Open letter to the Dorchester County Public Schools community

Dorchester County Community,

As we’ve reached the midpoint of the school year, I wanted to take the opportunity to look ahead and share information from Dorchester County Public Schools that will affect our families and community as we move forward in the school year, and beyond.

Since October, DCPS has held meetings throughout the county, giving the public an opportunity to comment on the new Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The Blueprint is the state’s plan to make education in Maryland world-class, and we need to plan for how it should be implemented locally.

Here in Dorchester County, we have combined these meetings with our strategic planning process, taking advantage of the significant overlap. Topics addressed have included early childhood education; attracting and retaining highly qualified and diverse teachers and leaders; college and career readiness pathways; and what resources are needed to ensure the success of all students.

We thank parents, staff, county elected officials, and other members of the community who have engaged in these meetings and contributed so many useful points. These meetings will continue into February, with the final report submitted to the Maryland Department of Education in time for their March deadline.

Implementation of the Blueprint, as mandated by law, will require greater resources than are now available to DCPS, giving added importance to our annual budget. The budgetary process is now in progress for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and I urge our community to remain aware and engaged with this issue.

Decisions made at many levels will impact DCPS, including budgetary plans recently announced by Gov. (Wes) Moore. I’m looking forward to continuing our work together with local and state elected officials to ensure the success of Dorchester County Public School students.

The Dorchester County Board of Education has also agreed to embark upon a facility feasibility study over the next few months. This study will review all our facilities with an eye to the growth and development needs in our communities, and to inform our long-term Capital Improvement Plan.

Hord, Coplan and Macht of Baltimore has been contracted to lead this process, and they will be leading a number of public workshops in the coming months to discuss their findings and options going forward.
Education in Dorchester County will change immensely over the next decade and these three driving factors – the Blueprint, the facility feasibility study, and the budget – will all play a large role in these changes. Our student data shows that we need to start thinking about the education of our students differently.

It is time for change. Our aim is to ensure we provide the young people of Dorchester County with an education for the future, not for the past; the support of the community is crucial in this effort.

W. David Bromwell
Superintendent
Dorchester County Public Schools