Schools need to look super-regionalism

To the Editor:

Jerry Weast is now superintendent of Montgomery County Schools in Maryland. My granddaughters go to these schools. The system is large … with more than a billion dollar budget … but it works. This state must super regionalize education to survive. We should have one school district for all of Worcester County. Even the town of AshBummHam would benefit.

"When it comes to school mergers, growing bigger is an inescapable result of the process. And when faced with the prospect of a much larger school system, many individuals on the inside and outside harbor fears of administrative red tape, loss of identity and lower student achievement," by Jerry D. Weast, now superintendent of schools in Montgomery County Maryland.

"Cost Savings:

Conflicting theories abound about the merits of school district mergers. Proponents insist they save dollars while others swear they raise costs. Our experience lends some support to each theory. Local spending was held in check, and the savings enabled us to redirect dollars into proven classroom programs that work for students, teachers and parents.

Much of the savings came through staff reorganization. We cut more than 70 positions in our central staff and, while downsizing is never easy, the reorganization dissolved a lot of bureaucracy and returned more than $3 million to our classroom budgets. We saved additional dollars by privatizing some operational and maintenance functions.

The most controversial cutbacks came with the elimination of small academic or enrichment programs that did not contribute significantly to student achievement. Even though these cuts initially rechanneled $2.36 million into more effective activities, these were tough decisions to make because most programs at some time or another enjoyed support from the community, staff or a benefactor.

A new focus on team management that emphasized direct service to students increased our efficiency and provided better communication than had a former hierarchical approach. School principals and their building leadership teams became more involved with parents and community members in the decision-making process that ensured greater levels of accountability at the site level." (Jerry Weast)

Peter Janhunen

Westminster