From Jansen Robinson, candidate for Harford County Board of Education-District A:
When County Executive David Craig spoke before the attendees at the NAACP Candidates forum, he told the audience, that shortly after he took office, he was approached by the school board with a request to build a new Bel Air HS.
He asked them “what about building a new Edgewood HS”. He then remarked, that “is was apparent that Edgewood was not even on their (school board’s) radar”. Edgewood’s [representative] to the school board at the time of the request is the current board of education president.
A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Edgewood MS’s second year of making AYP. This is a great accomplishment. But we have to remember that Edgewood MS has been a problem school for almost a decade. And one has to wonder if the state had not threatened to take the school over, would the school board have acted when it did?
Could it be that some of the same young people, who were part of the failed middle school program, are now involved in the criminal/gang activity plaguing our community? Edgewood’s representative to the school board during this time frame is the current board of education president.
Prior to having school board members elected by councilmanic districts, Edgewood and Joppatowne schools were represented by two board members. The Joppatowne district included Joppatowne HS, Magnolia MS, Joppatowne ES, Riverside ES and Magnolia ES. The Edgewood district included Edgewood HS, Edgewood MS, Deerfield ES, Edgewood ES and William Paca/Old Post ES.
How many times do you think that either of these board representatives could have visited the communities that these schools serve, to learn about the school-related issues important to them? Now one member will represent all of these with the exception of William Paca/Old Post ES which is outside district A.
My opponent will not only have to become and remain intimately knowledgeable of issues and concerns not only for the communities that each of these schools serve, but also for the Kenwood HS community (in Baltimore County) for which he is being paid. It is imperative that District A schools communities receive our board members undivided attention.
Why. Because the research reveals that Schools are a reflection of the communities that they serve. And to be an effective school board representative for District A, the board member must be intimately knowledgeable of the community that each school serves.
My opponent, like the current member that represents Edgewood, lives north of I-95 (in the District-not in the community); teaches in Baltimore County Public School System (he may know the issues in the Kenwood HS community, which are entirely different from those in the Edgewood/Joppatowne community); belongs to local, state and federal teachers unions (so he can’t Vote on issues with Teacher Union implications); has little/no knowledge/record of working on behalf of either community; and was not a supporter of the elected school board legislation. To make matters worse, he is supported by the current Edgewood representative on the school board, who is also its’ president.
Since we have no incumbents running for this position, we have no record of performance in the position for which to review. We have to examine each candidate’s background to determine if they first have EXPERIENCE required to perform the primary legal responsibilities of the board of education.
Next, we should look at some of the intangibles, such as those mentioned above, to help determine if the candidate has the propensity and time to serve on behalf of the entire school community.
Now, my opponent wants the voters to believe that because as a teacher, he is more qualified to represent District A on the Board of Education. But, this election is not just about electing someone who will represent teachers (there are three former teachers currently serving on the school board). This election is about electing someone to represent the entire school community on the school board, because the entire community (Edgewood in particular) matters. Anything less will be detrimental-not just to our community, but to all of Harford County.
Note: My opponent in his letters to the editor and other news sources has yet to deny ANY of the assertions that I have made.
Lastly remember if we elect the same kind of person that we have been selecting, how can we expect anything different?
Jansen Robinson, Candidate
Harford County Board of Education-District A
Well said sir. The fact that people needed to do research to know that schools are a reflection of the community they serve is scary. I hope tons of money wasn’t spent on that to prove what most people already know (those with common sense anyway)
Reminds me of that old saying. Never roll in the mud with the pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.
Give it up. You lost by a 2-1 margin in the primary election and the people of this district are smart enough to realize the game you and Guthrie are playing. Shame on you for making the Board of Education slot a partisan race.
Why don’t you talk about how you were fired from the Baltimore City school system?
Don’t forget he is only running for the school board because Guthrie didn’t run for the senate. Any port in a storm. Jansen is a want-to-be politician seeking an office, any office.
I already voted but cannot wait until November 3rd when we can be done with most of these clowns.
The reason Robinson hates unions so much is because when he was head of the Balt. City school police the union took a no confidence vote in him and he was forced to resign or be fired. He was part of an incompetent and corrupt school administration that was wiped out by a state investigation looking into a 58 million dollar deficit.
