NEWSBRIEFS

Course bulletins arrive after class registration deadline

Course bulletins for the 2002-2003 school year arrived on Feb 6, more than two weeks after Blair's deadline to register for next year's classes. Thirty-five hundred course bulletins were supposed to arrive in early January, in time for students to use the booklets to select their classes for next year, but the shipment was delayed due to changes in the document. According to guidance resource counselor Barbara Drumm, Blair conducts its registration earlier than other schools, allowing Blair administration to estimate next year's student population and seek additional resources such as extra staffing and portable classrooms accordingly.

Although the delay bothered Drumm, she does not think it had a major effect on the ease of registration. Since the booklet lists every course in the county, including those not offered at Blair, Drumm said it often confuses students more than it helps them.

Report shows decline in number of oversized classes

Efforts undertaken last spring by the MCPS Board of Education and the County Council to reduce class sizes have brought about a substantial decline in the number of oversized classes this school year, according to the school system's official class size report. Although Blair's entering classes continue to increase in size, the average class size in MCPS for the 2001-2002 school year is down for all grade levels compared with the previous year.

The average MCPS high school class has fewer students than last year, with an average of 24 students in each English class and 25 students in other academic subjects. Nine percent of high school English classes are larger than the recommended guidelines, compared with 12 percent last year. In other academic subjects, four percent of classes are larger than 32 students, down from six percent in the last school year.

Board of Education approves next year's operating budget

The MCPS Board of Education unanimously approved on Jan 29 an operating budget request of $1.4 billion for the next fiscal year. Under the fiscal year 2003 budget, additional teachers would be hired, especially at the high school level, and expenditures would increase for special education, instruction for students with limited English proficiency and transportation. Much of the budget increase would be used to maintain programs and services for a growing enrollment. MCPS's enrollment is projected to increase next year by about 2,000 students, a record-setting growth that has made the school system the largest in Maryland and the 12th fastest-growing in the nation.

The board will present its recommendations for the budget to County Executive Douglas Duncan and the County Council on Mar 1.

2002-2003 school year will begin earlier

MCPS schools will open before Labor Day for the first time since 1998 for the 2002-2003 school year. According to MCPS spokeswoman Katherine Harrison, the decision to begin classes on Aug 27 resulted from the incorporation of two election days and two additional professional days for teachers into the calendar. The two professional days, scheduled for Jan 18 and Mar 29, are required by the teachers union's contract signed by the MCPS Board of Education last year. According to Harrison, this earlier opening will not be an annual occurrence. In the past, the school year only began prior to Labor Day if the holiday fell unusually late in the year.

Blair students get higher AP scores

Last year's Advanced Placement (AP) test results showed a marked improvement for Blair. The number of students taking at least one AP test increased from 313 in 1998 to 383 in 2001. The average score rose to 4.21 out of 5.00, a total significantly higher than second place Whitman High School, which had an average score of 3.76. Ninety-five percent of Blair students who took AP exams received a 3.00 or above.