Schools back in session and things are going great, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Barbara Wheeler.
“It was one of the finest openings we’ve had considering the upheaval we had regarding consolidation, which I still fervently believe was the best decision we could make for our children,” she said.
Wheeler, along with Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Fay Miller, was at the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday to give an update on everything from budget adjustments to the Board of Education’s relocation.
It’s not just the eight schools that were involved in the consolidation that are doing well. Wheeler said the climate at the high school was “exceptional” and there is nothing to look forward to but greatness.
Commissioner Ron Fithian said he has had two individuals who were very vocal critics of the consolidation come up to him and admit they were wrong. When one gentleman walked through Kent County Middle School, Fithian said, he was “very impressed with the advantages the children had.”
Wheeler said one of the biggest lessons she learned from the consolidation was the need to communicate with the community and parents better and encouraged the commissioners to visit KCMS to see the courses that have been added.
“When you walk through there and see the students practicing drama or hear them learning Spanish … it was a good thing.”
Progress continues to be made on the relocation of the Board of Education office, 215 Washington Ave., to what was Rock Hall Elementary School. Miller said that the School Board approved the bid from Harper & Sons of Easton for $277,800 to create office space in the old school building.
“We’re going to have some walls taken down, put some other walls up … use half-height walls so they (contractors) only have to rebalance the HVAC system it doesn’t have to be completely redone,” said Miller.
All the black boards, white boards, cabinets, playground, and kitchen equipment have been moved to other schools. Anything that was bought by the RHES PTA for students or teachers was moved with them to their new building, what was Rock Hall Middle School.
The contractor hopes to have all the work done by November 1, Miller said, and the move of the Board of Education office will begin the same day.
“We can’t be off 215 Washington Ave. soon enough,” she said.
Wheeler added, “I have a little swimming pool in front of my office every time it rains. The water is over the shoes.”
Things are moving forward with the alternative school’s relocation as well. The modular classrooms should be in place and ready for students by the end of September, Miller said. The classrooms will go next to the tennis courts at Kent County High School.
Currently the alternative school is housed in the Board of Education office.
“They’re very good, we don’t even know that they’re there,” she said.
The commissioners approved two adjustments to the Kent County Public School budget. The school system received a $21,000 reimbursement for the winter snow storms, which was added back into the budget. It also received a grant increase of $196,000, making the grant total $3,868,644.
On a sad note, Tuesday was Miller’s last day as a Kent County Public School employee.
“Fay has really served admirably and I want to publicly let her know how much we appreciate her,” said Wheeler.
Miller’s replacement, Dexter Lockamy, will start October 3. Lockamy lives in Baltimore and has worked with the Washington D.C. public school system as a consultant.
Troup says
“We can’t be off 215 Washington Ave soon enough.” Then we lament no bidders for the building. Go figure.
Joe says
215 Washington Avenue doesn’t have bidders for several reasons. I believe it is in the Historic District which limits some of the changes that can be done, and judging from the exterior, it is certainly in need of some serious maintenance.
MD Eastern Shore says
How long until the story on the first fist-fight of the year at the high school?
Eleanor Collyer says
What a rosy picture Dr. Wheeler has painted. Until the glasses come off and she can admit there have been and are problems, nothing will change.
I would rather get on a boat with a captain that says, “We’re taking on water, but if we all grab a bucket, we can make this sucker float again”. Instead this made me feel like we’re on a boat with a captain that says, “Look at the sparkly water”, as it rises to our necks.
Reality check, please.
ConcernedDad says
I just came across this funny thing RHES boys bathrooms did not even have stall doors on its bathrooms the first day or weeks of school. Dropping your child off or driving through the opposite way of the parking lot was a confused mess as the bus’s go in one way and the car riders another and make a loop. I heard the one and only kindergarten class had 26 students and then a week or so later 27 5 and 6 year olds. Apparently now there is no money left to hire on another teacher? On top of that parents were told they were not permitted to wait inside to pick their young children from school in the afternoons but told to wait outside and there is a bench. Finally weeks later this was resolved and they can wait inside. They were told they are to drop our children off out front and someone would be there to take their child down to their classroom. What happened to the warm welcome parents and family once had at the RHES apparently that was left on catholic Ave at the sight of the future BOE. If all of the Kent County Schools including RHES was off to such a great start I must have really missed something?