Wicomico Superintendent presents "State of Schools' report

Salisbury Independent
Posted 4/29/23

Businesses, nonprofits, county and state elected officials, education leaders from public schools and post-secondary institutions, and others assembled ast week for the 2023 State of the Schools …

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Wicomico Superintendent presents "State of Schools' report

Posted

Businesses, nonprofits, county and state elected officials, education leaders from public schools and post-secondary institutions, and others assembled ast week for the 2023 State of the Schools address by Superintendent Micah Stauffer.

In a broad-ranging presentation that served as the conclusion to his Superintendent Entry Plan, Stauffer highlighted celebrations, challenges and the Top 5 priority areas for the school system.

Held at the Wicomico Civic Center and hosted by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, it was Stauffer’s first State of the Schools address as Superintendent.

Stauffer began his presentation with statistics. Systemwide enrollment is nearly 15,000 students; English-speaking as second language students are at an all-time high, representing 11 percent of total enrollment; about 60 percent of students come from families in poverty; and 10 percent receive special education services.

Additionally, 65 percent of the student population is considered “at-risk,” as they live in poverty, receive special education services, or learn English as a second language. This percentage has grown significantly in the last 10 years, Stauffer said.

Last year’s Wicomico graduates, Stauffer said, received more than $26 million in college scholarship money, representing 286 colleges and universities.

“I am humbled by the success of our students and look forward to this year’s class moving the needle forward on scholarships,” Stauffer said. “Graduation rates are moving in the right direction, with CTE graduation rates at 98 percent and the general graduation rate up to 85.

“These are all good indicators that we have moved past Covid, and student learning is on the right path,” he said.

The school system is specifically looking at the “neighborhood poverty index” when analyzing poverty’s significant impacts on students.

“These students are likely to struggle; they are at-risk students and more likely to drop out of school eventually,” Stauffer said.

He also touched on how crime rates affect the schools and how working with community partners might mitigate the impacts.

“What happens in our community ends up in our schools, impacting attendance and graduation rates,” he explained.

Looking ahead, Stauffer said he was encouraged by the county administration’s support for the school board’s FY 2024 spending plan, which addresses the impact of inflation on the school system and the addition of School Resource Officers.

“I want to thank County Executive Julie Giordano for her support of the 2024 budget,” he said, “which allows the system to stay whole while addressing the needs of the entire school system.”

A portion of Stauffer’s presentation addressed the “Superintendent’s Entry Plan Feedback,” which entailed discussions with elected leaders, community leaders, faith-based leaders, staff, and students.

Points of emphasis included schools’ safety, effective leadership, expansion of learning opportunities, student and staff morale, parent engagement, and mental health support.

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