Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) held a public work session led by Board President Susan Morgan, where external consultants provided an update on the Countywide Feasibility/Master Plan. Currently, DCPS has a high square footage per student, leading to an excess cost of around $850,000 per year. The consultants presented nine scenarios aimed at reducing facility square footage due to declining enrollment projections.
After considering preliminary input from the DCPS Community Design Team, the consultants suggested two potential options. Board members proposed pausing the process to present prior investment data to the Community Design Team and reconvening the last two workshops. The consultants agreed to this approach, and the Superintendent pledged to conduct a media campaign to ensure transparency and community input during the Feasibility/Master Plan process.
In addition, Mid Shore Mediation described its “Peace Team” conflict resolution program, which is currently expanding from secondary schools into elementary schools. The program’s primary funder is the Maryland judiciary, and all mediators are volunteers. Mid Shore Mediation advocates for referrals to mediation in place of suspension and encourages administrators to support this model. Board members requested additional outcome and follow-up data to demonstrate the program’s effectiveness.
Dr. Jodi Colman, Director of Curriculum & Assessment, provided an overview of Maryland Star Report Card scores and highlighted chronic absenteeism as a significant issue impacting DCPS. The data will be used for school improvement planning.
The Board also discussed options for purchasing computers for incoming 9th-grade students, with some members expressing concern about the significant cost ($354,000) without a clear instructional plan. They suggested reassigning computers from graduating seniors until a plan is developed. Dr. Colman will develop the requested plan and emphasized student engagement in the professional development program for secondary school teachers.
Lastly, the Board addressed bids for the DCPS website and communication platform, proposing that members of the Website Redesign Committee review the top three bidders and provide a final recommendation.
Due to Ms. Layton’s resignation from the Board, Policy Committee activities will be suspended until a replacement is appointed by the County Council. The meeting adjourned at 5:43 pm.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.