Howard County's growing pains hit home at last night's school board meeting during which parents lobbied for more textbooks and teachers to meet increasing student enrollment.
Parents urged the board to increase spending in the proposed budget for textbooks. Textbooks at some schools are outdated, they said, and in short supply at others.
Parents also asked for more guidance counselors and psychologists, and for more teachers to be added to the pool to staff schools with unexpectedly higher enrollments.
"Increasing the teacher pool . . . is necessary to maintain class size [at current levels], lessen the need for combination classes and avoid disruption during the first months of school," said Holly Sunshine, PTA president at West Friendship Elementary School.
The hearing is an annual event that gives parents an opportunity to tell the board members what they want included in the school budget.
Superintendent Michael E. Hickey has proposed a $229.8 million operating budget for next school year, an increase of more than $12 million over this year's budget. Another public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Department of Education.
Last night, many parents and students voiced support for a proposed $50,000 increase in spending to hire more academic monitors to help low-achieving students in the Black Student Achievement Program. Hammond High School senior Alcine Mumby praised the work of Bobbie Crews, the academic monitor there.
"She's more than willing to help you . . . to get your grades and yourself together," Miss Mumby said. "As a teen-ager, a lot of people don't realize it's hard to be in high school. You do need that support. You need that encouragement."
PTC Some parents said that academic monitors provide the extra counseling and motivation that guidance counselors and teachers may not be giving to black students, who, as a group, have the lowest grades and test scores and highest suspension and drop-out rates. Parents also said that at schools with academic monitors, students have consistently fared better.
Another large group of parents, joined by representatives from the county chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the county PTA Council, urged the board to cut bus transportation for parochial school students.
"Given all the unmet needs of our school system, we note with dismay that each year, the number of students being transported to nonpublic schools continues to increase," said Sharon Tucker, who represented the PTA Council.
But James Coolahan, who has children who attend a county parochial school, urged board members to continue support of the transportation program. "I request that you . . . give all of the children in the long-established, nonpublic school busing areas the same service that you provide to public-school children," he said.
Also last night:
* Mike Williams, Glenelg High School's athletic director, told the board that cuts in the athletic equipment fund have seriously affected sports programs. He said coaches have been forced to shrink team sizes because there aren't enough uniforms and have had to risk using worn protective equipment.
He urged the board to give a percentage of gate receipts to the county's eight high schools.
"The athletic directors cannot continue to juggle funds for the 29 athletic teams per high school without major fund-raising or students purchasing their own uniforms," he said. "The uniforms of the late '80s are simply worn out."
* Susan Hutton, a parent at Mount View Middle School, asked the board to continue support for a program in which police officers come into schools to talk about drug and alcohol awareness.
"We've had incidents of students taking inhalants," she said. "Our feeder high school has had one of the highest death and suicide rates in the country."
* Several parents urged the board to approve a $1.2 million increase in the special education program to hire more teachers and instructional assistants.
"Paid helpers provide individual assistance to children with disabilities," said Robert Baker, who has a disabled daughter in elementary school. "With a mandate in inclusion, there are many children who may need this service. Some may think one-on-one help would create a dependence on the helper, but this is not the case."
"Inclusion is putting a real strain on our school system," said Steven Fine, who has a son in Waterloo Elementary School's special education program.