The real question is "What is the right solution?" Dwight has eloquently written about many of the factors that contribute to a good solution. <br><br>Is giving our county executive the right thing?<br><br>Let's say I like Rushern Baker and think he will do a good job. Great! <br>
<br>But what if Jack Johnson was elected to be our next county executive. Do I want a convicted criminal hiring and firing my school superintendent and determining its budget? <br><br>No. I don't. <br><br>This discussion needs to be thoughtful - and all angles need to be considered. A quick reaction is more likely to lead to a solution that doesn't serve us well over the long term. <br>
<br>-Sarah<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 7:35 AM, Bruce Wernek <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bruce.wernek@verizon.net" target="_blank">bruce.wernek@verizon.net</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:Arial"><div> <div>Lets review the proficiency rates in the PG county schools instead. They are shown below the bold numbers in following the link.</div>
<div> </div><div><a href="http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/prince-georges-county-public-schools" target="_blank">http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/prince-georges-county-public-schools</a> </div>
</div><div> </div><div> </div><div style="MARGIN:5px 0px;BORDER-TOP:#bcbcbc 1px solid"></div><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:arial">On 03/19/13, <span>Sarah Wayland<<a href="mailto:sarah.wayland@gmail.com" target="_blank">sarah.wayland@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:</span><div>
</div><div style="font-size:12px;font-family:arial">From our school board member. Her perspective on the Baker proposal. <br><br>-Sarah<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Peggy Higgins</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:peggy.higgins@pgcps.org" target="_blank">peggy.higgins@pgcps.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 6:28 AM<br>Subject: Your Action Needed to Stop Baker’s Actions to Takeover the School System<br>To: Peggy Higgins <<a href="mailto:peggy.higgins@pgcps.org" target="_blank">peggy.higgins@pgcps.org</a>><br>
<br><br><p style="TEXT-ALIGN:center" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><b><span style="FONT-SIZE:14pt">Notice to My Community</span></b></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN:center" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><b> </b></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN:center" class="MsoNormal" align="center">
<b>Your <i>Action</i> Needed to Stop Baker’s Harmful Legislation to </b></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN:center" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><b>Takeover the School System</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">
Peggy Higgins, LCSW-C</p><p class="MsoNormal"> Prince George’s County Board Member, District 2</p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Saturday, March 16, <b>suddenly and without discussion or notice</b> and immediately after the Prince George’s County School Board announced final details regarding its inclusive process of community input for the superintendent search, County Executive Rushern Baker suddenly announced his proposed takeover of the school system. <b>Mr. Baker’s proposal</b>, made just three weeks before the end of the legislative session, <b>requires action by either the full House or the Senate by Monday at 8 pm. The suddenness of this proposal is structured to prohibit debate and reflection. </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Mr. Baker’s radical legislation eliminates the legal authority of the School Board</b> to select the superintendent, increases unelected membership of the School Board, and has the superintendent serving on Baker’s Executive Cabinet and reporting directly to the County Executive. Further it eliminates the School Board’s authority in the school budget process that is now then reviewed and adopted by the County Executive and County Council. <b>The Board/Superintendent’s role will be reversed with the Board serving in an advisory capacity to the Superintendent. Baker’s bill gives Superintendent sole authority to determine salaries of principals, teachers, staff, eliminating labor negotiations as well as Superintendent authority to authorize contracts. </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">The legislation does all of this, while continuing to hold the School Board responsible for academic achievement. Mr. Baker equates his proposal as similar to the District of Columbia’s, which is recognized as having been unsuccessful. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Mr. Baker’s radical legislation is being made in the middle of the school year, in the middle of the superintendent search, without regard to the impact on this vulnerable time of transition for the school system and without regard for public deliberation and input. </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>So why would Mr. Baker do such a thing? He says his decision is based on his sense of urgency about the school system and the slow pace of change that is occurring in student achievement.</b> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">A WJLA Internet article reports “A takeover of the Prince George's County School system's operational arm will lead to the more rapid enactment of academic reforms throughout the system, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker says…</span></p>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">"This would afford the school board the ability to focus on academic improvements, preaching transparency, accountability and the coordination of our operation," Baker said.</span></p>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Under his plan, the school's academic policy would still fall under the school board's realm; however, the operational portion of the system would be overseen by Baker and the Prince George's County Council... "By us being able to align the operations structure into the executive branch and allowing the school board to focus on academic improvement and reform, we will be able to move the system forward quicker."…</span></p>
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">For full article</span></p><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:'Times New Roman'"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/03/rushern-baker-seeking-more-school-control-86340.html#ixzz2NyK3u1Ra" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR:#002189;TEXT-DECORATION:none">http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/03/rushern-baker-seeking-more-school-control-86340.html#ixzz2NyK3u1Ra</span></a></span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Essentially Mr. Baker is taking over the school system’s financial affairs, having the Superintendent report to him and reversing the authority line between the Superintendent and the School Board. But he leaves the responsibility for academic achievement, the issue he is raising that he is concerned about in the hands of the School Board. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Given Mr. Baker’s drastic actions</b> and declared sense of urgency, <b>one would conclude that he has been actively engaged with the School Board about the business of education since his term of office began December 2010</b>. <b>As the District 2 School Board member in Prince George’s County, I can tell you categorically he has not.</b> At <b>no time</b> in the past year and three months has Mr. Baker offered any opinion to the Board in either in writing or verbally of any pending Board decisions or actions taken. <b>NONE.</b> <b>In the past year and three months, he has met with the Board on only three occasions</b> that I can recall, and I may be overstating that. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>If there was <i>any</i> merit to this plan, it would have been presented in a manner that would allow thoughtful dialogue by legislators and the community</b>. That clearly is not happening. I believe these actions to be irresponsible and the upheaval created by this sudden initiative to be dramatically harmful to our community and the education of our students, especially if this plan becomes law. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">If you believe it too, your action is needed <b>NOW.</b> There is no time. Mr. Baker and his team are <b>now </b>working the legislators very, very hard to get them to sign onto the bill, sight unseen and they have met with some success. That is partly because their is quickly becoming little regard for the truth. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><br></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The first critical timeline is to stop this bill from passing through either the House or Senate before Monday at 8 pm.</b> If we are successful in preventing that, this will stop the bill. I encourage all to contact IMMEDIATELY your state senator and delegates and tell them that you are opposed to this takeover. I also encourage you to contact other Prince George's County citizens regarding this issue. It is OK to disseminate this email and/or put it on any listserves of which you may be members</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">If you wish to fact check statements being made, have any questions or comments or want help getting information about how to contact your legislators, please contact me at <a href="mailto:peggy.higgins@pgcps.org" target="_blank">peggy.higgins@pgcps.org</a>. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yours in service</p><span><font color="#888888"></font><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="#888888">Peggy Higgins</font></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><div><br></div>-- <br><div>Peggy Higgins, LCSW-C</div><div>Board of Education, District 2</div><div>Prince George's County, MD</div></span></div><br><br><hr size="1"><br>_______________________________________________<br>
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