Baltimore County Public Schools: Three Current Issues -- Clear Symptoms of a School System in Rapid Decline

The Mansion on the Hill: Baltimore County Public School Headquarters

Insensitive, Detached, Corrupt...

Once a national leader for one of the nation’s best school systems, the Baltimore County Public Schools System now sets the standard for an unresponsive, arrogant, self-serving organization that is corrupt at the highest levels. Their behavior is overtly hostile toward the communities it serves and they act with the kind of heavy-handedness, corruption, and contempt of a banana republic dictatorship. In this posting we will examine three elements with the hopes the county population which has been stripped of their most basic rights to be able to affect the situation will become so incensed, the State of Maryland will change course allowing for the community that is supposed to be served by Baltimore County Public Schools have effective control of their local schools, but that would mean the government and state legislature, both of whom are soaking wet drenched in state teachers’ union money would have to surrender their control to the voters of the county and there is no greater threat to union hegemony than the people assessing how their ever increasing taxes are being spent.

First, a few words of background, Baltimore County is a huge school district. In well-to-do communities for the most part in the areas particularly those surrounding the county seat have schools where the school system at least provides the appearance of safety. Kids achieve at a satisfactory level and go on and succeed in college. The “fertile crescent” which follows York Road or I-83 from Baltimore City to the Pennsylvania line, an area rich with private schools still retains plenty of solid upper middle class families and well qualified teachers are not hard to find. Catonsville, on the other hand, a community due west of downtown Baltimore, is likewise a well-to-do community with a healthy dose of a cohesive small town sense of local pride finds their community all but forgotten except when the powers from the Mansion on the Hill seek to impose their way with a very heavy hand. Between US-40 and MD-140, considered the northwest is an area with an African American population where test results are terrible and schools refuse to deal with an increasingly urban attitude. The northeast corridor particularly that which is defined between US-1 and US-40 on the northeast side of the county is sprawling with rapid growth, over-crowded schools

Against this backdrop, three items are in the news right now that surely will not make the local news on television and are at best buried deep if covered at all by the Baltimore Sun. One must consider that it was only last fall when the school system got a black eye for spending over $80,000 to erect a gaudy sign and message board on Charles Street surrounded by an upscale neighborhood that would be contrary to zoning restrictions in many commercial areas for their newly opened West Towson Elementary School and the Ridge School which serves special needs students. After community outrage, the sign was replaced by something less obtrusive, but the money was wasted by a system that is always pounding its fist for more money.

Issue #1: In most jurisdictions schools are seen as a community based facility where school grounds are used for local functions when classes and school activities are not in session. This would include fundraising efforts for local needs whether it is charitable organizations, volunteer fire departments, scholarship funds, or neighborhood celebrations. Baltimore County Schools enforces policies inconsistently and often in such a heavy handed fashion that such things as crafts fairs at Ridgely Middle School and Loch Raven High School, a local fair at Perry Hall High School, and a recycling drive at Hillcrest Elementary are all threatened. The event at Ridgely had been held there for 29 years. The ultimate absurdity comes from Catonsville where the system would not allow Catonsville High School to hold its own PTA’s craft fair at the school. The result was that what had been a very successful fund drive took in $7000 less than the year before.

Catonsville also faced the curtailment of one of the region’s great local events of the year, the Catonsville 4th of July Celebration which starts with a parade down its main street, grows into an all day picnic and carnival on the high school grounds and ends with a glorious fireworks display.

For whatever self-serving or paranoid litigious reasons, Baltimore County schools have hidden behind policies they’ve created to destroy what small traces of community spirit exists in Baltimore County, a huge suburban sprawl with no incorporated towns or more local authority, where schools often with the most obscene gerrymandered boundaries where a kid could go to school in one community for elementary, another for middle, then go miles away to another for high school.

The school system cloaks themselves behind the self-righteous boundary of their grounds should not serve for-profit enterprises and since many of these events might hire some outside contractors who in turn share profits with their organization or add value to their events like hot dog and refreshment vendors, their sanctimonious stance is to screw everybody even if it’s their own PTA!!!

