Blunt talk is not commonplace in government, but there was a heaping dose of it on display at this week’s Worcester County Board of Education meeting. Following an emotional prepared statement by Board of Education member Elena McComas, Worcester County Board of Education Dr. Jon Andes shared a few things on his mind. Andes knows… Read more »
A major blame game is being played, and this is usually a contest with no winners. At this point in the discourse between the Worcester County Commissioners and the Worcester County Board of Education, their messages are not important. What’s critical now is the present actions being taken and the future consequences for the students… Read more »
Throughout this spring’s budget process involving the Worcester County Commissioners and the Worcester County Board of Education, a takeaway for me has been how openly outspoken many educators have been. It’s a major change from previous years when teachers typically refrained from airing their views into the public arena. Safe to say those days are… Read more »
The Worcester County Commissioners’ decision to not give away the synthetic ice rink – purchased for about $70,000 in 2019 – turned out to be the right call. Once it was clear the majority of officials wanted to do away with the rink, there was some consternation among the commissioners whether the county should donate… Read more »
Of the two Cruisin events – one in the spring and the other in October – the May edition typically brings larger crowds than its fall counterpart. In years past, the spring Cruisin has also been the event with more trouble from non-event participants who in the past have come to Ocean City with its… Read more »
As happens every year, the Worcester County Commissioners turned a deficit into a surplus. This year it was an approximately $11 million deficit that became a $400,000 surplus through a series of cuts and revenue increases. It happens every year, and it’s why exception has been taken to the word “unprecedented” being thrown around so… Read more »
It’s been interesting during the public school budget process to monitor the level of engagement online among teachers. When the story about this week’s decision by the County Commissioners to reduce the school system’s budget allocation by $6 million was posted to the newspaper’s Facebook page, several teachers expressed themselves clearly. It was refreshing to… Read more »
It’s clear not everyone is going to get what they want with the Worcester County budget process. It’s also evident the county school’s system budget request of $106 million from the county will not likely be met this year. This year’s request is $4.8 million than last year’s amount. It has been estimated the county… Read more »
In recent years, the annual public hearing on Worcester County’s proposed budget has not been as spirited as it traditionally has been. In light of recent comments between the County Commissioners and school system officials, it will be interesting to see if the recent trend of lower turnout holds at this year’s budget public hearing,… Read more »
The Worcester County Commissioners voted 4-3 this week to try and sell the synthetic ice rink – purchased in 2019 for $70,000 – on govdeals.com. The county had been in recent months hedging on whether to simply donate the rink to a local organization or another town or to try and sell it. A Request… Read more »