Faced with closing a $29.6 million gap in funding for next year, Harford Schools Superintendent Barbara Canavan on Wednesday recommended what she called a “miracle” operating budget for fiscal year 2015, avoiding layoffs and holding the line on class size, but reinstating pay-to-play fees for athletics and forgoing salary increases for staff, including herself. Canavan’s […]
Search Results for: Jim Thornton
Canavan Signs Four-Year Contract, Will Make $192,500 in First Year; School Board Hails Selection
Barbara P. Canavan signed a contract with the Board of Education Tuesday making her the next superintendent of Harford County Public Schools. Canavan’s four-year contract begins July 1, 2014, with a first-year base salary of $192,500. The former principal of Southampton Middle School and current interim superintendent alternately joked and held back tears as she […]
Boardman: Why Democrats in Harford County Keep Losing, and How to Fix the Situation
From Christopher Boardman: After I filed as a candidate for the Harford County president, someone remarked that I would run for any position and for any party because the only thing I was interested in was getting elected to something. As a lifelong Democrat, I did indeed accept the Harford County Republicans’ invitation to run […]
Harford Schools Scratch Pad: Board of Education Addresses Vexing Budget Decisions Affecting Students, Staff and Community
Another in an occasional series of analysis and observations following a meeting of the Harford County Board of Education: A recent Harford County Board of Education meeting featured vexing budget decisions affecting students, staff and the community at-large: Should class sizes be increased to give teachers a raise? Should unpopular pay-to-play fees be abolished, taking […]
Got A Stake In Harford County Public Education? Here’s A Chance To Do Something About It
Got a stake in public education? Here’s a chance to do something about it. For the first time this election year, voters living in each of Harford County’s six council districts can elect a representative to the school board. The filing deadline for qualified candidates is February 25th. The upcoming elections cap off a years-long […]
Harford County Board of Education Fires Back at County Executive Craig; Defends Budget-Driven Cuts and Fees
Facing a barrage of criticism from Harford County Executive David Craig over their handling of the budget, the School Board on Monday fired back, defending their actions as a necessary response to the rising cost of doing business, unfunded mandates, and shrinking revenues. The criticism from Craig, who is also a gubernatorial candidate for 2014, […]
Harford Schools Scratch Pad: Tomback’s Heartfelt Farewell; Board Fights Over Pay-to-Play; and “a Gentleman of African American Persuasion with a Strange Sounding Name”
Another in an occasional series of opinion and observations following a meeting of the Harford County Board of Education: Unusual goings on at the June 24th Harford County School Board meeting included a curious comment, pointed questions, good news for some laid off teachers, and heartfelt remarks by the normally stoic Superintendent Robert M. Tomback. […]
Harford Schools Scratch Pad: Plan to Award High School Credit for Foreign Language Courses Completed in Middle School Raises Specter of Inequity
Another in an occasional series of informal reports, analysis and opinion based on a meeting of the Harford County Board of Education. A decision last week by the Harford County Board of Education to award high school credit for foreign language courses completed in middle school also sparked a backlash against mandates and raised the […]