Baltimore county schools must be subservient to the communities they serve. Their property belongs to the community for the community. The taxpayers who pay for this property should get the maximum return for their investment. The communities deserve to hold events that increase the communities’ cohesiveness and involvement.

However, in Baltimore County, the last thing in the world the school system would want is cohesive communities that have leadership and the ability to pursue issues and concerns of their locality. Surely, part of their concern would be how the schools manage themselves. Clearly, it’s not to support the local community nor their children they are charged with teaching.

Issue #2: Baltimore County School Board members are appointed by the Governor of Maryland and thus become patronage appointments for political cronies. The Governor, in turn looks to reward those who have rewarded him not consider the localities involved particularly if they’re ones who aren’t particularly supportive of his election. There can be no question that two out of the last three governors, Glendenning and O’Malley have been tightly connected with the State NEA chapter, the Maryland State Education Association, whose former long serving President, Pat Foerster, is the governor’s top education advisor with a history of union activism of over 30 years. Given the huge amount of money union PAC’s contribute to not only O’Malley, who does somersaults at the snap of a finger for union demands, but to state senate and house of delegate members who often are made or broken by a teacher’s association endorsement, the local communities which might have middle schools and high schools in different communities far apart, where’s the commitment to the communities? Who articulates local concerns at the county level? What input do county residents have in the operation of their schools?

Once upon a time, there were at least local school board nominating committees who’d draw up recommended candidates from which governors would chose, but for the last quarter century, it’s been all about politics and except for Bob Ehrlich’s brief tenure, it has all been staunch representatives of Democratic party interest with the unions’ influence supreme.

This year, some Baltimore County legislators are attempting to support a measure that would create a “hybrid” school board consisting of elected and appointed members. It should be no surprise that the sitting board voted unanimously to oppose any change in the current system.

The school board, of course, appoints the school superintendent. Clearly examining the history of such appointments – the system’s leader is chosen for blatantly political considerations not what value a person has to lead a complex, diverse, and enormous school system.

One can’t help but see the irony of the teachers’ union opposing an elected school board for fear that “special interest” groups might gain leverage in setting school priorities which begs the question, what is a teachers’ union? Of course they’ll stir up fears that the locals might get hijacked by a hardcore Christian fundamentalist faction that would insist on banning teaching evolution, teach creationism, and seek to indoctrinate kids to be Jesus loving gun toting fanatic right wingers.

Where a system run like this leads couldn’t be clearer than what we’ll see in the next issue.

Issue #3: Institutional Corruption at the Highest Level

Baltimore County Schools are required to create request for proposals and conduct an opening bidding process for major expenditures. Over the past ten years, during the reign of superintendent Joe Hairston who was appointed for explicitly political reasons having a track record of failure in his previous posts including a system with a high minority population in suburban Atlanta, the system has paid a software company four million dollars to a Georgia software company owned by a former Hairston colleague.

Since November, 2000 EduTrax owned by Steve Holmes who served as Clayton County’s technology officer when Hariston was the subdivision’s school head has provided its product and profited substantially by the size of the Baltimore County account. This arrangement was setup by Hairston only four months after taking the Baltimore county position.

Hariston argues that the software EduTrax provides is proprietary and that no other company even now makes a comparable product. So what is it about this product that is so essential for Baltimore County Schools? What public input was solicited? How were the needs established and what needs assessment hearings and open meetings were held?

In 2002 and 2006, not only were contracts renewed but the vendor also was able to sell the county additional products. The software is designed to help the county manage and assess student test data. Hmm, have they ever heard of Microsoft Excel? How and when has Hairston ever demonstrated that EduTrax software is so unique that it is necessary to buy database management software outside of what is commonly available in the open market? In the turmoil of today’s economy surely it is a risky proposition to purchase vital products that are only available from a single source. Where would the county be if EduTrax went out of business? Technology firms have a funny way of doing that.

