Carroll school board hears pre-K, America 250 reports as Outdoor School dominates public comment

The Carroll County Board of Education spent its July 15 public meeting celebrating early-learning results and the district's work marking the nation's 250th anniversary, but the time set aside for public comment was consumed largely by residents who came to challenge the board over its decision to end overnight Outdoor School and over how the board communicates and spends public money. Five of the nine public speakers are candidates for county or state office in the 2026 election.

The meeting, held in the Charles I. Ecker Board Room at 125 North Court Street in Westminster, followed a closed session earlier in the day at which the board planned to seek legal advice on several matters, including Outdoor School. The board took no public action on the program July 15. It voted 5-0 in June to end the overnight component, pausing the program for the 2026-27 school year before it returns as a redesigned day program for seventh graders in 2027-28.

Two coordinators walked the board through the district's pre-kindergarten and early-learning programs, which Superintendent Cynthia McCabe framed as an early foundation for the district's first strategic pillar of improving academic achievement.

Pamela Meyers, CCPS's early childhood supervisor, said the district operates 23 accredited pre-K classrooms, roughly one in each elementary school. Freedom Elementary is an exception because it lacks the space, and Mount Airy Elementary students are served by Parr's Ridge because Mount Airy houses only grades three through five. Elmer Wolfe, Robert Moton and Runnymede elementary schools each have two classrooms. The program is a full-day, general-education setting that runs the same 180-day calendar as kindergarten through grade five.

Families apply through a centralized process and qualify based on income measured against the federal poverty level. Maryland requires districts to seat families at or below 300% of the poverty level, which for a family of four equates to a household income of about $99,000, Meyers said. Coming into the fall, she said, the district has seated every family at or below 500% of the poverty level and is at 90% capacity, with applications still under review daily. Each classroom seats 20 students and maintains a one-to-10 adult-to-child ratio using a full-time teacher and a paraprofessional, for a systemwide capacity of 460 students.

Of the students enrolled last year, 71% were at or below 300% of the poverty level or experiencing homelessness, 17% received special-education services under an individualized education program, and 20% were multilingual learners, Meyers said. Through a mixed-delivery model, the Maryland State Department of Education has approved six private providers for the coming year, adding capacity for about 100 more 3- and 4-year-olds.

On kindergarten readiness, Meyers said more than half of the district's incoming kindergartners demonstrated established skills on a new statewide assessment. She said Carroll ranked first in Maryland on the STAR Early Literacy measure at 75%, compared with a statewide figure of 57%, and third on STAR Math at 66%, compared with 55% statewide. On the district's own pre-K assessments, more than 80% of students met literacy benchmarks for identifying uppercase and lowercase letters and letter sounds, and the mean math score was 91% at both midyear and year's end, with 21 of the 23 pre-K programs meeting the benchmark.

Betsy Leone, coordinator of the Judy Center early learning hubs, said the three hubs — at Elmer Wolfe, Robert Moton and Taneytown elementary schools — are funded through a blend of state grants and local contributions and serve children from prenatal through age 5 and their families. The hubs served 468 children, more than half of them ages 2 through 4, and offer playgroups, family engagement events, parent training and home visits. She said 99% of participating families agreed the program increased their understanding of child development and school readiness.

In response to a question from Malveaux about identifying children with disabilities early, Chris Wittle, the district's director of special education, said CCPS runs a birth-to-kindergarten program with active community outreach that works with the Judy Centers and other partners to connect families with services.

A team from the curriculum and communications offices presented the district's activities marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which staff tied to lessons at every grade level as well as community events.

CCPS communications staff produced two videos, one documenting classroom activities across the system and another featuring 37 students from schools across the county reading sections of the Declaration of Independence.

Secondary social studies supervisor Ryan Melhorn and elementary supervisor Bruce Lesh described curricular activities delivered the week of June 4, a month before the Fourth of July, so that every student learned about the anniversary and the Declaration. Elementary teachers designed grade-appropriate lessons, with fourth and fifth grades building on units they already teach on the American Revolution and the Constitution, while middle and high school students examined excerpts connecting the Declaration to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The district's new director of middle schools highlighted lessons on sequencing historical events and on national symbols. At the high school level, staff cited a weeklong slate of activities at Westminster High School, where a hospitality class and a technology class collaborated on a large flag and America 250 cupcakes.

Melhorn also described community efforts, including the district's role in the recent reading of the Declaration of Independence at the historic courthouse, a History Day expo featuring local historical sites, a summer professional-learning program that takes teachers to local historical sites, and a middle school mock trial camp held at the circuit courthouse in partnership with the Carroll County Public Library.

