CAROLINE COUNTY, MARYLAND

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

EDUCATION

ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Educational matters that affect Caroline County come under the control of the County Board of Education (Code Education Article, secs. 4-101 through 4-126). The Board meets at least once a month (Code Education Article, sec. 3-3A-06).

The Board is composed of seven members. Formerly, five were appointed by the Governor to five-year terms. Since 2012, however, three members have been elected by the voters to four-year terms, and two members have been appointed by the Governor to four-year terms (Chapter 633, Acts of 2009, ratified by voters Nov. 2, 2010). Two student nonvoting members continue to be chosen by County high school student councils and serve one-year terms (Code Education Article, secs. 3-3A-01 through 3-3A-06).

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Caroline County Public School System is governed by the County Board of Education (Code Education Article, secs. 4-101 through 4-126). In addition, through the review and approval of the annual operating and capital budgets, Caroline County government exercises authority over the County Public Schools. Moreover, through the establishment and monitoring of various financial and academic policies and regulations, the State Department of Education also has considerable oversight of county public schools. Indeed, under Maryland law, the State Department of Education works with county public schools to comply with requirements and mandates of federal law.

In Caroline County, the Public School System has ten schools: 2 high schools, 2 middle schools, 5 elementary schools, and 1 career and technology center. It also is responsible for a career and technology academy, and a special education center. In Fiscal Year 2021, some 2,976 students were enrolled in the County's public schools.

[photo, old Caroline County High School, 512 Franklin St., Denton, Maryland] Opened in 1901, the first high school in Caroline County was the Caroline County High School in Denton at 512 Franklin Street. It closed about 1988.

Today, two high schools serve the County. In Federalsburg, the Colonel Richardson High School opened in 1962 at 25320 Richardson Road. In Ridgely, the North Caroline High School is at 10990 River Road.

Old Caroline County High School, 512 Franklin St., Denton, Maryland, August 2016. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
The Superintendent of Schools administers the Caroline County Public School System, and serves as executive officer, secretary, and treasurer of the Board of Education (Code Education Article, secs. 4-102; 4-201 through 4-206).

With the approval of the State Superintendent of Schools, the Board of Education appoints the Superintendent of Schools to four-year terms.

CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE

Chesapeake College was founded in 1965 as Maryland's first regional community college. A two-year college, it serves the residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot counties. Based at its Wye Mills campus in Queen Anne's County, the College has centers at Cambridge and Easton, and offers courses at local schools and community centers throughout the upper Eastern Shore of Maryland (Code Education Article, secs. 16-201 through 16-203).

PUBLIC LIBRARY

By authority of the Board of County Commissioners, the Caroline County Public Library was created in 1961. Originally run from a Denton storefront, it moved to its present main site in 1971.

The Central Library is based in Denton, and two branches serve the main Library. The Federalsburg branch opened in 1974, and the North County branch at Greensboro began in 1997.

The Library is a life-long learning center and community center for County residents. It offers books, magazines, newspapers, and movies in a variety of formats. It also provides public access to computers and the Internet, information and instruction, a variety of cultural and educational programs, and the latest in technologies.

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