School Superintendent Guthrie: Success Attainable in Spite of Budget Challenges

Superintendent Steve Guthrie addressed a packed room at the Board of Education building Wednesday afternoon as he presented his State of Public Schools Address. In the speech, he spent 25 minutes explaining the successes and challenges of Carroll County public schools. Here are five highlights of his address. 

Graduation/Dropout Rates
Carroll County has the highest graduation rate in the state and the lowest dropout rate in the state. 

"This is exactly the direction we want to see trends going," Guthrie said. 

Teacher Turnover
There has been a dramatic drop in teacher departures over the past several years. Guthrie said this is due largely to the economy, because people are hanging on to their jobs a little longer since their nest eggs took a hit. Also, because most counties are making cuts, there just aren't many available jobs out there. This information is important to be aware of, he said, because it is likely that we will see a large number of retirees at some point.

Teacher turnover rates:
2007-2008: 11.40 percent
2008-2009: 5.95 percent
2009-2010: 6.31 percent 

School System Volunteers
Carroll County boasts approximately 15,000 volunteers and Guthrie said this makes Carroll County the envy of many surrounding counties. Because of the large number of volunteers, Guthrie said that the school system had to come up with a tracking system so that it could monitor who was in the schools. Additionally, formal volunteer training is now required of every person volunteering in the public school system. 

Challenges Faced by School System
"Obviously, the budget," Guthrie said.  Over the past four years the school system has had to cut $16.6 million, according to Guthrie.

Another challenge mentioned are the demands to meet requirements of federal initiatives, most recently the Obama Administration's  "Race to the Top."

Looking Ahead
Guthrie said that there are some important goals for next year, including aligning Carroll County schools curricula with "Race to the Top."

Another focus for the school system next year, according to Guthrie, will be to improve the bridge of the middle schools. He wants the sixth through eighth grade students to be prepared to enter their high school years.

Professional development is also on the superintendent's radar, as Guthrie said he wants to redesign professional development so that it is school-centric and based on a model where the teachers are the trainers. 

Streamlining administrative services to schools and increasing organizational efficiencies are also on Guthrie's agenda for next year.