The Carroll County Student Government Association president, a Liberty High School senior, said the association had appointed its staff for the 2026-27 school year, with representation from six of the county's seven high schools and three middle schools, and had finalized its calendar ahead of executive board meetings beginning in August.

Student member Ella Tedeschi took part virtually, saying she was at a Civil Air Patrol encampment. Through the Maryland Association of Student Councils, she said, she met June 24 with the state board of education's student member to align their goals for the year and to discuss how Carroll County and the state could support one another. She also said she met July 9 with the incoming Carroll County student representative to go over the role and begin planning for the coming year, including student passion projects.

Board members recapped a summer of community events. Zihmer and Malveaux both attended a June 24 Skills USA graduation ceremony held for students who missed their high school commencements to compete at the national conference. Malveaux also described a legislative breakfast hosted by state Sen. Justin Ready, a July 8 reading of the Declaration of Independence at the historic courthouse in Westminster, and a sensory-friendly school tour for his son, an incoming ninth grader. Battaglia promoted the Carroll County 4-H and FFA Fair, running July 31 through Aug. 8 under the theme "250 years of American freedom, farming and future leaders." Dorsey reported on committee work with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, including its resolutions and awards committees.

Whisler said he attended a public meeting on retirement-living communities hosted by County Commissioner Susan Krebs, where he recommended that future developments include wider roadways and multiple access points so school buses can safely serve students who live there. He also encouraged students to consider volunteering with local fire companies, commended Melhorn and district educators for the America 250 lessons, and thanked the district's 12-month employees preparing schools for the coming year.

McCabe reported that 32 students from the Carroll County Career and Technology Center attended the Skills USA National Conference in Atlanta in June, winning four medals — gold in occupational health and safety, silver in health-occupations portfolio and in architectural drafting, and bronze in T-shirt design — and finishing in the national top 10 in five additional events. She also recognized agriculture teachers honored at the Maryland Agriculture Educators Conference and JROTC cadets from Century and Liberty high schools who reached the Sweet 16 at the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl in Washington, D.C.

Nine residents addressed the board, many of them defending Outdoor School. The podium also drew several 2026 candidates: Gail Wickless, the Democratic nominee for sheriff; Dayana Bergman, a Democratic nominee for the House of Delegates in District 5; Gary Foote, the Democratic nominee for the District 5 state Senate seat; and Sharon Wilhide and Julie Walsh, both candidates for the board of education.

Gail Wickless, the Democratic nominee for Carroll County Sheriff, disputed the board's characterization of safety conditions at the Hashawha site, saying staff supervise students overnight, cabins are locked and alarmed, and a nurse is on site. She said parents already sign permission slips and can opt out, and questioned why the program was treated differently from sporting events that carry their own risks.

Sharon Wilhide, a parent of two CCPS students and a candidate for the board, focused on communication, transparency and what she framed as the difference between misinformation and disinformation. She said that although the board's guidelines state only speakers notified by the communications department may speak, she has addressed the board many times and never received such notice. She contrasted the board's June 11 statement — which described sixth graders supervised overnight "with a single adult" — with a risk assessment she said counted two teachers and a nurse, or three adults, and asked whether the discrepancy amounted to misinformation or disinformation. Wilhide also said the assessment recommended coordinating with the county, the fire department, the fire marshal and police, and asked whether the board sought that support before asking teachers to staff overnights. "We should hold our elected officials accountable to provide accurate information," she said.

Anthony Schittino, who said he was drawing on public records, contrasted the cuts to Outdoor School and stalled teacher raises with what he described as growing spending on lawyers and administration. He said CCPS has paid its outside counsel close to $2 million over six years, with a $210,000 annual retainer that he said has been exceeded by six figures in some years — including an additional $118,000 for the 2026 fiscal year that he said was approved the same day the board ended Outdoor School overnights. He said the contract has never gone out to bid and raised what he described as potential conflicts of interest involving the firm and state oversight bodies. "Every year we are told there's no money for our teachers and students," he said, "but there's always money for the lawyers." The figures and characterizations were Schittino's; the board did not respond to them during the meeting, and Westminster Wire has not independently verified the spending totals.

Gary Foote, a retired South Carroll High School science teacher and the Democratic nominee for the District 5 state Senate seat, urged the board to do more to teach students how to vote, citing low turnout in county elections, and tied the point to the America 250 observances. The board had been "enthused about America 250 and events surrounding the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," he said, but argued that if schools do not take teaching students to vote seriously, "what are we getting excited about? We are seriously in danger of completely missing the point."