The superintendent’s office cannot offer any iron-clad rational for why only Edutrak was required. When asked if the county had considered other products Hairston boldly asserted such consideration was not necessary. Digging his hole deeper he went on to say, “"First of all, there is no school system over 100,000 students that had anything operating and if they did it was off the shelf. And if there had been, I can guarantee you I would have known about it,” oh really. Baltimore county citizens are supposed to take his word for that. Show us the data. Show us the money!!! With no cost/benefit analysis without the appropriate personnel and data involved, any statement regarding the worthiness of this product is nonsense. Such a process takes time, up to a full year, and should never be done at the snap of a finger on somebody’s say-so. Anne Arundel County uses software and services from IBM. While they did not issue their own RFP, they based their purchase on similar requirements for which Charles County when through the whole process. At very least, options were considered and due-diligence was exercised.

This is no isolated incident by the corrupt superintendent. Software developed by a high ranking county school employee, the Articulated Instruction Module, a grading tool, was awarded a legal agreement by the Superintendent granting ownership to the copyright for the software. If this product was developed primarily on school system time by an employee who was responsible for software development and implementation, rights to that software should have remained with the school system and not to provide a substantial financial reward for a favored employee.

The bottom line is even not considering the superintendent’s personal relationship with the head of the software company involved, absolutely irresponsible procurement decisions were made making any kind of determining whether or not the county purchase was a sound investment. “Because I say so” doesn’t cut it in any professional environment where the decisions of one are made committing the funds of others – shareholders, taxpayers, or other stakeholders. Such conduct in the private sector gets people fired and if such a move were conducted with an elected school board in place (that never would have hired a person of questionable credentials like Hairston in the first place), the community would be likely to discipline such a superintendent promptly.

In Baltimore County schools, special interest groups guide the decision making process and unless a school board decision runs contrary to the mighty MSEA goals and objectives,, they could care less. If they were shown such outrageous expenditures took money out of where MSEA wanted money to go, things would be different.

What we’ve reported in this posting only scratches the surface and deals with three huge issues that bring the focus on how the very heart of the system is corrupt. There are dozens of issues from student discipline policies, to insane multicultural and political correct propaganda being interlaced into the instructional program, to plenty of horrendous over expenditures of taxpayer money that show the forces who sit atop the mansion on the hill are self-serving thieves with nothing but contempt for the children and families they are empowered to serve.

What will be the breaking point for County parents many of whom are pulling their kids out to attend private school, moving out of Baltimore County to Carroll County, Harford County or Southern Pennsylvania where schools are more responsive to their needs? Many deal with the problem by exiting, but if they remain in Baltimore County or for that matter stay in Maryland as much school money flows from the state, the task of reforming their local schools is daunting. If the governor does not see the Baltimore County vote as essential to his election, the pursuit appears futile.

Parents can and must attend school meetings and raise a huge fuss. Sadly, much of the real decision making is conducted in executive session so that they only report what they’ve already decided to do to the public. Civil disobedience, loud noisy demonstrations on Greenwood property, at large high schools, in Towson and Annapolis might be the next step.

Hairston must be investigated thoroughly perhaps even requiring a grand jury and surely has no business running a school system he is not competent or ethical enough to manage. The future of the kids in the 3rd largest system in Maryland, 23rd largest nation wide, with over 143,696 potential students with only 30,000 fortunate enough to opt out for private or parochial schools is what is at stake here.

Parent/voters cannot be misled by issues such as teachers’ salary. County teachers are compensated EXTREMELY well. Nor can arguments about having enough teachers to do the job holds water either for where there are too many students in a given class, there is another class that is being rewarded in the other direction. The teacher to student ratio in Baltimore County is excellent.

The issues are management issues. What’s in the curriculum, how discipline is handled so an honors student doesn’t get expelled for a nail file, and stuffing abhorrent political and moral values down children’s throats are the kinds of issues that should ignite the passion for community involvement. County residents pay a premium for a product that is mediocre at best.

