SCHOOLS: The Board of Education
ROOM WITH A VIEW: Larry
decided Tuesday to increase the cost of lunch in Worcester County Public Schools by 5 cents next year PAGE 6
Noccolino, Ocean City’s new convention center director, hopes the facility’s ballroom vista will be a major selling point PAGE 5
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . 42 CLASSIFIED . . . . . . . . .82 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . 53 LEGALS . . . . . . . . . . . 69
LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . 49 OPINION . . . . . . . . . . 20 OUT&ABOUT . . . . . . . . 58 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . 35
RESORT’S BEST BLOODY MARY MIXERS SET TO FACE OFF SUNDAY…PAGE 52
Ocean City Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
MAY 18, 2012
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The newly formed Parents Against Bullying of Worcester County, whose mission is to monitor and stop bullying by coaches, teachers, students and parents in area schools, sponsored a full-page advertisement published last Friday in a local weekly newspaper.
UPROAR OVER AD Accusations of bullying prompt outcry from teachers, parents said parents and students have reported that Head Coach Rich Ferro verbally abused and degraded some of (May 18, 2012) A parent’s his players. full-page ad in a local newsThose allegations, howpaper last week that accused ever, are being challenged on Stephen Decatur High School an “I Support Rich Ferro and coaches of bullying students Garrett Magaha” Facehas prompted other book page that has parents and students to drawn positive comcome to their defense “It’s been going on for a while ments from many parand to express their own outrage at the charges. with quite a few sports programs ents, students, teachers and coaches. Placed under the and they lied to us, telling us this The advertisement name, “Parents Against Bullying of Worcester doesn’t happen. I wanted to have authored by parent Tony DiBuo, whose son County,” the ad also acthem work with me, but they was a member of the cused the Stephen Derefused, so if I have to go to the baseball team, said the catur administration of group’s investigation covering up incidents. paper and embarrass them, I’ll has uncovered many It went on to say that its do it every week if I have to.” years of verbal abuse of mission is to monitor children in county and stop bullying by PARENT TONY DIBUO coaches, teachers, stu- who placed a full-page ad in a local newspaper, accusing schools and on the playing fields, noting dents and parents in Stephen Decatur HIgh School coaches of bullying an alleged report where area schools. a coach spit on one of On Monday, Stephen his players this year Decatur Principal Lou Taylor defended the school’s lying, I can tell you that it will and several others using the “F” word when they are frusprograms and himself from be thoroughly investigated.” the charges. The advertisement specif- trated with a player. “In athletics, that compet“We always take a great ically references the baseball deal of pride in supporting program and claims that As- itiveness comes out of people, and encouraging our young sistant Coach Garrett Magaha but I watch how our coaches people and we are proud of recently verbally abused, de- work with kids and I’m proud our long-standing record. We graded and belittled a mem- of how they work together,” want our young people here ber of the varsity team in Taylor countered. to thrive and prosper and I front of other players. It also See FULL-PAGE on Page 27
LISA CAPITELLI ■ Assistant Editor
want to assure our parents and community that we always promote a positive learning experience,” said Taylor, who is named in the ad. “We have not and will not tolerate bullying. If someone reports an alleged case of bul-
OCEAN CITY TODAY/NANCY POWELL
A group of municipal employees, calling themselves the Ocean City Employee Coalition, has opened an office in the Food Lion shopping center on 118th Street to serve as a headquarters for an upcoming unionization campaign — potentially adding another heated topic to an election-year summer that is already expected to be closely contested. The employees are being supported by the Maryland Classified Employees Association, which has organized collective bargaining for public employees throughout the state.
Statebudget displeases Worcester Co.officials NANCY POWELL ■ Staff Writer (May 18, 2012) Wednesday’s passage of the state budget requiring counties to pay for teacher pensions made Worcester County Commissioner Bud Church think of people who are unable to manage their finances. “It reminds me of people who max out a credit card and get another one because they can’t pay their bills,” Church said. “Then they max out that credit card, can’t pay it off and get another credit card and max that out. That’s kind of what we have here.” Church and the other county commissioners will tackle the county’s shortfall on Tuesday during a budget work session. The county was facing a $17 million shortfall between its estimated general fund revenues of $154.8 million and its requested general
fund operating expenses of $171.9 million. But that was before passage of the state budget shifting those teacher pensions to the counties. The state is requiring counties to fund those pensions by paying subsequently larger portions of it over four years. The first year, the counties must pay 50 percent of the cost of teacher retirements. The percentage rises to 65 percent the second year, to 85 percent the third year and to 100 percent the fourth and final year. That first year will cost Worcester County $1.2 million and that will increase the county’s shortfall to more than $18 million. The choices for dealing with that difficulty are slim. “We can’t cut our way out of this hole,” said Gerry Mason, the county’s chief administrative officer, Wednesday. “The state says See MATHIAS on Page 26