Education Funding Statement

County staff presented specifics on their proposed county budget to the public on March 26, 2013. The Board of Education (BOE) portion of the presentation gave no details about the school budget which they presented in a public hearing on February 8, 2013.

Should tax payers demand a greater level of transparency as the school system expense comprises over half of the county budget?

The school superintendent did not attend; having his deputy read prepared remarks. The President of the BOE challenged the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) as “politicians” to “fully-fund” the superintendent’s proposed budget.

While proclaiming the BOE role was to advocate for more money for education; perhaps the President of the BOE forgot that as an elected body, the BOE also must represent the tax payers who provide school funding.

Remember the President of the BOE in 2006, when he ran for the school board berated the school system at a Huntingtown High School campaign forum for making teachers use their own funds to purchase supplies? Since then, teachers still say they need to use their own funds.

The local Union officials had the teachers, administrative, and support staff pleading their personal cases for “fully-funding” the school request. Did anyone see separation between the BOE and the union positions? Tax payers are not well served if these two organizations ‘conveniently’ have the same position.

The school system struggles to implement unfunded mandates from the Federal and State regulators and demands by the Union.

Many tax payers who fund the schools struggle to make ends meet as property values and paychecks diminish because of a long-term poor economy and higher Federal and State taxes.

Just what does “fully-funding” the superintendent’s budget mean? Well, contrary to the misinformation provided to the teachers and support staff used for their individual testimony presentations, there is sufficient funding (without “fully-funding”) within the school system for the BOE to meet their contractual obligations for staff pay raises.

One BOE board member already claimed publicly that even without “full-funding” the BOE would be able to “tighten their belt” to ensure the raises occur. That means sufficient funds exist. The well meaning school employees were used as cover to game the system to obtain more than pay raises.

Some items quickly come to mind (and were not mentioned in any BOE public presentation) that the BOE can address to solve the difference between what the superintendent proposed and what the county staff recommended.

Expansion with seven new school positions is planned. One additional clerical/secretary position for the Superintendent as a paralegal because state mandates and Union influence means that contracts now have to be re-negotiated every year.

Two additional technicians for plant operations which after shuffling of some positions equates to additional Information Technology personnel, one additional instructional assistant to supporting various mentorship/internship programs, and three who would draw their salaries from the “Restricted Funds” (directed by the Feds or State) part of the budget.

It is difficult to determine the real administrative costs as the State requires organizing the various such cost items. Reportedly, administrative costs are 9% of the budget; but could be as much as 20% of their total budget. For perspective, if someone considered donating to a non-profit charity whose administrative costs are that high, they very likely might give to a more efficient enterprise.

The school system plans over $280,000 for “Local Mileage Reimbursement”. Doing some quick math, $.565 per mile would fund 496,000 travel miles permitting about 45 round trips every school day to and from Dunkirk and Solomons. These trips cover various teaching specialists who split their time among the various schools in the county and does not account for such trips using county owned vehicles. While this has the appearance of “padding” in the budget, perhaps more efficient use of resource allocation could reduce the amount the tax payers have to provide for this reimbursement.

The fuel costs of running buses and having staff enforce the daycare transfer program should be provided by the superintendent who owes it to the tax payers to identify a cost on this program. Since the tax payer’s responsibility includes funding school transportation, should not they be provided these costs? Public school bus service such as bus number 119 services only daycare facilities.

As part of the ongoing state legislature session, State Senator David Brinkley (R), Frederick County (from the minority party in Annapolis) amended the proposed state budget to correct the wealth calculation for several counties. The benefit to Calvert County would be restoration of $444,000 to Calvert County schools. As of this writing, the amendment has not yet passed. Perhaps the Union should reconsider its default position of supporting state candidates from the majority political party and realize that majority party is not necessarily friendly to the local schools.

The BOE has a fiduciary role; relook priorities and do the right thing for the teachers, support staff, and don’t forget the tax payers.

Build Budgets from Basics, Use Transparency, and Save Citizen Taxdollars

I was asked about my views of building a budget from the basics, making the entire process more transparent and if savings could be found. Following is a lengthy response.

As a County Commissioner, probably the largest responsibility I have to the citizens is oversight in the creation of the budget followed by its faithful implementation.

You may have heard from some that I am critical about the County Budget. No so. Not critical about the Budget itself as much as I am critical of the way the budget is built.

I am merely on a Quest for Transparent Budget Builds.