Baltimore County schools are at a crossroads. If the deterioration continues, the county as a whole will erode into a huge largely urban mess. The appointment of Hairston might be just such a ploy to make that happen as such a population would serve the status quo in Annapolis nicely. Given the quality of the vast majority of county communities, the potential for Baltimore County schools could be exceptional if the county citizens could forge a school board that represents their character and values not the slimy, cynical calculations of an opportunistic governor hell bent on serving self-serving special interests who fight real reform at every turn.

REFERENCES:
Issue #1:
http://towson.patch.com/articles/school-officials-defend-controversial-facilities-rule

Issue #2:
http://www.wbal.com/absolutenm/templates/story.aspx?articleid=67206&zoneid=2

Issue #3:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-county-software-contract-20110208,0,171096.story




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Hey Obama -- LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!!!!

Obama, Audacity in the Classroom

On Monday, September 8, 2009, Barack Obama will be presenting a telecast for presentation at all willing schools in the United States in what will surely be presented from his standpoint as a teachable moment, but in reality follows Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals thinking about getting recruits as young as possible.

Make no mistake about it, Obama being the sleazy opportunist he has proven to be will not simply use this occasion as a chance to greet America’s school children and give them a little U.S. History or Political Science lesson on the Presidency. This will be nothing like first ladies’ Barbara or Laura Bush’s attempts, for instance, to promote literacy and the enjoyment of reading.

Here’s a link for readers to study the lesson plan worksheet the Obama propaganda machine has cranked out. This is a real joke, but give them credit. They know the language and format of wishy-washy liberal teaching methods.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10582301/President-Obama%92s-Address-to-Students-Across-America-September-8-2009

The White House propaganda agents have published a suggested lesson plan with worksheet suggestions that are quite revealing. The scheming mind of an activist organizer is clearly evident. One suggestion as a follow-up activity for students after watching the speech encourages students to:

“Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.”

Oh isn’t that nice? What kinds of help does El Presidente have in mind?

As if that is not enough, the document also provides discussion questions which also appear to be viciously agenda-laden.

“Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the President wants us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
What would you like to tell the President?”

Dear readers, your humble writer is loaded with possible smart-assed school boy responses to these questions including what he’d like to tell the President, something like inviting him to have sex with himself for politicizing the classroom in such a blatant, self-serving manner.

This could be another example of Obama hubris. Knowing that the NEA and AFT, the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions endorsed his election enthusiastically through their PAC’s and contributed to his campaign, perhaps he is mistaken to think that teachers fall in line the way some factions of his favorite gang of union thugs, SEIU, would. Sure public education is the crucible of secular humanism and many school systems have insanely politically correct, madly liberal curriculum and policies, but it’s hard to imagine how this tact would be welcomed across the heartland, down south, and in all that “fly over” territory the elites pretend isn’t really there.
Parents should be encouraged to involve their kids in Town Hall meetings and have frank discussions with their children about being critical thinkers, not just assuming something is right because “teacher says so” or “that’s what was on the news.”

We must work together to make this latest Obama display of audacity become a teachable moment for the good guys.

Sadly, the Obama administration and Democratic congress will miss no chance to make it more difficult for parents to remove their children from the government monopoly of failing public schools and the current economic conditions make it more difficult for parents to afford alternate options which a thoughtful voucher program could help address.

Teachers Refusing to Accept Pay-For-Performance are in No Position to Demand Raises in Recession

Baltimore County Teachers Out of Touch With Community

Baltimore County Teachers are in no position to be asking for raises when everyone is facing tough financial decisions and the county government is doing what it call not to furlough workers including teachers. The bottom line is, would county teachers rather keep jobs or get a raise? The truth is, most teachers will be getting raises anyway. Each year of seniority for years 1-15 provide a pay step increase. More senior teachers get steps every five years. With each advancement in degrees, 30 graduate credits, 60, and 90 up to PhD equivalent, teachers also get raises. Now this kind of advancement is the kind of advancement the public can appreciate the value of teachers receiving.

That the local teachers association called for a job action last year because the county could not afford raises for its teachers shows the kind of chutzpah, insensitivity, and out of touch from reality the rank-in-file mentality in the profession has created.

