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Parents, students and staff raise concerns about special‑education supports, communication and device cuts
Summary
During public participation, speakers described delayed dyslexia identification, asked for clearer district communication on immigration‑enforcement and blueprint/budget issues, warned against reducing device access, and asked the board to revisit a book‑selection review policy that library staff say is unrealistic and time‑consuming.
Public participation at the March 11 Carroll County Board of Education meeting included multiple speakers who urged the district to improve identification and instruction for students with reading differences, improve communications with immigrant families, and reconsider budget decisions affecting positions and 1:1 device programs.
Aiden Spencer, a 15‑year‑old who said he moved from CCPS to a private program, described being identified late for dyslexia and dysgraphia and said his IEP emphasized accommodations over evidence‑based instruction. "Once I had finished all of the intervention and was above grade level, I started in middle school," Spencer said, adding that his parents paid for private structured‑literacy interventions when the district could not provide them.
Parent Lindsey Jensen criticized how the district communicated an immigration‑enforcement policy; she said rumors and fear among Hispanic families could have been reduced by proactive messaging explaining the policy’s state requirement and assuring families of student safety. Jensen also expressed concern about the timing of meetings and questioned the superintendent’s compensation relative to teacher pay, citing a $55,000 figure for an extra salary component.
Catherine Burling, a school librarian, described what she called unrealistic book‑review expectations introduced via an "Appendix J" form that requires media specialists to fully read hundreds of titles before adding them to school collections. Burling said the extra workload, loss of clerks and lack of compensation have left media specialists overburdened and invited Central Office staff to meet and revisit the policy.
Other speakers, including Sharon Wilhide, asked for more detail about a budget line that eliminates 15.5 FTE positions and about possible impacts of removing one‑to‑one student devices in certain grades. Employee groups (CCA and CASE) urged public support for reading events and highlighted staff pay and workload: CASE president Cindy Porter noted many education support professionals have not received raises since August 2024.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and said staff will follow up where appropriate. The board’s public‑comment rules were read aloud at the start of the period, including a notice that the board reserves the right to correct factual inaccuracies after the session.