The dollars and percentages within the county budget presentations are consistent with previous budgets, and unless the staff takes an altered course, you can as easily as I, predict future budgets.

We simply take last year and build upon it.

It is not the dollars though many know my philosophy is one where I believe we should have a “lean government” with “reduced taxes” and more efficient processes.

Some claim we have a “lean government” and I’ve asked to see the data they used to make such a claim so I may also conclude just how lean we are. I’ve heard a counter statement that it’s based upon years of experience. I’m still awaiting that data.

Some claim our budget is testimony to the county bond ratings; distinguish budget presentation awards, and awards for accounting.

Bond ratings are essentially credit scores indicating our ability and willingness to pay our debts more so than reflecting the quality of the budget.

Presentation awards reflect a document that serves as an operations guide, financial plan, and communications device; less so about the quality of the budget.

Accounting awards indicate we properly document expenditures consistent with the budget demonstrating that funds are “accounted for”, not the quality of the budget.

These awards are welcomed, earned, noteworthy, and clearly deserving for our staff; yet even in total do not mean we have the proper budget.

My issue, when I’ve spoken critically about the budget, had little to do with the specifics contained within the specific documented budget. My concerns centered on the approach we take to build the budget.

The current approach is what one may call a “Baseline” approach. This approach entails taking a previous year’s budget and aligning anticipated expenses to projected income. It allows for elected officials to see dollar figure projections for income and projections for expenses.

That Baseline approach is the same used by congress in Washington D.C. when they create the national level budget of overspending and deficits. That’s also the type of budget where projected rates of spending are reduced are so called cuts. We know these do not represent real cuts in spending.

I argue that our current Baseline budgeting prevents the level of detailed examination needed by elected officials.

Just like the Feds, we simply take last year and build upon it. That means some good programs are ensured to continue, but also means some things we ought not to do continue as well. How can the citizen know what should be or should not be included?

The current approach prevents the level of transparency our citizens deserve.

I contend that budgets are not about Dollars and Personnel Positions, nor Governmental Organization Structure. I contend budgets are about Priorities, Transparency, and Citizen Involvement.

I call for a different approach on how the budget is built. It’s not so much “Zero-Based Budgeting” as much as it is a transparent means of building the budget.

First, I oppose budgets where I cannot readily see rationale explaining 1. Why we need the number of requested employees, 2. Why we need the identified amount of income (taxes), and 3. Why we need the identified resources such as buildings and equipment.

I disagree that we produce a “conservative budget.” I do understand we error on the side of the tax payer when making estimates which as described in bond rating agency reports, is consistent with conservative budgeting practices. 

A conservative budget is more than making conservative estimates. It starts with the basics by documenting citizen needs and identifying required Functions and Services to satisfy those needs. Conservative budgets ensure that only required functions and services are funded. I support building a budget from the basics. 

We should articulate genuine guidance at the beginning of the build. Instead, departments are instructed to perform “salami-slicing” to reach the budget bottom line (now for a fourth year in a row). 

This “salami-slicing” can actually hurt needed services while protecting less critical services. To me, taking a salami-slice approach is not so much a problem as it is a symptom of a problem.

The current process lacks detailed prioritizations. When you hear elected officials say everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. We should have greater front-end insight to more objectively determine what specific items should, or not, be funded. 

We should seek ways of reducing duplicative costs to include the Sheriff’s Office and Board of Education. We should focus on cost savings for the tax payer by targeting similar functions and services across the entire county government such as procurement and IT services. In fleet maintenance, we might find as much as 25% savings in maintenance if we take a different approach. 

Citizens ask why educators request more money while declining student enrollment since 2006, continues downward through 2016. 

The State Office of Legislative Audits conducts audit to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the financial management practices of the Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS).

In 2009, the audit made 19 recommendations to enhance controls in existing financial management systems and processes in areas such as procurement, payroll, and student transportation. For example, “CCPS needs to enhance certain procurement policies and procedures and should institute better security controls over its payroll and disbursement automated systems.”

They identified bus transportation vendor reimbursement rates that should be reevaluated, as they “appear to result in unnecessarily high reimbursements, which could cost CCPS approximately $4.2 million over the life of the new buses put into service since 1998.” 

I mention this as I believe we should see what the school system has done to address those 19 recommendations before simply sending over more of your money for them to simply do more of the same. 

Notice, I did not mention the more volatile issue of teacher salary increases, but does it not stand to reason that greater efficiencies as recommended by the audit should leave more funds to support the teachers?