While teachers go to work each morning, they face students who might have a parent who just got laid off, perhaps faced a mortgage foreclosure, or had to make some other serious adjustments due to hard economic times. Sample the population of any classroom and see how many of the students’ parents got pay raises for nothing more than just showing up for work each day without having to demonstrate some special contribution to the company or employer. In many occupations, there are no pay raises what-so-ever aside from for the accomplishments of the employee being able to contribute to the employer’s bottom line. While even many politically liberal see the need for performance based pay for teachers, any suggestion of “merit” pay is not subject to consideration by any NEA shop such as Baltimore County.

Few would argue the teachers who accomplish the most for our children deserve tangible compensation worthy of their efforts, but those who are part of the rising tide of mediocrity, have no voice in this dialog. We should hope that schools find better ways to develop their talent to achieve good results and see to it that the teachers who truly are not doing their jobs and not driven out for their lack of conformity to the insane political climate that exists in public schools are promptly removed from service.

The public should take a look at the county school’s pay scale before they jump to the conclusion that teachers, in general, are not paid enough. Here’s the pay scale for 10 month teachers. Keep in mind, teachers receive a fully funded state pension, complete health insurance including vision and dental coverage, and tuition reimbursement for their advanced degrees.

PAY SCALE:
http://www.bcps.org/offices/payroll/pdf/scales/TABCO-10-Month-Payscale.pdf

ARTICLE FROM BALITIMORE SUN:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-md.co.schools11jan11,0,1372028.story

Kansas Teacher Suspended for Using Students to Perform Pro-Obama Spot

pictured: Kansas students participating in Pro-Obama spot posted on U-Tube.

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It's about time. See article on this link:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/06/middle-school-teacher-suspended-obama-frat-spat/

Over the last thirty years, NEA and AFT through its local and state affilates have sought to politicize the classroom to conform to its dogmatic labor politics and support of far left causes and organizations. While many teachers consent to such by their silence, other teachers embrace the activist ideologies using innocent students as pawns for their political aims.

Recently, we cited an article about a college professor assigning his students to discredit Sarah Palin. It wasn't open ended, defend or refute, but simply to trash her. Examples are flowing in from all around the country but the main stream press wants no part of such news as they have no problem with such behavior because they have also corrupted their profession for the sake of their political aims.

Baltimore County Teachers Out of Touch With The Real World

WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD YOUR STUDENTS' MOMS AND DADS ARE FACING, TEACH!!!

It's time to get over a much publicized notion, school teachers are not paid enough. Perhaps it can be argued that effective, excellent teachers are not paid enough; however, in Baltimore County, Maryland career teachers are doing darned well and have benefits including full pensions that folks working in the private sector could only dream of. Plenty of folks are feeling fortunate their job is not going away. A pay increase even for cost-of-living this year might be hard to imagine. That Baltimore County teachers have the audacity to even consider a job action shows how out of touch with the real world the profession has become. Yet, during this horrible week when so many headlines are dedicated to one more sector of the economy in real trouble, career teachers can rest secure their jobs are secure and they will be able to retire with a nice income including paid health care.

Here's the details from WBAL-AM radio:

http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/news.aspx?articleid=13280&zoneid=24

Besides that, teachers are paid for ten months, and years 1-10 get an annual seniority step, 1-15 with a Master's Degree, and then get seniority steps every five years. Yes, teaching is a tough job especially in some subject areas if a teacher lives up to the full responsibilities of his or her job, but teachers also typically must only be present for no more than seven hours, have decent vacations, with accumulating sick leave benefits, and personal days during those ten months. Teachers have two months to seek additional employment and generally have the kind of hours that allow for some additional part time employment.

This is the wrong time to be talking about "job actions" when their students' parents could very well be living from paycheck to paycheck wondering how much longer they might get one at all. Some have no health care. Some have no retirement plan. Many have retirement plans such as 401K's that have busted.

What's the buzz in the faculty room, aside from whining teachers aren't paid enough one of the most often heard complaint is the lack of support at home.

Given the situation discussed above, parents have little motivation to support their teachers and any hope of sending their kids to private schools or move to a community with better schools has evaporated with the current financial mess.

