During comments at a Worcester County Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Mitrecic raised the idea of exploring whether schools in the southern end of the county, specifically those serving Pocomoke and Snow Hill, could potentially be combined as a cost-saving measure.
Mitrecic emphasized repeatedly that his remarks were “very exploratory” and not a proposal to immediately move forward with consolidation. He asked whether the Board of Commissioners would be willing to send a letter to the Worcester County Board of Education requesting that they study what such a combination would involve, including what would be required to implement it and what impacts it might have.
Mitrecic stated that his concern was driven by growing budget pressures facing the county, particularly related to teacher salaries, new regulations, and rising operational costs for schools. He said he would prefer to explore “a different way to do business” if it could help the county afford competitive pay for teachers and staff while maintaining educational quality.
Clarifying questions from another commissioner confirmed that Mitrecic was referring to the schools themselves, not the Board of Education’s electoral districts. Mitrecic cited enrollment figures for the southern end of the county, stating that Pocomoke and Snow Hill combined account for roughly 2,489 students, about 35 percent of the county’s total student population, while representing approximately 43 percent of the school buildings. He said some students are counted more than once due to attendance at programs such as the technical school and Cedar Chapel.
Mitrecic said he believed past decisions not to consolidate facilities in the southern end of the county had contributed to higher costs and noted that Worcester County has among the highest per-student education costs in Maryland. He stressed that students in Pocomoke and Snow Hill should continue to have access to the same opportunities as students elsewhere in the county, but said maintaining multiple underutilized buildings contributes to rising expenses.
Other commissioners spoke in support of studying the idea. One commissioner noted discussions at a recent MACo conference highlighting the escalating costs of maintaining, upgrading, and rebuilding school facilities, as well as uncertainty about state funding. Another commissioner said similar consolidation proposals had been discussed decades ago but faced strong opposition rooted in school traditions and alumni resistance. That commissioner also referenced past school construction and renovation costs exceeding $100 million and suggested that a single consolidated facility could have reduced long-term expenses.
Mitrecic reiterated that any consideration of consolidation would include public hearings and community input and that the final decision would rest with the Board of Education.
The commissioners ultimately voted 6–0 (Commissioner Purnell was not present) to send a letter to the Worcester County Board of Education asking it to begin examining and formulating information related to the potential consolidation of Pocomoke and Snow Hill schools.
