QUARTERLY OPEN TOWN MEETING
The Quarterly Open Town Meeting was held on February 6, 1995 at 7:00 p.m. with Mayor Hutchison presiding. Members of Council present were Mr. Lambert, Mr. Tudor, Mr. Leary, Mr. Pitts, Mrs. Malone, Mr. Weyandt, Mr. Hare and Council President Christiansen. Councilman Salters was absent. Council staff present were Mr. DePrima, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Lucas and Mrs. Boaman.
Prior to beginning the meeting, Mayor Hutchison announced that he recently attended a change of command at Dover Air Force Base and that the new Commander for the 512 Airlift Wing is Brigadier General Michael J. Quarnaccio. Mayor Hutchison stated that this is the first time in the history of DAFB that they have had two Brigadier Generals at the same time; one being on the active duty side and the other on the reserve side.
Full-Time Mayor Proposal
David Anderson, representing United We Stand (P.O. Box 1784, Dover, DE) addressed the issue of a full-time Mayor. This subject has come up several times over the years and to date, the matter has reached no resolution. It is the recommendation of United We Stand that City Council place this issue on their municipal ballot as a non-binding referendum. It is felt that this would provide an opportunity to hear the views of the citizens on this issue. United We Stand is currently circulating petitions on their proposal which will be submitted to City Council at a later date.
Capital School District Update
Mayor Hutchison introduced Dr. Joseph Crossen, Capital School District Superintendent, Mr. Gerald Street, President of the Capital School District Board, and Board Member Paul Fleming.
Mr. Street thanked members of Council for the opportunity to expound on the challenges facing the Capital School District and their goal to develop and deliver excellence in curriculum that provides the best instructional response to their students. Mr. Street stated that they, like all other agencies, are being asked to do more with less. They are using the services of volunteer citizens to assist with many functions of the district's operations, including the use of a citizen group to address their space needs which recently resulted in the decision to construct a new elementary school.
Dr. Crossen stated that the Capital School District offers more advanced placement classes than any other high school in Delaware, had one of the first wellness centers, has a state of the art computer training lab, is the only downstate district with a planetarium, provides programs in vocal and instrumental music, has an award winning Chapter I program, and has been a leader in gifted education from elementary through secondary schools.
Capital had more students offered scholarships to the service academies this past year than in their history of any two years combined and 60% of their students go onto college or some form of higher education. They are involved in many different types of pilot programs. Mr. Street reported that Capital currently has 6,300 students of which 43% are minorities which they feel adds balance and harmony to their structure. Of the 6,300 students, 40% are at or below the poverty level. Capital has the highest percentage of minority teachers in the state. They are the fifth highest employer, with over 750 employees.
The Housing Authority has informed Capital that within the next three to four years they anticipate their programs will bring to the district an additional 500 families made up of a single parent with three children and a median average of $7,000. Mr. Street stated that the school districts have to deal with children from all walks of life and that whatever problems these children may have, they bring in through the doors of the school with them. School districts have had to become more involved in social programs such as wellness centers and latchkey programs in order to keep up with the needs of parents and students. Their main focus continues to be higher achievement for all their students. This is more difficult, however, since mobility among student population makes it difficult to have a kindergarten through 12th grade program. He stated that approximately one-half of the student population that begins their schooling with the Capital School District will move to another school district before graduation.
In order to meet the challenge of doing more with less, Capital has become involved in many partnerships. At one time, schools were isolated and worked within themselves. Today, they share in many community programs and work with businesses and other school districts to share all resources. An example is the shared use of their gymnasiums by the Parks and Recreation Departments of the City and County and the use of their buildings for meetings and community related programs. The City of Dover has worked with the school district in many ways by offering assistance with their horticultural needs and the cooperative efforts of the school district and the Police Department, especially with the DARE program.
Mr. Street stated that in the next year, the Board will be considering many new concepts, including the possibility of expanding the school year and the concept of requiring student community service. Due to the many expenses involved with public education, Mr. Street stated that they are looking into ways to reduce expenses, including the use of para-professionals to assist teachers.
Dr. Crossen discussed their plans for the new elementary school which will be located at the intersection of McKee and College Roads, with the entrance/exit off of College Road. It will house approximately 420 students and will expand to house up to 600 students. One issue they will face is equity among the other schools. If they fill the new school with new and modern equipment, they will have to figure out how to provide them in the other schools as well. A diagram of the proposed school was on display for public review.
Responding to questions by Mr. Weyandt on discipline, Dr. Crossen stated that the schools can no longer deal with discipline problems the way they did in the past. Students come to school with many more problems today than they did 20 to 30 years ago. More and more children are now living in single parent families and from very young parents with limited education and income. The school district now offers parenting classes and alternative classes for disruptive children. They are working very hard to educate their teachers, bus drivers, and parents in the best way to properly train and discipline students.
Mrs. Malone asked Dr. Crossen and Mr. Street to explain to the public why this site was chosen over the others that were considered. Dr. Crossen explained that the Site Selection Committee, (comprised of their architect, representatives of Capital's staff and parents) first identified the criteria for the property. Basically, they needed: (1) a site of at least 17 acres on the west side of Dover with an accessible roadway; (2) a site located in the City limits or easily annexed into the City; and (3) availability of connection to City water, sewer and electric. The criteria lead their realtor to three possible sites which were reviewed by the Site Selection Committee and a screening committee at the state level, including DNREC and DelDOT. The selected site rose to the top of the list by the state committee and by the Site Selection Committee.
Mrs. Malone stated that she agreed the selected site was the best choice, but that many parents did not understand the site selection process. Dr. Crossen stated that they held many public meetings on this matter and invited interested parents to call him if they have questions. Mrs. Malone thanked Capital for opening their facilities to the City Parks and Recreation Department and relayed her hope that this partnership will be maintained.
Mayor Hutchison thanked Dr. Crossen, Mr. Street and Mr. Fleming for attending the meeting and sharing their goals and ambitions with the City of Dover.
Mr. Weyandt moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Leary and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:20 P.M.
DEBRAH J. BOAMAN
CITY CLERK
JAMES L. HUTCHISON
MAYOR
/DJB