Teachers are assured of a baseline existence. Only once the economy improves and the profession agrees to things such as performance based pay can we honestly have a discussion of any kind of serious higher pay for deserving but not all teachers.

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The writer of this article is a former ten year veteran of Baltimore County Public Schools who left not for financial reasons but for philosophical differences for where the system was heading.

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Perhaps the Truest Statement of the Whole Political Campaign

Education is the civil rights issue of this century

-John McCain (Acceptance Speech, St. Paul, MN, September 5, 2008)

Education might not have the the ability to invoke fear the way a weak defense policy would. We don't feel poor education in our wallets the way we do rising gas prices. Education doesn't provide the shock that a $800.00 prescription a patient must have has on a family budget.

The most widely highlighted issues are National Security and Defense, the attempts to develop a sound Energy Policy that reduces America's dependence on imported petroleum, or the Health Care Debate as so many factors interfere with each person's ability to obtain the health care every family needs.

How many young black men were murdered in inner city neighborhoods tonight? Why are there more young black men in the criminal justice system than college? African American communities around the country that are failing have one overriding problem in common -- terrible schools with no options for parents to help provide their children with a pathway to a well educated future.

The response all too often is blaming the victims suggesting that African American parents don't care about their children's schools; otherwise, they'd demand something.

Question: how many of those parents experienced good schooling? For that matter how many of their grandparents had access to good education?

Face it folks, where will you find parents who send their kids off to school each morning hoping their kids will perform poorly. Moms and dads want their boys and girls to have a good day in school each day -- not to be browbeaten by poor teachers, not to be threatened by the thugs and bullies who pray upon the school yard, not by administrators who just see them as cogs on the assembly line. There are plenty of good black citizens deprived of an education when they should have been educated are raising their children and showing up for their jobs while attempting to make up for lost times attending vocational schools, community colleges, and church based programs in their 20's and 30's.

Right Minded Fellow believes firmly that children of all backgrounds are capable of learning if the educational programs they attend adequately understand their background, their cultural issues, and needs then develops a cirriculum that provides rock solid fundementals presented by effective teachers who know how to work with their students.

Perhaps the days of Jim Crow laws and hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan are largely a thing of the past, the new agency of oppression is the public school where even in the best of situations, a good decent African-American student may never reach his potential because expectations are so low, the weapon of oppression is the teacher who thinks Black Little Johnny is doing pretty good for a black kid.

How many African American children who could be tomorrow's corporate executives, scientists, government leaders, entrepreneurs, and top salesmen will never aspire to anything close to that because they have teachers who pat them on the head and say nice job because they accomplished nothing more than being a "C" student?

The horrors of inner city schools might not exist where black children attend suburban schools with more balanced enrollments and higher socio-economic backgrounds. Still, in a more average school where maybe the total population might be 20% black children, how many of those black kids are held back because expectations aren't as high as for their white and Asian counterparts?

We can't go through the challenges and solutions here. However, quality schools for all students are within every family's reach. Lack of political courage and way too much influence from forces that fight real reform on every level such as teachers' unions must be overcome by a stronger desire by those who insist things work.

That a black man is running for President does not mean the end of racism whatsoever. It shows the myriad possibilities for people of all backgrounds who are well educated. Overt forms of prejudice have been seriously reduced. Today's challenges are harder to detect and sincc so few people ever get close to failing Black school systems, few even have a clue what's going on.

Back to School

From Kindergarten to Doctoral Programs and Beyond, American Education Is In BIG Trouble

Right Minded Fellow will have lots to say about the current affairs in education from Kindergarten to post-graduate. On all levels, the American education experience is in trouble. The kinds of difficulties, their causes, and their solutions are quite diverse not necessarily having any common themes. However, two things are obvious: parents are not presented with the kinds of choices they deserve in determining their children's' future. Schools are failing miserably on all levels to provide appropriate instruction that will result in well-educated students who've been nurtured in a caring, moral environment early on and then are presented with the kinds of challenging alternatives to develop the knowledge, thinking skills, and values to be prepared for a rewarding well-rounded future. Meanwhile, for many families the cost of a college education is the single most expensive investment they will face. A student could require a thirty year loan that if the student is paying the loan could be saddled with that debt when into the college years of his or her own children.