One citizen’s look at the school budget questions less than explicit expenditures of over half-million dollars, and if $6.6 million is really appropriate for custodial support.

Hiring more deputies and staff over the past years means less money for salary increases.

I am not critical of past budgets as they were done with the best information available at that time. During economic expansion, the process created reserves that assisted during economic contraction. Given the prolonged stagnant economy, is it not appropriate to consider relooking our build process? 

We need a different process; one with goals of reducing tax rates, identifying and eliminating duplication, ensuring greater transparency for the citizens, and increased interaction by your elected officials throughout the entire build.

I call for a Basis of Estimate for each of the positions. We should be able to explain why we need certain positions and programs, as well as why we need the numbers of each and the skill levels required.  

Here’s how I envision we should build the budget. By building the budget, I’m referring to all that stuff that currently occurs hidden from public view. That means gathering of the information and details used to create the dollar figures that are later viewed by the public.

Here’s how I’d do it. 

Document citizen needs. Not all needs are equal in terms of urgency, comprehensiveness, nor singularly. The needs, however, are probably known by the various departments as those organizations serve the citizens on a daily basis. Let’s first document those needs. It’s important to do so because the county government ought not to be doing something unless there is a citizen need. 

While each need by the citizen is their highest priority of the government, not every need is the highest priority to the government. Don’t you think that officials within the government ought to be challenged to prioritize those needs? 

After the needs are documented, we then need to document the Functions and Services that the county government uses to satisfy those needs.

Each Function describes the purpose for which something is designed or exists; role. Services describe the supplying or supplier of something helpful (i.e., products, activities). A quick detour into Process Management; Functions and Services are derived from Processes. Each process documents a series of activities; and can be used to identify Functions and Services. Activities are the basic work being performed. 

Each Department would then be required to create the Basis of Estimate. That estimate describes and justifies in detail what they envision is required to successfully perform the identified Functions and Services.

The output of the Basis of Estimate is used to identify the type of skills needed, the experience level of those skills, the minimum amount of knowledge and resources needed.

With the information derived, then the “Number Crunching” can begin which will yield the needed amount of dollars, number of personnel, and physical resources needed to satisfy the citizen needs.

It is at that point that I believe the Budget Build should begin.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to streamline processes across the county government to increase efficiency (during times of financial constraints) and to build for the eventual growth that will come. 

The only question in my mind resolves around the question if enough of my fellow county commissioners agree with the presentation I just gave you. More importantly, are citizens of this county sufficiently interested in having a more transparent process in place of the one currently established? 

Questions?

Continuing the Public Dialogue on Safety and Security

Continuing the Public Dialogue on Safety and Security for our Students and School Officials, I offer the following.

Earlier I mentioned the failure of “feel good laws” such as the “gun-free zones” and related failed zero tolerance policies noting that concealed carry laws are truly effective in deterring violent crime. Some may disagree with that concept, yet common sense dictates otherwise. This article addresses another important component of the public dialogue.

The easiest thing for an Elected Official to do is to take no position, say nothing except something “Wishy-Washy” desiring to please all who hear, hope any controversy at hand passes, and then if tragedy occurs express Shock and Outrage; then resume taking no position hoping time passes.

My own observation of the public domain is that we are now living in a Coarse Culture which is very different than the late 1950’s. While many still try to live lives, earn a living, and raise a family; others these days seem to seek entertainment, are easily distracted, and appear much more concerned with one’s self rather than others.

As a step-father of a disabled adult-child who is as innocent and vulnerable as small school-age children, I know the responsibility parents and guardians have to limit exposure to that Coarse Culture of violent video games, movies, and music.

Are parents throughout our county insisting their children are less exposed to the Coarse Culture by limiting violent video games, movies, and music?

Parents, have you asked your local school and elected officials to account for the safety and security of your children? Have you received only verbal assurances, or more specific details?

Let’s also move this public dialogue into the arena of mental health. After all, complicated problems can have multiple solutions. Let’s continue discussing proper effective deterrents, individual responsibility, lessening the coarseness of our culture, and treating those who have problems adjusting in society at large.

Working together, we can find common ground to build upon.

 

Formal Statement Read to Secretary Richard Hall, Maryland State Department of Planning

I read the following statement today during a formal meeting between the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners to the Maryland State Department for Planning Secretary Richard Hall:

Mr. Secretary, the Tier Map requirements from the recently passed Septic Law, the planned Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (Cap and Trade), and The Watershed Implementation Plan’s prominent use of Best Available Technology for Septic tanks (meaning nitrogen removing septic systems) causes much heartburn -- even Prilosec does not help.


