Executive Assistant

Washington County Public Schools paid $4,002.96 for two administrators to go in February 2010 to Phoenix, where Elizabeth Morgan was named 2010 National Superintendent of the Year, according to information provided by the school system. The school system paid $2,062.37 for Dale Bannon, director of system development, and $1,940.59 for Shula Finkelstein, executive assistant for strategic planning, board and community relations, according to information provided by the school system’s communications office on Feb. 28. Those amounts include conference registration, airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, parking and local transportation, according to the document e-mailed to The Herald-Mail.

The new “Old Man” at the U.S. Coast Guard Operations Systems Center in Jefferson County is a woman. In a change-of-command ceremony Thursday, Capt. Janet E. Stevens replaced Capt. Michael P. Ryan as commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Information Technology Service Center on Coast Guard Drive off W.Va. 9. The center has more than 500 employees, 86 percent of whom are contract workers. Ryan, the center’s eighth commander since 1991 when it opened, took over in November 2008.

It is likely now that a bill to study whether Washington County should elect its School Board by districts is dead for the 2006 Maryland General Assembly session. The current board, which opposed the legislation, should be magnanimous in victory, and reach out to those in the southern part of the county who feel their concerns about schools and growth have not been addressed. Truth be told, the School Board should be a bit conciliatory. After inviting residents to help study the school system's future in December, this spring the incumbents shot down a proposal to even study the way board members are elected.

WASHINGTON COUNTY Magnet schools, foreign language offerings, career counseling and the creation of a high-tech high school are some of the ideas groups charged with suggesting new programs said they wanted to see in Washington County Public Schools. Two new magnet programs included in next year's budget for Boonsboro and Williamsport elementary schools are among the recommendations. The Board of Education will hear a presentation on the findings of the Second Generation Groups for Specialized, Signature and Magnet Programs at tonight's meeting, according to an agenda available Monday night on the school system's Web site.

HAGERSTOWN With the deadline to file a few weeks away, candidates and prospective candidates for the Washington County Board of Education might not know all that they are getting into, President W. Edward Forrest said. "It's pretty complex, and until you have it really spelled out to you, you don't understand it," Forrest said. Anyone interested in what the board does can learn more about the board's roles and responsibilities at a free informational forum for candidates and prospective candidates June 14 at 6 p.m. at the Board of Education auditorium at 820 Commonwealth Ave. A representative of the Maryland Association for Boards of Education will conduct the forum, said Shulamit Finkelstein, Washington County Public Schools executive assistant for strategic planning, board and community relations.

dank@herald-mail.com Tuesday was a day of comings and goings at Hagerstown Community College. Longtime HCC President Norman Shea and Board of Trustees member James Latimer attended their last board meeting as president and board member. Meanwhile, incoming HCC President Guy Altieri and board member Anton T. Dahbura attended their first board meeting. Altieri's first day at HCC was Monday. The former chief operating officer and executive vice president at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Washington County Board of Education has a plan to give school board members the secretarial support they say they need. Unlike directors and other upper-level Central Office staff members, board members do not have a secretary. They asked Schools Superintendent Herman G. Bartlett Jr. to make one available to them. Bartlett, during a work session last month, offered to share a secretary on a limited basis. "We need one person," board member B. Marie Byers said. "We need someone who knows policy and has expertise with board issues.

Lawmakers back grant for hospital By LAURA ERNDE / Staff Writer ANNAPOLIS - Area lawmakers are seeking a $470,000 state grant to help Washington County Hospital finish renovations at its Walnut Street Community Health Center. The money will be used to turn the building's third floor into a mental health treatment center, Del. John P. Donoghue, D-Washington, said Thursday. Donoghue announced the grant at a luncheon for Washington County lawmakers hosted by the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

CVB revenue down 5 percent in 2009 Revenue for the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau was down 5 percent in 2009 due to a decrease in local lodging tax collected and decreases in state grants, CVB President Thomas B. Riford told the Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday. The CVB responded with a cutback in expenses, used funds from its cash reserves and surplus, and accessed its line of credit, Riford said. The CVB's annual audit was rated excellent, with no negative findings.