These are just some things that come to mind this evening:

1. The failure of the public education and lack of alternatives for parents who are dissatisfied with what their local schools provide.

2. The failure to deal with exceptional children appropriately whether a child is exceptionally gifted and talented, has some alternative learning style, or exhibits some noticeable "at risk" qualities, the assembly line nature of public education is failing these deserving kids miserably.

3. Science, technology, math and engineering are all fields that need serious attention. All students need to have necessary computational skills, understand scientific issues as it affects their day to day lives, and be competent in utilizing the technology of the future which is becoming more a part of day-to-day life. As a matter of National Security, the United States must maintain its leadership in all facets of these domains whether it's maintaining our lead in weapons technology to defend us from hostile elements around the world, being on the cutting edge in introducing life-saving medical technologies, or being the chief innovator in product development. Additionally, science needs to defend its turf while being respectful and accommodating to faith-based beliefs without compromising scientific methodology.

4. The Teachers Unions are one of the most powerful enemies of meaningful educational reform. It's fascinating to see how they whine, whine, whine about teachers not being paid enough money while urging its members not to shop at Wal-Mart. HELLO!?!?!?

5. The high dropout rate and unsuccessful achievement scores of African-American students cannot be tolerated. Whether its the dreadful chaotic mess found in many urban school systems where any kind of meaningful instruction is close to impossible to the "polite" racism of, "Oh he's doing pretty well for a black kid," millions of deserving kids are being failed by a system that is making them failures. More young black men are involved on the wrong end of the criminal justice system than attending college. We cannot tolerate that.

6. Home schooling, private and parochial schools, charter school programs, privatization, and new technologies all need far more attention to replace and enhance the public school of the second half of the 20th century.

7. College education is not synonymous with vocational training. While the job market needs far better options for preparing students about the join the work force and retool workers who need new skills and perspectives later on, the intellectual and spiritual benefits of post-secondary education must not be compromised by more utilitarian concerns. While it would be outrageous if accounting or nursing students, as two examples, were not totally prepared to master professional examinations in their field, this approach is not appropriate for most liberal arts and other more creative or spiritual domains. The notion of some kind of national scholastic test for philosophy, the fine arts, divinity, or classic literature would be beneficial is totally absurd. These kinds of programs are vital to help the developing mind learn critical thinking abilities, to work outside the box, and to appreciate the moral and ethical consequences of where the world is heading today. Just recently, the Bush administration's attempt to make the accreditation process more vocationally oriented including the possibility of imposing standard exams for liberal arts programs drove out a brilliant assistant secretary for post-secondary who seemed to really "get it" on the whole big picture of where the post-secondary world is headed. All aspects of educational endeavors after high school need much work. Community colleges are a tremendous resource able to respond quickly to the needs of their localities and economies. On-line universities are prospering. The traditional four year university and its graduate programs are failing in so many ways. First, the escalating cost must be reigned in. Second, the political climate where extreme left wing dogma is censoring the free flow of diverse ideas has become overwhelming in many academic communities. These schools need to be the world's leaders in Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering. They're starting to lose their grip.

8. Education on all levels should be fun! The educational experience should enrich the individual, develop meaningful relationships, and create the kind of appreciation for the gifts of freedom and knowledge that as citizens of the United States, we are so lucky to be able to pursue.

9. Locally, it is unacceptable that Baltimore COUNTY Public Schools have a school board consisting of political appointments chosen by the Governor of the STATE of Maryland. Baltimore County schools provide a classic case study of the decline from excellence in the third quarter of the 20th century to pure mediocrity as the new millennium gets under way.

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These are just a few of many themes and concerns, we look forward to discussing in the weeks ahead. From the political to the philosophical to the practical, the discussion is wide open. Let no stone be unturned. Every person from preschooler to retirees are involved.

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