You recall selling your PlanMaryland initiative as being simply a benign means for the various state-level departments to coordinate? More like the opposite of benign; we are experiencing state control over how rural land owners develop, operate, and use their private real property.

PlanMaryland, Septic Law requiring various Tier categories, Watershed Implementation Plans (which for Calvert County brings along with it a 1.3 Billion dollar bill), upcoming Cap and Trade legislation all tie together under the philosophical term “sustainable development”.

This state imposed philosophy diminishes property rights of our citizens. I reject this intrusive concept of state-dictated land use and related behavior modifications.

For this “Septic Law”, how can we not object to these state efforts considering the county must request an exemption from the Maryland State Department of Planning for the Tier IV restrictions on major subdivisions whereas your department will then determine conformance of the county tier boundaries with state statutory guidelines; whereas your department will then determine if the Area as a whole might meet the 1 lot or fewer per 20 acres threshold to qualify for the exemption; whereas your department makes a final determination?

More than an implied threat if we do not adhere to this Septic Tier categorization by the end of this calendar year your department will prevent the start of any new major residential subdivision. Sure does sound like your department is intruding into decisions on our local land use.

Local officials throughout Maryland who swore an oath to defend the principles of the U. S. Constitution represent the last line of defense for our citizens against this intrusion.

While I reject the intrusion of state central planners into our local land use decisions, we should also express disagreement with the state following lock-step in its adherence to the term “sustainable community” which we all know is an offspring of the term “sustainable development,” as coined by the World Commission on Environment and Development back in 1987, and refined in UN One World Government vision called Agenda 21.

Our own planning documentation such as the county Comprehensive Master Plan and the various Town Center Master Plans are relevant. They are produced by working with various community groups and individuals. I support these planning documents as they reflect the views of the citizens, although, we need to ensure we detach whatever parts are merely the adoption of Agenda 21.

Forcing local authorities to alter their own comprehensive plans is abhorrent to local governing and yet is consistent with Agenda 21 which goes far beyond building and fire safety codes. Those Agenda 21 planning efforts include: residential, property maintenance, energy conservation, wild land interface, and other behavior modification codes.

A sustainable community is a community around which the all mighty and powerful OZ,… I mean the government, draws an Urban Boundary Zone and forbids delivering city services outside the zone, prohibits new construction outside the zone, and requires residents within the zone to live in housing that meets the size and cultural integration standards set forth in law by state central planners.

Sustainable communities are high-density communities where automobiles are discouraged, and bikeways and walkways are the alternative to public transportation. The state is forcing this philosophy upon the rural areas of Maryland. No wonder there is validity to the term “War on Rural Maryland.”

The Governor clearly takes an elitist approach requiring everyone to live in small homes on crowded lots and walking to work; if employment even exists these days. That philosophy is clearly political. It’s about control, and not based upon science of cleaning the bay. It represents the most extremist views supporting high density areas. Those of us who want to be free from central planning intrusion tend to live in the rural areas.

Calvert County officials are not the only ones in Maryland who are concerned. Like the Cecil County Commissioners who voted unanimously to tell the State “NO”, I will not go quietly. I defend the property rights of our citizens and oppose the State unlawfully taking property rights of farmers’ and other rural citizens’ without just compensation.

The mandated revisions to county master plans and initiation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative are reminiscent of those Central Planners in Moscow and Beijing. I guess next there will be created a series of “Five Year Plans.”

The state focuses upon septic tanks in the rural areas whereas septic contribution of nitrogen and solids into the Chesapeake Bay if at all is minimal. Central planners completely ignore the vast areas of impervious surfaces in large urban areas such as Baltimore City and ignore the large amount of effluent that gets dumped into the water streams by large waste water treatment centers. Anybody measure the water quality of the Inner Harbor or Anacostia River lately?

State central planners ignore the overwhelming amount of debris that enters the bay from the Conowingo Dam that spans Cecil and Harford county borders on the Susquehanna River. That debris is readily present as far south as the Potomac River (well south of us in Calvert County). I personally observed some of that debris last year when September 9, 2011, 44 flood gates were opened due to the impact of the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

As far back as 1998, the US Geological Service reported that the Conowingo Dam, the Holtwood and Safe Harbor Dams further upstream may reach capacity before the year 2020 (just 8 years from now); no longer able to function to reduce the nutrient and sediment load hitting the bay… and the state has done what?