Hmmm. Anti union, wants to take money away from Edgewood kids to fund charter schools. Smells like a Republican – that’s right Robinson was a Republican until he figured he couldn’t win a county council seat in Edgewood so on the advice of his good buddy Guthrie switched to Democrat.
The sad part is that Robinson and Guthrie think we are stupid and can’t see these things. Jansen “the Democrat” is a fraud. I also wonder if Guthrie’s union buddies realize he supports a candidate that stands for so many things anti union and anti Democratic Party?
Well, there you have it. A wannabee pretending he knows what is best for “his” community. Last time I checked, if you live in the distict you are eligible to represent it. Perhaps Mr. R who I would refer to as a “destructionist” along with Guthrie should take the higher road. You folks should look into why Mr. R left Baltimore City. BTW, I wonder if Mr. R will be able to comprehend what teachrs really do, or will his “management” experience find him siding with the administration. He appears to be uniquely qualifed to be a beauracrat.
Both Guthrie and Johnson need to be put to pasture.
I agree with you. Mr. Robinson shows his divisiveness in what he has put out there so far, either on this forum or the stuff he has been leaving on doors. And I still haven’t seen any ideas from him about how he would improve the schools besides saying he wants charter schools. At least a teacher would know what is really going on in the schools. From the information I’ve seen he wasn’t a very good at management either.
There are already former educators (Robin Rich and Leonard Wheeler) on the Board in addition to a recently retired classroom teacher. Mr. Wolkow’s wife is a teacher. Don’t make the assumption because someone is a certain occupation, that they would be effective in that job. There are many other qualifications that are just as important. There needs to be a mix of opinions and ideology on the Board since they are supposed to be representative of the population.
If Mr. Frisch worked in this county, he would have to quit his job to be on the Board. I can see some potential professional conflicts but there are other Board members and each person only has 1 vote.
Rich is leaving the board after the election. Wheeler has been removed from the classroom for so long he lacks perspective of what it is like to teach in today’s classrooms. Osmond retired in 2005 but is frustrated with the board’s treatment of teachers and may also resign. Wolkow’s second term is about to expire and he will soon be gone as well. Of the three school board races only Frisch is a teacher. We need a REAL teachers view point to balance the board.
When did Robin Rich say she was leaving? Is that a rumor or has she said that? Sure we need educators or former educators on the Board but remember 2+ years ago when O’Malley and company rejected former principal Nancy Reynolds for a spot on the Board. She was principal of a Blue Ribbon school! At least the voting public is being allowed to have a say who represents them now but there were current Board members and legislators who fought hard against it.
Oh and I forgot. While Robinson insinuates that Wolkow supports Frisch we can also say that Wheeler supports Robinson. Which Robinson conveniently forgets to mention.
The challenges of teaching have changed quite a bit over the last 5 years. Mr. Frisch’s status as an active teacher will provide the board with insight on what teachers are facing in the test-happy schools of today. Even if the three former-educators weren’t on the way out, I’m sure they would admit that such a voice would be unique and a valuable perspective to have on the HCPS board.
Thank you Not for Jansen and others…this is very informative, interesting and I am learning a lot…keep informing !!!
I would hope you would not take unverified idealogical comments from people that could by lying through there teeth and give no credentials. Both candidates are compelling, but the it is hard to really find many faults with Jansen Robinson when it comes to this position; he truly has served his community well and has shown through his work with Sheriff Bane and others what a well-run community council can do. It would be a huge shame if the Edgewood and Joppatowne communities do not send Jansen Robinson to the school board; he is already a strong voice for those communities, and will continue to be so in an even more productive way on the school board.
There are many who would disagree with you about faults with Robinson. He has done nothing for Joppatowne. His only concerns are about Edgewood. He is about himself and wanting to have Edgewood become an incorporated town so he could run for political office there. His interests and actions on the EEC have not been about education and he doesn’t understand the multitude of issues facing Harford Co. schools. All he has said is that the community should have a voice. While all of us that were in favor of an elected school board would agree that a major frustration with the appointed board was they did not listen, Robinson has offered nothing else to convince us to vote for him. I want more than slogans and he hasn’t offered anything else.
