Members of the Calvert school board raised concerns last week for the future of their high schools’ Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program if they cannot find teachers and continue to see critically low enrollment numbers.
During a July 11 meeting, board members said schools are still struggling to fill NJROTC teaching positions. There are two teaching vacancies for this program at Patuxent High School and one at both Huntingtown High School and Calvert High School.
“It’s such a shame,” board member Dawn Balinski said. “Those are very, very good programs.”
The schools are continuing to enroll students into those programs, but enrollment numbers have dropped significantly. Calvert High School currently has the largest enrollment for the upcoming year.
Huntingtown High School will be under-enrolled for a second year, although the program has not yet been placed on probation. Patuxent High School is also under-enrolled and may soon enter the first year of probation, Susan Johnson, the county’s chief academic officer, said.
“I’ve asked Dr. Johnson and the team to really hold off on … us not moving forward with NJROTC,” Superintendent Andraé Townsel said. “We’re giving it to the very, very last minute.”
Northern High School replaced its program with the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps program so the school no longer receives funding for NJROTC.
Townsel said these job vacancies have been shared nearly 100 times across employment networks.
"We need those JROTC instructors at our high schools because we do not want to get rid of that program, but it is possible due no instructors and critical low enrollment," Townsel said.
Costs for lunch hiked
Lunch prices in Calvert County Public Schools will increase by more than 5% beginning in August.
Elementary, middle and high school breakfast prices will remain the same at $1.65. The price for elementary school lunch will increase by 5.7% from $2.65 to $2.80.
This is the same price offered in Charles County elementary schools.
Middle and high school lunches will increase by 7.1% from $2.80 to $3. This is the same price offered by Anne Arundel and Prince George's middle and high schools.
“If I were a parent and I saw a 7% increase … I would think that matters,” Balinski said. “But they haven’t seen an increase in so long, so it would probably be understandable to most of our families.”
Other business
The board of education reviewed Calvert County’s current policy regarding assault leave, an employee’s necessary absence resulting from an assault while in the scope of school system employment, and it only accounts for physical disabilities.
The policy was officially reviewed and no changes were recommended during the board’s July 11 meeting, however, some of the board members expressed concerns about the policy’s lack of support for an employee’s mental wellbeing.
“Mental wellbeing is just as important to me,” Antoine S. White, president of the board, said. “Is there a way of possibly looking into this and actually making sure that their mental wellness is taken care of?”
Despite the possibility of further review for mental wellness, the policy will be posted for 30 days.
“Sometimes someone needs a break not only physically but mentally,” White said.
The board also appointed Kelly Cleland as the new principal of Plum Point Middle School. Cleland was previously the principal of Windy Hill Elementary School for eight years.
Erin Mathers was appointed as the new assistant principal of Northern High School. She was previously an English teacher and administrative intern at Northern.
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