Talbot County Public Schools
Superintendent's Update | March 2020
Important Dates in March
- March 5 Sodexo Future Chef Competition
- March 6,7 & 8 SMMHS presents Big Fish!
- March 12 Special Education Citizen's Advisory Committee (SECAC) Staff Appreciation Celebration
- March 12 Farm Bureau Banquet
- March 13,14 &15 EMS and EHS Present Cinderella!
- March 18 Board of Education Meeting
- March 26 Easton Elementary Parent Meeting and Building Tour (for EES families only)
- March 28 Easton Elementary Community Celebration, Tour and Update
- March 30 Joint Dinner Meeting TC Board of Ed and County Council
- March 31 Superintendent’s Art Gallery
National School Social Worker Week
TCPS FY21 Budget
The FY21 Proposed Budget was presented to the Board of Education at the December 18th Meeting and the Talbot County Board of Education approved the final Budget, after public input and discussion, at the February 19th Board Meeting. The Talbot County Council will discuss preliminary appropriations on April 14, 2020 and hold a Public Budget Hearing on May 5th. The Board receives final allocation in June. Below is Dr. Griffith's letter to County County and links to the Approved Budget and Presentation Slides.
The future of our community depends upon a sustained collaborative partnership between Talbot County Public Schools and the Talbot County Council in the delivery of a high quality education for all of our children. Together our goal is to provide a wide spectrum of educational programs and ample opportunities to meet the diverse and changing needs of our students, our families, and our community.
Our goal in FY21 is to meet current needs, raise academic achievement, and provide increased opportunities for every child. Our community faces many challenges that impact this mission: 47% (2,210) of our of our children live in poverty, more than 12% of our children speak English as a second language in a community where more than 20 languages are spoken, and over 224 of our students qualified as homeless as of October 2019.
The FY21 Budget Process is a collaborative effort. Priorities are determined with shared input from community members, parents, students, teachers and administrators. The amount requested in the FY21 budget reflects the Board’s commitment to acquire the funding necessary to support, develop and improve the educational services for the students in the Talbot County Public School system.
Our FY21 Budget reflects the priorities needed for a quality education:
- Salary Step plus a COLA increase for all staff Additional positions:
- Special Education (2)
- Behavior Analysts/Coaches (2)
- Mental Health Social Workers (2)
- English Language Learners (2)
- Secondary Teachers (3)
- Reading Intervention - Senate Bill 734 (3)
- Gifted and Talented (1)
- Secondary Math Coaches (1)
- Literacy Coaches (8)
- Support Staff (3)- Human Resource Admin (House Bill 486), Technology Systems Admin, Grant Admin
- Resource Officers (2) (Contracted Services)
- Increase of 9% for health care costs
- Textbooks for Algebra, Geometry and Algebra 2
- Secondary English Language Arts Materials
- Replace informal Reading Assessment as dictated by Senate Bill 734
- Mid Shore Special Education Consortium Increase
We are proud of our accomplishments over the past year. The TCPS team continually works to create a positive learning environment to ultimately increase college and career opportunities for our children once they graduate from our schools.
Highlights from the 2019-20 School Year
- Increased our Graduation Rate to 93% and decreased our drop out rate to 4%
- Class of 2019 Earned $14.8 Million in Scholarship Dollars
- 50% of the class of 2019 Earned a Career and Technology Completer
- 51% Completed at least 1 Advanced Placement (AP) Course
- Expanded new curriculum for middle school math, language arts, and science
- Full day Pre-K at EESD and SMES
- Additional staff for English Language Learners and Special Education
- Expanded industry certified programs with a collaborative agreement through Chesapeake College
- Increased safety measures in all schools through grants.
- Increased to 4 School Resource Officers to cover all TCPS schools.
- Established scholarships at select colleges for education majors who commit to employment with TCPS upon
- graduation
- Hired full-time of a School Safety and Security Supervisor within existing budget
- Grant funded 8 literacy coaches and 2 social workers
- Continued partnership with the Sheriff’s Department and Talbot Goes Purple to raise awareness about the opioid
- crisis and the dangers of substance abuse.
