MARCH 7, 2024
FREE
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
School board cries foul on crime charge Says accusations of being soft on crime employed misleading information
CHARLENE SHARPE/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
“We don’t know what has motivated law enforcement to publicly and aggressively defame our school system but I’m here to tell you we can’t stand for it,” Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor says at last Friday’s press conference.
By Charlene Sharpe Associate Editor (March 7, 2024) In a rebuttal to charges by local law enforcement officials that Worcester County Public Schools are experiencing a surge in student crime and are doing little about it, representatives of the school system said last Friday accusers used misleading data to make their argument. Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor and Board of Education President Todd Ferrante also countered that they have been working on many of the safety improvements recommended by the state’s attorney and sheriff’s office, despite their critics’ assertion to the contrary. Taylor and Ferrante took turns at the rostrum at their own press conference three days after State’s AttorSee SCHOOL Page 5
Backlash gets OPA to drop racquet sport fee package Combination deal still available, but single-sport fee reinstituted after board hears from audience By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (March 7, 2024) The decidedly negative reaction to a new racquet sports fee package in Ocean Pines has led association officials to reinstate the single sports fee membership for racquet activities and the previously favored three-sport package. At a special meeting last Saturday, the OPA Board of Directors listened as property owners complained that the new program gave
them only one option: to purchase a tennis, platform tennis, and pickleball combination package rather than an individual memberships. The board agreed to keep the three-sport choice and reestablish one-sport options. The board also voted to increase the yearly rates by 10% for each sport and 5% for the combo selection. Board Vice President Stuart Lakernick discussed the thought process that led to the one yearly option, arguing that many individuals are taking advantage of the center. “I thought during the budget process that a one racquet membership made the most See OPA Page 5
TARA FISCHER/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Tina Vincent (standing) expresses her concerns with a proposed elimination of the single-racquet sport fee structure in favor of a three-sport combo package at the Feb. 29 special board meeting in Ocean Pines.
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