It’s called accountability, something you’re not used to. Better get used to it!
Since when is allocating half the County tax intake to unaccountable public school budget defunding? Why can’t the most highly-educated amongst us figure out ways to SAVE money?
I’m a teacher and we get paid well. I am also a taxpayer and they have an obligation to spend our money wisely. They are not defunding anything, just asking for fiscal responsibility.
Yeah….I’m an ACTUAL teacher at Snow Hill and we can barely survive on crappy wage what they pay us…factor in the out of control spoiled brats whose parents want us to raise them and endless media abuse..no thanks. Been there three years too long. Luckily, I recently applied to Wicomico as an admin when this BS “transparency” drama began two months ago. Now I’ll be heading there in the fall…good luck as the politicians gleefully fuck our own children’s and residents future by not investing in basic learning…
4:43 – The grass in Wicomico isn’t any greener. You were better off staying where you were.
4:43 – Now that you gave away such details, we know who you are. Sorry…you didn’t get the admin position in Wicomico. Union teachers like you have no business teaching and should not be within a mile of a child. Probably best if you pack up and get a job at Target.
Good riddance idiot! Hope you’re not in charge of finance because you have no clue. And as for Wicomico, the joke is on you. Hee hee
Interesting how you refer to the children as spoiled brats and also by inference have no respect for parents either, yet close with a line acting as if you care about these same children’s education… Not believable. If a company employee exhibited this level of disrespect for its employer they would be fired. And thats what you are- a public employee and we the taxpayers are your employers. Good riddance to you and Lord help the next children you pretend to educate. Teaching used to be an honorable profession, my father retired from Worcester County school system as a teacher. You have made it a subject of ridicule and deservedly so.
AMEN! – Worcester teacher
Line by line spending only, with justifications. You’d be amazed at how many times continued funding is demanded for programs and equipment that are gathering dust. And be sure to nix any rainbow flag funding.
Why haven’t the commissoners been asking for this information before this year? Now all of a sudden they need a line item explanation of expenses. BOE should hand over all of their books/records and tell them here you go you are now the BOE also.
Another ignorant union response…
honest question, why to the folks who hate teachers unions and other first responder unions only support the police union it seems…even though the FOP specifically said that they supported the BOE increase request since much of the funding was also connected to public safety concerns….thanks.
You obviously have no idea what the process is. I used to work for the County; every department gives a line item detail of their budget request for the year. The fact that the BOE evidently thinks they should be some kind of special exception is ridiculous. Previous bodies of Commissioners were not doing their jobs; BOE should have beenr equired to submit all along just like everyone else
That would be a great idea! Then the taxpayers would really see how the BOE wastes their money. Would be quite entertaining.
Need to win the White House in 2024 so they can disband the DOE. There’s no reason for the federal government to be involved in education. That’s a town/county/state responsibility. I’d gladly pay more in taxes if it meant something for the kids in my counties schools.
I would like to know how much money the Worcester County BOE wasted by switching all the computers in the school system from PC to Apple. Not a knock on Apple but they had perfectly fine computers that were up to date. By switching from PC to Apple they had to replace EVERYTHING. All desktops, servers, software, software licenses. Everything would have needed to be replaced with such a switch over.
Lets not for get that Apple products are way more expensive than PC so not only did they replace perfectly good computers just to go to Apple, it is a sure bet that they paid top dollar for everything even with gov discounts.
In the end it was a complete waste of money for o reason except for someone in Administration was an Apple fan and forced the change on the whole school board.
7:48 am – A guy by the name of Tom Mascara tried to tell them that but got into a no win battle with an Assistant Supt. who wanted the Apple products. I believe he tried to tell them several times, but was ignored. At the time I think his title was coordinator of technology or something like that. Anyway, he had a common sense approach that wasn’t favored by the new big cheese and he was reassigned to a classroom. Just wait until the unit cost and everything else comes out….some big whig is gonna have a lotta ‘splanin’ to do.
How did that whole COMMON CORE project work out?
You mean the program after No Child Left Behind faltered and was abandoned, and before the incoming flavor of the decade, the Blueprint?
I’m loving that the corrupt establishment and corrupt teachers union is finally being held accountable. I’m very excited to see who gets stuck holding the accountability bag.
Why are most people’s comments anomous? Stand up for your beliefs.
Jamie Rice
Well Jamie, some of us work in this woke environment. We have families and bills like everyone else, and I certainly don’t make what teachers and Principals do. By placing our thoughts here in an anonymous fashion, we can let our voices be heard without fear of retribution. I, like many, would like to see a great many things change, but I can’t allow myself to be in a position where I can’t provide for my family.