Most recently, the U.S. Geological Survey Report 2012-5185 published August 30, 2012, clearly established inadequacy of the Science used as a base for Watershed Implementation Plans and thus all the other land grabbing legislation, Best Available Technology, etc.

Environmental zealots are moving full steam ahead at implementing unnecessarily harsh and ineffective regulations under the guise of the necessity to comply with Federal regulations when in fact, Maryland is interpreting and implementing the Federal regulations unlike any other State.

The state requiring that local governments spend funds we do not have (in our case $1.3 Billion) to remove a fraction of a percent of nitrogen and solids is a waste of tax payer money.

It defies logic to force us to focus upon the minuscule amount of nitrogen present in our septic tanks while too little is done in areas further north of us that have far greater impact upon the quality of the Chesapeake Bay. It defies logic that central planners continually pick on the farmers and residents in this rural county.

Thoughts About the Weather

This whole “Global Cooling”, no wait, “Global Warming”, no wait, “Climate Change”, err make that “Man-Made Climate Change”; whatever simply makes no sense to me.


First of all, this topic is very much a religion and having the government attempt to establish it in this country violates the U.S. Constitution as the first Amendment states among other things, that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,…”

Sometime, I’ll go into some comparison of religions that shows the above whatever you want to call it is a religion. But for now, just consider the logical argument.

What we Know, What we Don’t Know

We know the sun provides warmth to our planet. We also have warmth from the hot core of the planet.

We know the planet was once uninhabitable as a molten fireball containing methane gas and other nasty environmental conditions. So, now that the earth evolved its air to mostly nitrogen and some oxygen, I guess one could say, yes there is Climate Change; a very natural evolving process. This was nicely done my Lord, as the earth evolved to a point that the planet sustains life; from once where life was impossible. What an intelligent design.

The heat that remains from creation mostly in the form of a molten core occasionally escapes the subsurface through various naturally occurring cracks either on the land surface or under the sea. That heat tends to warm to some degree the surrounding water or air, doesn’t it?

We know the planet has a surface with the most prominent feature being water; and that water is a wonderful insulator. It takes much energy to warm and cool water. That it holds a given temperature more so than the rocky surface is testament that it is a very stable element to measure. It also is noted as a solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (air). Its temperature various around the world, but tends to stay rather stable from a local perspective.

The sun has sun spot activity about every 11 years which tracks well with the observed over time cyclic warming and cooling of air temperatures around the planet.

At any time, the air temperature (very volatile) displays extremes noted at the surface ranging from as high of around 120 degrees to a low of about minus 50 degrees. Its other extremes are vertical. The higher one goes in the atmosphere, the colder it gets.

The air temperature is also affected by the tilt angle of the earth which as it revolves around the sun forms the basis for our observation of the various seasons. The earth spins at about 1,000 miles per hour at the equator. Air travelling over large bodies of water either cools, or warms pending the temperature of the water at that locale. By the way, wind is caused by the difference in temperatures. That accounts for that violent wind on a hot summer day just before a cold front arrives with a storm.

If that isn’t enough, sure there are other sources of heat or cooling caused by other natural or man-made activity. Fires create heat by burning stored energy. It basically transforms existing energy from one state to another (no, not the states of the US), but rather to/from solid, liquid, gas. You know, such a process is the first genuine “energy exchange”.

We also know the sun dances around the equator during the course of a year traveling as far north as the Topic of Cancer and as far south as the Topic of Capricorn. Its cyclic activity is not caused just by the sun’s rays (we call that day time) and lack of sun’s rays (night time), but the angle of those rays (warmer when the slant range is shorter such as near the equator). No wonder the air temperature is so volatile.

So, given that brief short description of some of what we know, with room left to describe what we don’t know; I wonder what the fuss is all about with man-made global whatever we’re going to call it today/next.

I would think that if I were really concerned about global warming or cooling, I’d be apt to measure more so those more stable conditions such as the molten core and water. Land surface temperature seems to be too affected by the molten core, and interaction among water, air, and sun. I’d pay no attention to those air temperatures since they appear to be the most volatile of all.

Worrying about Global Whatever Temperature Name we call it reminds me predicting the future stock market by making daily measurements of only the most volatile stocks without giving sufficient consideration to those more stable long term investments. I think they might call such speculation as “fool’s gold”

Buy Local -- You Too

As we Commissioners often remind our citizens to “buy local”, the same philosophy should be encouraged by our county’s purchasing efforts.

