Millington residents, officials offer alternate school consolidation plan

In an email Saturday, Millington Councilman Kevin Hemstock provided a copy of an alternate consolidation plan he said was put together Jan. 20 by a group of concerned citizens.

They cite preliminary plans for a large development just beyond town limits as reason to keep Millington Elementary School open, while calling for the closure of Worton Elementary School, Kent County Middle School in Chestertown and the district’s central office in Rock Hall.

Superintendent Karen Couch issued her final consolidation plan — closing Millington and Worton elementary schools — to board members Monday night. She rehashed the district’s enrollment and funding issues, while highlighting amenities offered students at what would be the district’s three remaining elementary schools, Galena Elementary School, Rock Hall Elementary School and H.H. Garnet Elementary School in Chestertown.

She said those schools have gymnasiums and greater classroom capacities. Rock Hall and Galena have science labs, while Garnet hosts the Judy Center for early childhood development.

There was support for the consolidation plan at Monday’s meeting.

Francoise Sullivan, representing the grassroots organization Support Our Schools, said many parents are ready to move forward with consolidation in the interest of maintaining programming at schools. While the district is targeting bus rides of no more than 60 minutes for elementary students to and from school, Sullivan asked if that could be cut down to 45 minutes.

Another parent asked for additional considerations for affected students with Individual Education Programs. She suggested socialization field trips to the new schools and advanced open houses before classes begin.

Gina Jachimowicz and Nina Newlin, the district’s supervisors of elementary and secondary education, respectively, said staff and administrators are on board with Couch’s consolidation plan.

“I don’t envy you. This is a tough decision. But I do thank you for listening to our staff and our parents and our administrators in the process of making this really tough decision,” Jachimowicz told board members.

The public will have four additional opportunities to weigh in on the consolidation plan. The board’s next monthly meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 at the district’s central office. A public hearing on the plan will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27 at Kent County High School in Worton. The board will meet Monday, March 13 and Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. both nights at the central office. A vote on consolidation is expected at the March 20 meeting.

Board President Trish McGee, who also is associate editor of the Kent County News, invited the public to contact board members directly by phone or email with comments.

Alternate Plan

The alternate plan drafted by the Millington residents and officials would see the county’s sole middle school and high school consolidated with sixth grade moving to the elementary schools. It also calls for Worton Elementary School to close and be turned into a 911 dispatch center and a new central office for the district. The central office in Rock Hall would be closed too.

While the plan had been distributed last week to board members, former Millington mayor Ed Robinson read it into the record at Monday’s meeting.

“We believe this plan has a higher level of sustainability than that which is currently being proposed. It recognizes the reality of declining enrollment and shrinking school funding. At the same time it takes into account the future growth potential of the First District (the Millington and Galena area). It is in the best interest of the taxpayers and more importantly, of our children. We hope this plan is given full consideration,” the group wrote.

The drafters of the plan list a number of possible benefits, notably amplifying the utilization of Kent County High School in Worton, which is currently at about half capacity. They wrote that it would be easier to sell the Kent County Middle School building and property in Chestertown than Millington Elementary School.

It would not be the district that sells the school buildings, though. When the district vacates a building, the building is surplussed back to the county.

“There is reason to believe that, given a plan that is amenable to both county and school board (sic), additional one-time funding may be available from the state, in support of a sustainable plan for the future of the Kent County School District,” the plan states.

Couch sought $2.5 million in additional state funding for the next two fiscal years.

A read of Gov. Larry Hogan’s proposed budget does not show additional funding at that level for the district. A spokesman from the Maryland Office of Budget and Management said Monday that no announcements have been made on any supplemental funding.

Of the district’s anticipated $26 million in revenue for the fiscal year that starts July 1, the total direct state funding is $9.9 million, a $5,000 increase from the current fiscal year.

The state has been cutting its share of retirement funding to districts in recent years. With the state retirement system contribution factored in, the district is receiving about $11.6 million total from the state, a $154,000 decrease from the current year.

Robinson said there could be funding to come from the state. He said the state gave the district an additional $300,000 last year.

“You have to fight for it. I hope someone up there is actively seeking to get the funds. I know you sent a letter, but I mean, you got to follow it up. You got to keep on the politicians in Annapolis,” Robinson told board members.

Couch said the state funding will not be finalized by the General Assembly until after the deadline for a consolidation plan passes. The state requires consolidations plan be submitted by April 1.

