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Pentagon to review Dover AFB schools

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William Johnson
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  As the Department of Defense looks to save money under intense budget constraints, Dover Air Force Base's Maj. George S. Welch Elementary and Dover Air Base Middle School will be a part of a Pentagon ordered study.

The RAND Corp. will conduct a $905,000 study to recommend to the Secretary of Defense options to most effectively balance cost and quality considerations for the Department of Defense Elementary and Secondary Schools.

"I assure that there are no pre-conceived outcomes for this study," said Marilee Fitzgerald, Department of Defense Education Activity director. "The input of commands, parents, teachers, students and community members is essential and will be actively sought and taken into consideration."

Caesar Rodney School District superintendent, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, has already been contacted by RAND about the upcoming study.

"They told us it was just a formality, that there's nothing specific to Dover or the CR district," said Dr. Fitzgerald. "They're basically looking to see if they're getting the bang for the buck out of all the schools that provide services to military installations."

Pentagon officials will consider a range of options, which include continuing with daily operations as they are now, to closure of the schools and transferring the students to the local district's schools, once RAND has submitted its findings.

This isn't the first time Dover AFB schools have been under a similar study. The last time RAND conducted the study, they stated facts about why the schools should stay open.

Col. Thomas Reppart, 436th Mission Support Group commander, remains optimistic about the upcoming study and believes it will yield a similar outcome as the previous study did.

"We're proud of our school programs and the tremendous relationship we have with the Caesar Rodney school district and remain optimistic that the RAND study will highlight why it's important to keep these facilities open on Dover AFB," said Reppart. "We look forward to meeting with the assessors in the near future to share our thoughts and concerns."

The RAND Corp. is required to submit a final report on its findings and future suggestions by mid-2014.

Fitzgerald also remains optimistic about the future findings and continues to show support for Dover AFB and its two schools.

"There's a lot to say about the support our military children have while attending these schools," Fitzgerald said. "With the wars and such, there are support groups to help them; we're very sensitive about the needs of our military families. We take a great deal of pride in the support we provide these children when their parents are deployed."