studentsGood Kids

BCPS and the Tablets vs. Facilities Priorities

June 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Blog Admin in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on BCPS and the Tablets vs. Facilities Priorities)

What do “digital natives” need more — 1-to-1 computers or school facilities conducive to learning? Isn’t it absurd to spend money on computers for students when schools are crumbling around them? I want to share excerpts from two recent Readers Respond commentaries in The Baltimore Sun written by very astute parents:

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance has announced that he will have to cancel much-needed repairs to three area high schools due to state education budget cuts (“Session ends in acrimony,” April 14). Yet when he announced his new program to provide laptops to every student in Baltimore County over the next few years, he assured citizens he would find the projected cost of $205 million via cost-cutting in the school system. Spending enormous amounts of money on an unproven initiative while hundreds of students try to learn in an inhospitable environment is absurd.

Nora Connell

The folks working in our schools have some of the toughest jobs out there. In the past year alone they have been asked to implement a new curriculum, a new block schedule at the high school level, new technology and more testing. That is in addition to dealing with increased security concerns, social media and, in some cases, buildings that are literally crumbling around them. Recently Dulaney High School had yet another hot water pipe in its outdated heating system burst. Some classrooms were cold enough the children’s fingers were turning blue, while others were so hot classes had to be moved into the hallways. There’s a lack of clean drinking water, bathrooms that show their wear after 50 years of use, a lack of air conditioning in more than two-thirds of the building and not enough dedicated computer labs to implement the new testing that is done online. Teachers have to be incredibly flexible to make the current conditions work. How about giving them a facility that is safe and functional and of which they can be proud?
Lisa McClellan

The current superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) is overly focused on putting a computer in the hand of each BCPS student. A computer is only a tool. If there is not appropriate educational content and activities on the computer tailored to the curriculum, it has little educational value.

I agree with the Dulaney High School parent, Lisa McClellan, that the money would be better spent on providing a safe and functional (and air conditioned) educational facility.

If we the people of Baltimore County do not hold this superintendent accountable for school facility conditions, the curriculum, and student achievement, no one will. Don’t expect the current School Board to do it. They do not seem to fully understand their responsibilities.

Beware Public Education Forums . . .

September 5th, 2013 | Posted by Blog Admin in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Beware Public Education Forums . . .)

A Regional Public Education Forum was held last week in Baltimore County, MD at Ridge Ruxton School.  It was attended by parents from Baltimore and other counties.  The Superintendent of Schools for Maryland, Dr. Lillian Lowery, as well as the Superintendent for Baltimore County Public Schools, Dr. Dallas Dance, hosted the forum. 

The meaning of the word forum according to the Free Online Dictionary is: A public meeting place for open discussion.  Someone made the decision that the forum would be run like a Presidential Debate with presubmitted and screened questions and no discussion.  Anyone who has watched any Presidential Debates in the last decade know this is not exactly the most effective way to encourage dialogue.

A Howard County father, Mr. Small, stood up and perhaps because he thought he was at a forum asked questions.   Michelle Prumo, Dr. Dallas’ Chief of Staff, unwisely sent a security guard (hired for the event, but in reality an off-duty Baltimore County policeman), to confront the Howard County father because he was speaking too much. 

Thank goodness someone in the audience took a video.  First you see, Mr. Small, calmly speaking.  The next thing you know you see the security guard was looming over the father holding handcuffs in front of his face.  Mr. Small never touched the security guard. The guard keep moving forward in an intimidating fashion and then grabbed Mr. Small’s arm.  Mr. Small said, “Is this America?”  I guess this is what America has degenerated into.  It is the police state we thought was fantasy when Orwell wrote 1984 64 years ago.

Unfortunately, Dr. Dance made no move to defuse the situation and the concerned father from Howard County was arrested for second degree assault and put in jail until 3:00 a.m.  This absolutely crosses the line of common decency and common sense.

This instance of overreaction, put in motion by Michelle Prumo and unchallenged by Dr. Dance, will stand as another “black mark” on the implementation of the Maryland Common Core.   The primary “black mark” is implementing common core curriculum that no one including parents and teachers have been prepared for.

Maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe parents and the public will now question what their children are really learning in Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) and whether the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity in every school countywide.  Maybe parents will ask to see a side-by-side comparison of the current curriculum and the proposed core curriculum and a document explaining the changes from the current curriculum to proposed core curriculum. 

When Dr. Dance arrived in Baltimore County just one year ago, there was a full BCPS curriculum posted on the front page of the BCPS website.  That curriculum has been thrown aside by Dr. Dance and from what I have heard Dr. Dance has nothing of substance to put in its place. 

Call Dr. Dance and tell him to put the curriculum that he discarded back on the front page of the website again.  You will then be able to see for each grade and for each course what your children should be learning and have a perspective on the Maryland Common Core.  

A new grass roots education advocacy group is forming.  The name of the group is EXPECT.  EXPECT is not a cute acronym, but rather connotes that members of the group EXPECT effective, equitable and quality public education for Baltimore County students Pre-K to 12.

Add your voice to the list of Baltimore County residents who want to be in the know about know more about public education and want to exchange ideas in an electronic forum and, hopefully, face-to-face sometimes.