Unfortunately, as a board, we do not use that same “by local” thought when we award contracts. I believe we should give local consideration, and I have often raised that subject as an issue. More than once, I have opposed awarding a particular contract to an out of county vendor over a local vendor. The following explains why.

Our county code (public law) which can be found at: http://ecode360.com/CA1802 is our guide which I believe we commissioners need to adhere to all of its requirements, not just a part. We too often focus upon awarding competitive bidding contracts based upon one part of that code.

Extracted from § 6-101. Competitive bidding. [1985, ch. 715, § 2; 1989, ch. 69]

(a); we seem to focus solely upon one part, namely: “..the contract shall be awarded at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Commissioners or by the official authorized to contract for the county to the lowest responsible bidder meeting Specifications...”

However, it’s that “lowest responsible bidder” portion that often puts us in a situation where for as little as a difference of $1.00, a contract may be awarded outside the county over a Calvert County company who employs Calvert citizens. Not only does that seem intuitively wrong and illogical, it also reflects that we are not doing our due diligence.

Looking elsewhere within that same part of the county code, paragraph (c) states, “(c) In determining the “lowest responsible bidder,” in addition to considering price, the Commissioners or the official authorized to contract for the county shall consider: (1) The ability, capacity, and skill of the bidder to perform the contract or provide the

service …and (7) Any other information that may have a bearing on the decision to award the contract.

Note, (7) for which we as commissioners “shall consider” as in we must; we are required to consider “other information”. To simply accept the recommendation by the staff based solely upon “lowest responsible bidder” indicates we are not awarding contracts as guided by our own law.

While I am not suggesting that “other information” such as “Local Preference” be established which some other counties do employ, I am confident that some criteria could be created (i.e., if the vendor a local county business, number of county citizens it employs, etc.) which as “other information” could at a minimum ensure that local vendors are given “Local Consideration”.

This can be implemented, and should have, could have been done so without changing the law.

Camp COPS

Recently, a conversation with a few Maryland State Police officers reminded me of the saying, “It’s a small world”. Our conversation focused upon an upcoming summer camp for kids these troopers call “Camp COPS”, being held at King’s Landing Park July 16 – 20, 2012.

In an actual training camp that simulates the same courses state troopers are required to complete before they serve the public, youth experience a brief study of the physical training, self discipline and courtesy each trooper undertakes in one week.

Each camper is instructed by troopers who know the value of reinforcing good choices and giving direction to those who choose the right path to follow.

The concept for this camp is to instill in the minds of youth that the police are truly interested in their well being and not interested in arresting them. The police realize that the greatest natural resource is the youth, for the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. They are doing their part to close any gaps between young people and the police by effectively putting to use the Police-Community Relations aspect of preventing problems before they develop.

The camp is an opportunity to provide youth with a positive attitude toward the law enforcement profession, while building self-confidence, self-esteem, self-discipline, self-respect and respect for others.

The efforts of many dedicated volunteers and state and local law enforcement personnel, these and other similar programs continue to be a positive experience for all involved.

At the conclusion of this rewarding program, each camper participates in a graduation ceremony. These camps have even sparked the interest in following the career choice of those law enforcement personnel who prove to be a positive influence in their life.

So, you wonder how the conversation about Camp COPS made for the assertion that, “It’s a small world”?

Today’s children have their own challenges, debatable if on par with the social unrest, violence and disrespect for law enforcement that was prominent during my youth, the late 1960’s.

Facing challenges during those days, now Retired Trooper Albert R. Vish, Community Relations Officer of the Pennsylvania State Police, along with Troopers John Prandy (deceased) and Robert Price (retired), conceived of an opportunity called Camp Cadet, first held in 1970, and then turned their vision into reality for youth to participate in a program that removed false images of law enforcement.

The creation of Camp Cadet became a model for other states with the Maryland State Police Barracks U, Prince Frederick, Calvert County, adopting the Camp Cadet model creating in 1998, Camp COPS.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I was a year too old to attend the first Camp Cadet, but the following year and for several years served as a camp counselor and staff officer. Imagine my surprise when I learned that camp for which I devoted much time and energy in the 1970’s later became the model for our own Camp COPS here in Calvert County.

I predict the graduating ceremony for Camp COPS this year will be unique and memorable.