The consolidation plan currently on the table — close Millington and Worton elementary schools — was developed last year, but shelved by the Board of Education, with some budget wrangling with the Kent County Commissioners involved. Millington residents opposed to the plan at the time said closing the school would harm the town’s economic development potential.

Now, the group that drafted the alternate plan says there is development coming to the Millington area, and they are excited about it.

“It’s not just about the school issue. It’s about the town, too,” Hemstock said Monday afternoon before the board meeting. “This is a huge deal.”

At the board meeting, Couch said she is budgeting about $28 million in expenditures for the next fiscal year. Using nearly $1 million in unreserved fund balance from this year, she is able to close the expected deficit to $1.2 million.

Couch said the total savings from the alternate consolidation plan is $632,000, while staffing savings alone from her plan amount to $885,000. Core building costs for Millington and Worton elementary schools add another $206,989 in potential savings, bringing the total savings for Couch’s plan up to nearly $1.1 million.

There is no staffing savings from closing the middle school, Couch said, because those were realized when the district went from three middle schools to one six years ago. Also, she said the alternate plan does not help with the underutilization of the elementary school buildings, an issue that must be addressed to secure state funding for expensive maintenance projects.

Hemstock chastised board members Monday night for not listening to the public, singling out McGee, who, at the board’s Jan. 9 meeting, referred to some opponents of the prior year’s consolidation efforts as a “lynch mob.” Hemstock previously worked with McGee when he was editor of the Kent County News.

“For the record, and I want you to know, the members of the so-called ‘lynch mob’ included a mayor, a former mayor and county administrator, a banker, a former banker, a funeral home owner, a former newspaper editor, that would be me, a lay pastor, veterans, grandparents and parents. In that group, there is probably more experience at bettering a community than you can possibly imagine. These are the kinds of residents you should be getting advice from, not ridiculing. You should be listening to them. So I hope, at this juncture we can get an apology because I think that’s appropriate,” Hemstock said.

McGee did not offer an apology Monday night.

The following day, McGee said she used the phrase in reference to those who created an acrimonious atmosphere during last year’s consolidation efforts. She said it was specifically directed to those who passed around a poster made by Hemstock ridiculing board members, accusing them of “1st-degree stupidity” in supporting consolidation.

“I could have used a better word,” McGee said. “I respect the passion they have for trying to keep their school open.”

At the board meeting, Sullivan offered something of a rebuttal to Hemstock’s remarks, while voicing support for the consolidation plan.

“Because I am representing parents and, unfortunately I don’t know all their pedigrees so I can’t list all of their jobs and any positions that they hold, I would like to say that many parents have made their peace with the idea of consolidation and that we are ready to move forward and that we are accepting of keeping our programming and combining our schools. So thank you very much,” she told board members.

Board Thoughts

The plan was first presented to McGee and Couch last week in a private meeting at the district’s central office with Millington Mayor C.J. Morales, Millington resident Gary Fellows and Kent County Commissioner Ron Fithian.

Speaking Monday afternoon before the board meeting, McGee, who also is associate editor of the Kent County News, said she looked into the potential development in question. She said it appears to be too early in the planning stages to help the district out of its current crisis.

“Right now, these are just possibilities,” she said. “I feel we’re in dire straits. We’re not even treading water.”

McGee said the alternate consolidation plan and word of potential development have not changed her mind. She is still in agreement with the current plan to close Millington and Worton elementary schools.

Speaking after the board meeting Monday, members Joe Goetz, Bryan Williams and Jeff Reed said they also continue to support Couch’s plan. They said the alternate plan had not changed their minds. Board member Wendy Costa was absent.

McGee does not dismiss all the points made in the alternative plan provided by the group from Millington.

“There’s some points that have validity,” McGee said Monday afternoon.

While she agreed with the group’s statement that selling the middle school building would likely be easier than selling Millington Elementary School, she said moving seventh and eighth grade to the high school would come with a number of challenges.

County Commissioners

The county provides the district with the bulk of its funds, based on enrollment. When the number of students drops, so does the county funding.

On Monday, Fithian said the commissioners have agreed to hold the district harmless, funding-wise, for the next year or so at least on enrollment. Other than that, he said the county is leaving the decisions up to the Board of Education. He said the commissioners had not discussed the alternate consolidation plan.

“We’re waiting to see the Board of Education’s plans and we’re not going to get involved,” Fithian said.

