Published: May 01, 2008 09:41 am         

BOE purposely delayed redistricting review

CUMBERLAND - A staff report on school redistricting has been ready to be reviewed by the Allegany County Board of Education for three months. Superintendent Bill AuMiller said he was told in January that board members didn't want to discuss the issue in February.

The board is expected to ask at its May 13 meeting that the issue be put on the agenda for the June 10 meeting.

The delay "was on purpose," said board vice president Jane Dawson on Tuesday. "We wanted to wait a period of time. Our major concern is opening something up."

Dawson said she didn't want the public to ask questions to which board members didn't have the answers. This approach, she said, will allow the board to review the staff report before the June meeting.

At the board's Nov. 13 meeting, AuMiller asked members to authorize staff to draft an all-inclusive report to address out-of-district permits and transportation policies, am-ong other issues. The board approved, allowing staff to proceed.

The staff was guided by five top-level officials, including Janet Wilson, assistant superintendent of instruction; Jay Walbert, supervisor of transportation; Vince Montana, director of facilities; Bob McKenzie, director of elementary education; and Craig Schutz, supervisor of fine arts.

AuMiller said then the staff would have the report ready for a meeting in early 2008. That would allow the county time to form school committees. Any redistricting plan is viewed the same as a school closure by the Maryland State Department of Education. The process that affected communities went through with the closing of Westmar and Beall high schools is similar to what redistricting would require.

Dawson called AuMiller's plan "more of an alignment than redistricting."

Overcrowding at elementary schools is one issue the study was to consider. Board member Jeff Metz said last fall he was strongly opposed to moving students to a new school. On Tuesday, he reiterated that stance.

"I won't go for it without any type of a grandfathering (clause)," Metz said.

Metz said he wasn't aware of the report being finished.

Another issue to be addressed is transportation. Board member Karen Treber said in November she promised Michael and Melissa Stankan, the parents of a 12-year-old middle school student who walks more than 2.5 miles to school and back, that she would look into transportation policies. The Stankans' daughter lives 1.38 miles from school. Students who live within 1.5 miles are not permitted to ride the bus.

Neither Wilson nor Walbert was available to discuss the study.

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.



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