Education Spending Should Be Questioned
Editor:
I am not a resident of Worcester County, but own property here. This is the time of year when I start to become concerned about what the Worcester County Commissioners will be doing with regard to property taxes. Non-resident property owners do not have the protection of the Homestead exemption so we must absorb the full weight of any tax increase — without the opportunity to politically object to the outcome.
I attended a public hearing on taxes a couple of years ago and noted that the comments presented were dominated by remarks about the budget for education. This is not surprising since this appears to be the lion’s share of the budget. I fully support reasonable funding for education, but some of the numbers simply do not make sense. According to FY16 data, Worcester County spends more money per pupil than any other school district in Maryland at $17, 606 per pupil. The next closest jurisdiction is Baltimore City at $16,713.
Baltimore City has significant additional expenditures for English as a Second Language programs, a much higher cost for security, and significantly higher costs for property acquisition. So one would think that the per pupil cost for Worcester County would be significantly less – not more. Although Worcester schools have more money per pupil than anyone else, we keep hearing the argument that teachers are underpaid and being lost to other jurisdictions. If this is true, what is happening to the money.
Teachers perform a difficult job and deserve fair pay. However, when the Worcester County Commissioners meet on May 2 to hear statements from the Board of Education and others about the need to support education, I would suggest that they simply pause a moment and ask why can’t the Worcester Board of Education pay its teachers near the top of the Maryland teacher pay scale given that they have more money at their disposal than anyone else. This question would have been asked long ago if county residents had to pay their fair share of the property tax burden and were not shielded by the Homestead exemption.
Jim Thomas
Silver Spring
Earth Day Cleanup Help Appreciated
Editor:
Thank you for your help in publicizing the 2nd Annual Earth Day Cleanup in the Town of Fenwick Island. On April 22, over 40 community members gathered in our Town Hall to enjoy delicious breakfast refreshments donated by McCabe’s Gourmet Market and to peruse environmental displays provided by the Center for Inland Bays (CIB) and the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. (MERR).
After receiving a commemorative grocery/tote bag, teams of volunteers picked up litter and trash from every street in the Town of Fenwick Island. Several local businesses made the event even more exciting by donating door prizes. Special thanks are due to One Coastal, Fenwick Surf Shop, Ocean Side Pizzeria, Surf’s Edge Deli and Pizzeria, Holly’s Treasure Chest, Southern Exposure, Sea Shell City, Warren’s Station, Ropewalk Fenwick and McCabe’s Gourmet Market for their generous donations.
We appreciate everyone’s support in working to keep Fenwick Island the cleanest town on the Delaware shore.
Colleen Wilson
(The writer is a member of the Fenwick Island Environmental Committee.)
Empty Bowl Project Supported Community
Editor:
On behalf of the Art League of Ocean City and Diakonia, we would like to thank the hundreds of people who helped make the 4th Annual “Empty Bowl” project a huge success, raising over $10,000 to be shared by the two charities. This project is a partnership between the two nonprofits and was sponsored by First Shore Federal Bank and community donors. It engages a diverse group of people in making art for a good cause.
Over 400 ceramic bowls were made by volunteers over the course of three months at the Ocean City Center for the Arts, with 100 of the bowls made by school groups that visited the Art Center in the month of December. The bowl making sessions brought school children, teens, adults, and senior citizens together to engage in a creative activity that brought awareness and funds to help the hungry and support the arts.
The bowls were distributed at the Empty bowl dinner on March 31 to remind people of all the empty bowls in the world. More than 300 people attended the dinner at the Art Center. Thanks go out to our hard-working committee members: Velda Henry, Carol Rose, Beth Rodier, Debbi Dean- Colley, Nancy Barnas, Nancy Fortney, Kathy Bohs, Katie Brown, Kim Morgan, Becky Simonds, Sandy Glassman, and Debbi Anderson.
We are particularly proud of the Stephen Decatur Middle School Builders Club who organized a candy drive and sold the bags of candy at the event as a donation to the project.