- Continued building the Education Foundation which has awarded nearly $100,000 in grants to teachers for innovative projects for our students. The community has invested more than $333,000 in innovative teaching and learning
- Finalizing the construction of the new Easton Elementary School with assistance and support of State and Local Government funding
We are committed to continuous improvement as we begin the TCPS Strategic Plan Update to target specific goals and advance our roadmap for future success. We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions or meet with Council’s staff on the specifics of our request, and we look forward to presenting our proposed budget on March 3, 2020.
The Talbot County Board of Education appreciates the Talbot County Council’s partnership in shared goals and financial support. Together we can meet the needs of our community and ensure continued growth and vitality for Talbot County.
TCPS Education Foundation's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"
The TCPS Education Foundation is planning our third annual “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” event, to be held on Thursday April 30, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. in the Easton High School Auditorium. Six teams of 5th graders from TCPS Elementary Schools will test their knowledge and skills, answering questions from a broad range of categories. Each team will be paired with a Celebrity Guest from our great community! Proceeds from the event will benefit the Education Foundation’s grants program. All funds are raised through sponsorships and admission is free.
We hope you will participate in the event by joining us as a sponsor. Your tax-deductible donation will help the Education Foundation continue to provide innovative teaching and learning opportunities for TCPS students! If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Debbie Gardner, Coordinator of Public Relations and Special Programs at (410) 822-0330 ext. 102 or dgardner@talbotschools.org. Thank you!
Sponsorship Opportunities
- $1000+ – Principal's Honor Roll - Sponsor a Team - Logo on team T-shirts, printed materials and website, "big check" photo and recognition on screen at event and in all publicity.
- $500-$999 – Honor Roll - Sponsor a Category - Name/logo on printed materials and website. Recognition on screen at event and in all publicity.
- $100-$499 – Scholar - Sponsor a Question - Name listed in printed materials and on website. Recognition on screen at event and in all publicity.
Easton Elementary Project Update!
Easton Elementary Project Timeline
April 6 - Last day for EES Moton students in the old Moton building
April 7 & 8 - EES Moton students do not attend school due to State Superintendent waiver that allows move in days for staff.
April 14 - The first day for EES Moton students in the new EES Moton wing.
April 14 - Demolition of the old Moton building begins.
June 12* - Last day for students and the site work for the new building begins
June 15 - Demolition of the old Dobson building will begin
August 21 - Site work for the new building will be complete
August 24 - First day of school - All Easton Elementary Students will be located in the new building
August 24 - December 1 - The remaining geothermal wells and site work will be complete.
(*subject to change pending use of inclement weather days)
TCPS Strategic Plan~ Celebration for "2020 Vision" and Next Steps to "Strive for 2025!"
Click link below to view the presentation!
Coronavirus Information
Cencus 2020
What is the Census?
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a count of every person living in the United States every 10 years, mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2. The data collected by the decennial census determines the number of seats Maryland has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to its local communities. (See sample Census 2020 questionnaire)
- It's Important
- It's Easy
- It's Safe
- It's Right Around the Corner - April 1, 2020
The law requires the Census Bureau to keep all information confidential and use it only to
produce statistics.
Why the Census?
- Critical Distribution of Federal Funds
- Funds Government and Community Programs and Services
- Helps Business Leaders with Investment Decisions
- Used for Reapportionment and Redistricting
The Maryland State Data Center, part of the Department of Planning, is designated as the state's liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau. For all general inquiries or information requests, please email census@maryland.gov.
SMMHS Theater Department Presents Big Fish!
EHS and EMS Theater Departments presents Cinderella!
Easton High and Easton Middle present Cinderella at the EHS auditorium. Showtimes are 7PM on the 13th and 14th and 1PM on the 15th. Tickets available at the door and at www.showtix4u.com or by calling 1-866-967-8167