Joe Tier, a grandparent, proposed extending the Outdoor School day into the evening as an alternative to overnights, keeping campfires, dinner and an evening nature walk, with pickup pushed to 7 or 8 p.m. and an earlier bus kept as an option for families who need it. He said students should not miss out on an immersive experience others have had for 50 years. Tier said he had followed the issue online and seen posts he regarded as misinformation, including what he called "scuttlebutt" that the change was a first step toward closing the program entirely, and said voters should know where board candidates stand on Outdoor School in November. He also said he took the overnight concern seriously, doubting that high school students or parents without adequate background checks were well positioned to serve as overnight chaperones.

Dayana Bergman, a Democratic nominee for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 5 and a CCPS parent, said the board reached its decision without adequate public participation and without drawing on its own expertise. She noted that state law requires a yearly risk assessment of every school campus, but said the district's lead for safety and security was never asked to evaluate Outdoor School — even though, she acknowledged, the Hashawha site is not CCPS property. The county could have done more to address safety concerns, she said, "not just routinely, but immediately after the incident" the board has cited. "Aren't we supposed to prioritize safety for our students and staff?" she said. "Why wasn't a simple request made?"

Timothy Redmond, a certified public accountant and a parent of four, said the board should preserve Outdoor School and invest in making it secure rather than end the overnights, framing it as a cost-benefit decision. He argued that everyday school activities — contact sports, dances and after-hours community use of buildings — carry as much or more risk, and suggested the district could hire students as counselors so they become CCPS employees with the same training, certifications and background checks as teachers. "Let's not belly-ache about the cost to make the program secure," he said. "Let's move forward making it so." Redmond separately opposed a planned change to elementary scheduling that he said would move science and social studies to 30 minutes every other day, arguing the subjects lose momentum when paused for days. Rather than trimming them to expand English and math, he said, the district could embed reading and math within science and social studies, which he called outlets for applying those skills — pointing to reading about the Revolutionary War and using math to take measurements in a science experiment. He suggested the curriculum be updated so reading and math are woven throughout the two subjects, offered to volunteer his time with educators, and urged the board to preserve dedicated science and social studies time.

Julie Walsh, a parent of five and a candidate for the board, tied her remarks to the same civic theme, saying an engaged community should be able to weigh in on major decisions. She said she still felt "the sting of disappointment" over the June vote on an issue residents have cared about for years, arguing the public was not notified in advance or given a meaningful chance to comment. On a separate matter, Walsh said the district appears to be moving ahead with a middle school scheduling pilot even though the state board recently delayed the policy behind it — a requirement for 60 minutes a day of English and math instruction — and said the community deserves to know that. She urged the board to protect science and social studies instruction as those subjects are compressed and to support teachers through the transition.

Joshua Wilhide, the final speaker, said he carries a pocket Constitution and urged the board not to lose sight of that document amid the America 250 focus on the Declaration of Independence. He pointed to a 2004 federal law requiring schools that receive federal funds to hold a program on the Constitution each Sept. 17, its ratification date. Wilhide said Outdoor School appeared to cross partisan lines, with the community united in wanting the program restored or greater transparency from the board, and closed by reading a passage he attributed to George Washington: that power under the Constitution rests with the people and is entrusted to elected representatives who "will be recalled" if they act contrary to the public's wishes.

In the employee comment period, Carroll County Education Association President Celeste Jordan tied public education to the nation's 250th anniversary and announced a video series celebrating educators. She also noted that the day marked 683 days since nearly 20% of the association's bargaining unit last received a salary increase.

The board approved its consent and action items unanimously. Those included a contract to repair chillers at South Carroll High School, funded through a local infrastructure-renewal account the county commissioners replenished with $3 million in one-time funding for the 2027 fiscal year; a personnel report covering 77 new hires, six retire-rehires and other transactions; and 10 administrative and staff appointments.

Whisler noted that the district is in a strong staffing position, with educators from other counties seeking to work in Carroll while neighboring systems reduce staff. The board also approved an amendment to a deed of easement allowing the county to add groundwater-monitoring infrastructure at Westminster High School and ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Carroll County School Food Services Association that includes salary increases. McCabe said the ratification concluded negotiations with all five of the district's bargaining units.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, in the Board Room at 125 North Court Street in Westminster.

Westminster Wire has covered the Outdoor School decision in an initial report on the June 10 vote, a follow-up on the board's post-vote statement, and a retired teacher's challenge to the board's account.

Photo from CCPS YouTube video of July 15, 2026 Board of Education meeting.