Thank you to the restaurants, stores, and individuals who donated the delicious soups, breads, desserts, beverages, and auction items. We are grateful for the support of these civic minded people. They are: A Bagel And, A Little Bit Sheepish, A Perfect Face Day Spa, Baked Dessert Cafe, Bayside Wine and Spirits, Bayville Package Store, Becky Simonds, Berlin Downtown Video, Bombshell Boutique, Bruder Hill, Bungalow Love, Burley Oak Brewing Company, Buxy’s Salty Dog, Captain’s Table, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Chuck Idol, Crabcake Factory USA, CraZy LadyZ, Delmarva Shorebirds, Dennis Young, Dough Roller Restaurant – 41st St. location, Dunes Manor Hotel, Embers/Blu, Fager’s Island, Fenwick Crab House, Fins Ale House and Raw Bar, Floaters, Food Lion, Fox’s Pizza Den, Friends of Mary Beth Carozza, Gilbert’s Provisions, Glitter and Gold, Go Organic Grocer, Harmony Wellness Spa, Harris Teeter, Harvey Rosenberg, Henry Fine Arts Gallery, Ish, Jeff Auxer Designs, Just Hooked, Kate Cashman, Kathy Bohs, K-Coast Surf Shop, Kevin Fleming Photography, Lazy River Saloon at Frontier Town, Leighton Moore, Liquid Assets, M.R. Ducks, Main Street Tea Room, Mancini’s Restaurant, Mio Fratello, Monkey’s Trunk, Mother’s Cantina, Nancy Fortney, Off the Hook Restaurant Group, Oh My Hair, On What Grounds, Panera Bread, Park Place Jewelers, Patrick Henry, Pepsi, Planet Maze, Raggamuffin, Random Juxtaposition, Rooster’s Nest, Ruark Golf, Runaway Tide General Store, Sandra Glassman, SDMS Builder’s Club, Seacrets, Starbucks, String Beanz, Sunset Grille, Sweetie Beads, Ta Da, The Dough Roller Restaurant, The Georgia House Restaurant, The Green Turtle, The Hobbit Restaurant, The Nest, The Treasure Chest, Urban Nectar, Uncle Jon’s, Venable Cleaners, Victorian Charm, West Ocean City Bottle Shop & Bar, West OC Fitness, World of Toys, and Zen Spa.
Special thanks to the String Beanz for adding their delightful music to the evening. Our appreciation goes out to the many dedicated volunteers from both Diakonia and the Art League who helped make the bowls, gather donations, and work at the event.
One-hundred percent of the proceeds of this project will go to support the missions of Diakonia and the Art League. Diakonia is dedicated to building a foundation for those in crisis or who are homeless while maintaining their dignity and respect, providing hope and assistance and helping them change the direction of their lives, one step at a time. The mission of the Art League of Ocean City is to promote the visual arts in the Ocean City area through exhibits, education, scholarship, programs and community art events.
Again, we appreciate the participation and the support of all who made this unique fundraiser possible.
Rina Thaler
Claudia Nagle
(Thaler is the executive director of the Art League of Ocean City, while Nagle is the executive director of Diakonia.)
Show Nurses Appreciation
Editor:
During National Nurses Week, Atlantic General Hospital and Health System would like to recognize our nursing staff as they continue to embrace the challenges and adapt to meet the needs of the ever-changing roles within the organization and the nursing profession.
Observed each year in early May, National Nurses Week is a celebration of the nursing profession designated by the American Nurses Association in 1990. Atlantic General Hospital and Health System will be celebrating with special events for all nursing associates throughout the week.
We appreciate our nurses every day, but National Nurses Week is a great opportunity to celebrate the compassionate caregivers we have right here in our community. And, I am proud to say we fully support this year’s national theme of becoming healthier in mind, body and spirit.
At Atlantic General Hospital, our wellness program – which earned the Healthiest Maryland Businesses Gold Wellness at Work Award – provides all associates access to opportunities for cultivating a healthy lifestyle including monthly free wellness webinars, cooking demonstrations, mindfulness sessions, and on-site chair massage.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, medical staff and associates of Atlantic General Hospital, I want to thank all of our outstanding, compassionate and committed nurses. We are so fortunate to be able to employ and retain excellence in our Nursing Services. If you see a nurse this week, I urge you to thank that person for his or her service.
Colleen Wareing
Berlin
(The writer is the vice president of Patient Care Services at Atlantic General Hospital.)
Fentanyl Raises Risks
Editor:
Those with loved ones who are using opiates or heroin have a new risk. Drug dealers across the United States have begun to mix drugs with an extremely powerful and dangerous drug known as Fentanyl.
The drug Fentanyl can be from 50 to 100 times more powerful then heroin, making the risk of a fatal overdose much higher. Drug dealers have been using this drug to increase the potency of their heroin at a lower cost.
Now more than ever it is essential to get those you know who are addicted into treatment. Having a relationship with a person who has an addiction to opiates is often stressful. Although you just want to help the addicted person, they many times fight against you as if you were the enemy.
Addicts can be very difficult to get into treatment and it is important to ask for help when you need it. There are professionals who can help you handle your loved one before it is too late.
Do not be surprised if your loved accuses you of contributing to their addiction. Hear them out and take their words into consideration but at the end of the day realize getting them sober and continuing to live is the most important thing.
Fentanyl has made the risks of being a heroin addict even higher than it already was. Get yourself educated. If one of your loved ones is struggling with addiction, get them into treatment. Don’t wait until it is too late.
There are many different approaches to the challenge of how to help addicts. For free information, visit http://www.narcononnewliferetreat.org/blog/fentanyl-laced-heroin-worsening-overdose-crisis.html or call 1 800-431-1754 to get help for your loved ones.
Ray Clauson
Denham Springs, La.