Background

The Allegany County Board of Education adopted Board and Superintendent goals for 2016-2017 that included a goal to "Increase efficiency in the way we operate our schools." Part of that effort is to:

• Form a Blue Ribbon Commission of community leaders, including those outside of education to study the needs of the school system, make recommendations to the school board and county commissioners; and develop a charge statement for the group; 
• Evaluate the system's operations including enrollment by school, use of staff, class sizes, coverage of necessary tasks and use of available funding to find efficiencies and save money; 
• Engage in a redistricting plan for the county, which would be directed by a redistricting committee; 
• Include a budget item for a consultant to work through the process of increasing efficiencies in the system; and 
• Develop a communication plan for handling the process. 

The Board's Role is to:

• Approve charge for and appoint the membership of the Blue Ribbon Commission; 
• Approve charge for and appoint consultant and/or committee to study and recommend attendance boundary changes; 
• Consider and promote the Blue Ribbon Commission findings regarding redistricting and/or other operating recommendations; 
• Serve as a resource to the county commissioners as requested; and
• Facilitate/offer to share information with county commissioners regarding findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission.

The Superintendent's Role is to:

• Propose budget options to the Board for increased efficiency; 
• Facilitate and support the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission and the subsequent redistricting efforts, serving as a resource; 
• Facilitate/offer to share information with the county commissioners regarding Commission findings; 
• Share information appropriately with the public regarding Blue Ribbon Commission work; and
• Incorporate the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission to inform master plan and annual operating budget process. 

The Blue Ribbon Commission's Role is to:

• Provide the Board's consultant with relative and important information and perspectives regarding the task of adjusting attendance boundaries for more efficient and effective utilization of school capacity, so that the consultant may deliver a plan to recommend school attendance boundaries, the number of elementary schools for the county, and report its recommendations to the Board at the completion of its work.