Fithian said the commissioners held off consolidation for a year during budget talks last spring. He said the “numbers are staggering” when it comes to the district’s current financial woes, but it is for the Board of Education to come up with a plan to address that.

“It’s up to them to decide how they’re going to move forward,” Fithian said.

Morales, Hemstock and Robinson appeared before the commissioners Tuesday night, pitching their alternate consolidation plan and discussing the potential development in Millington. McGee also attended.

Morales said it could be anywhere from 300 to 600 homes.

“This could be a sizable development. Without a school, without a good education system, the development’s going to struggle to get off the ground,” he said.

Hemstock acknowledged that no one knows what the would-be developer’s plans are, saying, “we don’t know if he’s going to grow beans on those fields.” He said he doubts it though, because the developer is making inquires about issues like sewer allocations.

Hemstock called the alternate consolidation plan “a bridge to take into account future development.” He said he realizes that if the development is 10 years out, the district needs to move on. But if it is ready in three years, considerations must be made, he said.

McGee told the commissioners that the district does not have three years.

The commissioners reiterated their stance that the consolidation plan and the district’s budget are under the purview of Couch and the Board of Education.

“This year, I’m telling you, it’s her (Couch’s) decision,” Commissioner Bill Short told the Millington officials. “I’m not putting 2 cents into it, other than sitting here having this discussion with you.”

Short raised concerns about the time it would take to build out a development. He said the county can revisit having a school in Millington should the need arise.

William Pickrum, president of the commissioners, raised a similar point. He asked if the Millington Elementary School building could be “mothballed.”

Such a decision is for the commissioners to make, as the buildings would be surplussed back to them following consolidation.

The district, though, can maintain ownership of the land, McGee told the commissioners.

“It would be a happy situation if we had to build a new school. The good news would be that we still own the land and we could do it,” she said.

Later in the meeting, McGee told the commissioners that board members recognize that what they are doing affects children, and none of them take it lightly. Also, she said, the budget issues are the district’s responsibility.

“At some point, this is our situation to solve. You can’t keeping coming to your parents and asking them for an allowance. You got to figure out how to get out of this on your own. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” McGee said.

Potential Development

Regarding the development near Millington, the Kent County News has not been able to confirm any details about it. The purported developer and his attorney could not be reached for comment.

Speaking Monday, Millington Town Administrator Jo Manning said she has nothing on file for residential development in Millington. She said the property in question, if it were to be a part of Millington proper, would have to be annexed, a process that takes a couple of months.

Manning said the municipal water and wastewater systems could not handle a development the size of what is being discussed. She said a new treatment plant and water tower would have to be built, and state funding for such projects is not currently available.

A development plan does not guarantee development.

Manning spoke about previous plans to develop what is known as the Wick property about eight years ago. She said it was annexed into town with up to 800 new homes planned. She said there was no follow through with the plan after the property’s annexation.

“That was the only time we saw a developer for that site — during the annexation phase,” she said.

The last development to be built in Millington was Mill Village, which brought just over 50 homes about a decade ago, Manning said. She said maybe half the homes sold in Mill Village went to families with school-age children, the rest went to seniors, retirees or those nearing the end of their careers.

Amy Moredock, the county’s planning director, does not have any official documentation for a development in the Millington area.

“There’s nothing on the books that I’m aware of,” she said Monday.

Nor is there any in the works for the Worton area, Moredock said. She said the last major subdivision for that area came about 10 or 11 years ago, but no final plan was submitted.

She said a portion of that property is currently being developed for a Dollar General store.

Moredock said there is activity in Kennedyville, with the Village at Kennedyville now building out its second phase of 62 lots. She said that adds to the 67 lots developed in phase one.

“They’re going a few houses at a time,” Moredock said of the phase two activity.

Moredock also mentioned a Langford Creek project, still in the planning stages. That includes 28 lots, many waterfront, in a community Moredock does not anticipate bringing in a lot of young families.

“That has been kind of sitting around for years,” she said of the project.

Another development in the works would be located in Chestertown. KRM Development Corp. is planning six 29-unit apartment buildings in the area of Scheeler Road and Haacke Drive as part of a larger plan for a new Dixon Valve & Coupling Co. campus.

Hemstock is optimistic about the potential for a new development in Millington that would increase the rolls at the elementary school.

“Some of the area could be developed with very little effort,” he said Monday afternoon before the Board of Education meeting. “This is definitely something that’s rolling here.”