JT resident, if you are looking for someone to be doing some for Joppatowne, why are you looking for the chairperson of the ECC to do that for you? You should be questionioning the chairperson of the JCC Chris Rowe for that. Jansen has reached out many times to work with the JCC, however the JCC has chosen not to work with the ECC. If you sent any of your time attending meetings, you would already know this.
Please, please, please tell me what he has done for Edgewood? I have been to those Edgewood Community Council meetings and absolutely nothing gets accomplished.
Watcher, where are you watching from? It’s not from the ECC meetings for sure! If you are at those meetings, then you are a liar!
It is YOU, kind sir, that are lying or simply delusional. I would rather watch Big Blue wrestle RINO Hunter in a vat of chocolate pudding than sit through an ECC meeting. It is painful to watch all the back patting and pontificating that goes on each month.
I defy you to tell me three things that get accomplished at those meetings.
Please do your own research on the candidates, and not listed to the the blubbering of the people on this site. 90% of what these people post is lies. They know nothing of the canditates, and have clearly never been involved in the community of which they speak. Attend the ECC meetings, you’ll learn a lot!
All you will learn from those meetings is that Robinson continually uses the word “community” like he owns a copyright on the word. And we’re treated to Councilman Guthrie taking credit for everything except the invention of the wheel.
Oh and after the election, please change your handle to Was Once For Robinson But He Lost and Now This Is My New Handle on The Dagger.
Thanks.
Have a nice day.
What is there to find on Robinson? I have tried and I can’t find anything besides a few quotes here and in the Aegis. What are his positions on anything besides more community connection and supporting charter schools? Robinson is acting like a typical politician, he won’t tell you what he will do if elected. Just because he favors charters does not mean it will happen. There are other people on the board too. One persons lie is another persons truth. I haven’t seen lies here just different view points of view.
Mr. Robinson spends considerable energy bad mouthing Frisch for being a member of a teachers union and challenges his integrity with claims that Frisch is in the pocket of HCEA. Today I saw a Robinson campaign sign in Edgewood with a “TEACHER RECOMMENDED” sticker on it. This is clearly not true. Mr. Frisch received the HCEA endorsement. Robinson obviously realizes the importance of the HCEA recommendation. For Robinson to put these stickers on his signs just proves how low he will stoop to win. Whose integrity is in question now? Robinson is not the kind of person we want or need on the school board.
It does strike me as a conflict of interest to have a working teacher on the board. All of his signage says “supported by teachers,” and that in and of itself presents the conflict. The board of education has a civil responsibility to OBJECTIVELY evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum, the policies, and the communication between the school system and the community. The whole point of converting to an elected board was to IMPROVE the relationship between the district and the communities. Electing a school insider defeats the purpose. Maybe that should be his campaign slogan: Frisch – Defeating the Purpose of an Elected Board!
So if I follow your logic we should not elect lawyers to any political office since they make laws that could possibly benefit them. Does that mean the Mr. Guthrie should be excluded from office because he is also endorsed by Harford County teachers and is currently the president of an electrical union and he has influence on what contractors get county contracts. Just because a person belongs to a union does not automatically mean they can’t be OBJECTIVE, honest, independent, and do what is right for the whole system. There are many reasons why people belong to unions and just because you do does not make you a union activist. Vote on the qualifications of the candidate not on unproven and inaccurate suspicions.
No that would be following a slippery slope logic that you’ve created, but that is not mine.
A teacher serving on the board of education may be faced with deciding matters that will present a conflict to his teaching role, such as – “…to protect the budget should we furlough teachers or janitors?”
Honestly, if it came to that which would it make more sense to furlough? Or would you have the janitors teaching our children physics? You don’t make a convincing argument.
From what I know of both of them, I would welcome Robinson or Frisch on the Board of Education. I believe that they would be intelligent, engaged, and accountable. Unlike mr. wolkow, who has done so much damage to our school system with his arrogance, and with his inability and unwillingness to grasp the issues or challenge the administration. He classifies dissent as people not getting their way, or people disagreeing with the board. The only thing we disagree with, mr. wolkow,is irresponsible and incompetent oversight. Shame on you. Thank God that you lost the battle to continue having school board members appointed in a back room in Annapolis.