What an extraordinary story. Six months ago, the Kent County School District was once again hit with the news of a declining enrollment this fall. This time around, close to 40 fewer students than projected signed up for local public education, which left a $750,000 gap in operational funding.
Adding to KCPS woes was that the next fiscal year budget would not be able to provide the school system’s teachers with a cost of living adjustment in salaries, making it the third year in a row of compensation freezes.
Since Maryland expects every school district in the state to have a balanced operating budget each year, School Superintendent Karen Couch had no option but to start the dreadful and demoralizing process of school consolidation.
Over the last six months, an intensive study of the district’s demographics and growth patterns was conducted, with the growing painful conclusion that the elementary schools in Millington and Worton were the logical ones to close.
But just as KCPS started its final phase of consolidation, the Kent County Commissioners, having moderated the community outcry, and also with an eye on economic development consequences, unexpectedly decided to authorize an additional $1.6 million to not only keep Millington and Worton schools open, but to also build back into the budget the missing salary increases.
School superintendents normally don’t experience this kind of last minute intervention, and this reversal of fortune was almost too good to be true for Dr. Couch and the School Board. Beyond the significant vote of confidence in KCPS schools, the Commissioners were also sending a very clear message that the future of education remains the single most important priority in the region.
In her Spy interview, Karen Couch talks about this surprising change of events, as well as talks about encouraging state testing of Kent County students that shows that the commissioners had good reason to double down on public education.
But Dr. Couch also remains realistic about the challenges or a small school district in the face of a national trend of fewer school age children.
This video is approximately fifteen minutes in length
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