Contractors claiming that the bidding process for Red Pump Elementary School was handled improperly lodged formal protests with Harford County Public Schools over contracts worth almost half the value of the base cost to build the school and planned to object at the December 15, 2008 school board meeting where $23 million in construction contracts were expected to be awarded.
At least two of the contractors also planned to seek an injunction against HCPS, but withdrew their plans after Red Pump was scuttled on December 8th, according to documents obtained by The Dagger under a Maryland Public Information Act request. The documents also raise questions about the school board’s oversight of certain aspects of the bidding and award process.
At least six contractors protested the bidding for Red Pump, four of whom filed formal Bid Protests through legal counsel. Each of the four contractors had been identified by HCPS as ...Continue Reading
That’s former Harford County Board of Education President Patrick L. Hess reacting to allegations that Red Pump Elementary School was cancelled after problems with the bid process led to protests, and the potential for legal action against Harford County Public Schools. Hess told The Dagger that the school board cancelled Red Pump last December “because it was the financially correct thing to do.”
Asked about the Red Pump protests, Hess said he got a call from an upset contractor whose bid proposal on one of the construction packages had been deemed non-responsive at the bid opening held on November 3, 2008. The contractor told Hess that Harford County Public Schools could save half a million dollars by waiving some non-essential affidavits that had been required on the day of the bid opening and allowing lower bidders to be considered for contract awards. ...Continue Reading
When the Harford County Board of Education cancelled plans to build Red Pump Elementary School last December, the school board was just days away from approving nearly $23 million in construction contracts that would have put shovels in the ground. The decision sparked a public debate over the fate of the school.
Now The Dagger has learned that contractors who bid on Red Pump before it was cancelled filed an unusual number of protests over the bid process, raising the potential for legal action against Harford County Public Schools in the weeks leading up to the decision to scrap the school.
Was the specter of legal action the real reason Red Pump was ditched? And if it was not a factor, why wouldn’t the possibility of a court battle have been among the board’s considerations? More importantly, were the allegations of impropriety surrounding the bid process true? ...Continue Reading
Patrick L. Hess resigned unexpectedly from the Harford County Board of Education in July, leaving the Fallston area with no representation on the school board. That’s one reason Governor Martin O’Malley should act quickly to appoint a new member to serve out Hess’ term, which expires in 2011.
Legislation passed earlier this year calls for the school board to eventually expand to nine members, with six elected and three appointed members. The law became effective on July 1, but the transition won’t be complete for some time. The first elections will be held in 2010 in Harford Council District A (Edgewood/Joppa), District B (Fallston) and District D (North Harford). Elections are scheduled for the remaining districts in 2014.
While each elected member will have to live within the council district they represent, there’s never been such a requirement for appointed members. So Hess’ replacement can come from anywhere in Harford ...Continue Reading
The Dagger has learned that Harford County Board of Education President Patrick L. Hess will resign from the board during a regular business meeting scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight (Monday) in Bel Air. The abrupt departure comes prior to the expiration of Hess’ second term on the board in 2011 and less than three months into his second term as president.
Hess is expected to explain that he is resigning from the school board to focus on his business. He is the president and chief executive officer of Operations Management, Inc. /WDPB, Inc., which operates a number of Denny’s franchises in the area.
Hess is also believed to have political aspirations within the county.
No official announcement was made of Hess’ resignation prior to the Monday meeting, but the move explains why the board’s published agenda leads off with the following:
7:00 P.M. Call to Order – Robert M. Tomback, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools ...Continue Reading
Ending a face-off with the Harford County Council over which of two planned elementary schools would be built first, the Harford County Board of Education voted 5 to 2 last night to proceed with Red Pump Elementary. Red Pump has also been approved for construction funding by the council, paving the way for relief of overcrowded area schools, including Youth’s Benefit Elementary.
Board Member Robin Rich, who later cast one of the two “no” votes said of the switch back to Red Pump: “Our arms are behind our back, twisted up, we have no funding authority.”
Red Pump Elementary had been ahead of Campus Hills on the school board’s own priority list until last December when declining enrollment prompted School Board President Patrick Hess to question whether two schools were needed. Hess said last night it was a “terrible mistake on my part to ever bring this ...Continue Reading
Hundreds of freshly minted Harford County Public School graduates head off to Harford Community College each fall only to discover that they’re not necessarily ready for college level work.
Collectively, these students pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to take taxpayer-subsidized, transitional courses and re-learn what they ought to have learned in high school. Until now, the public had little idea how many HCPS graduates were affected, but a new study reveals just how pervasive the problem may be and recommends enhanced data collection to help identify underlying causes and potential solutions.
Harford County Board of Education President Patrick L. Hess and Interim Superintendent Patricia L. Skebeck said in a letter dated April 27th that school boundaries will be adjusted countywide if an agreement cannot be reached in the debate over which new elementary school will be built to relieve overcrowding in the greater Bel Air area.
The letter also provided an explanation for the school board’s latest decision to stick with Campus Hills Elementary, despite a compromise of sorts that had been reached with County Executive David Craig and the Harford County Council to proceed with Red Pump.
The following letter was sent to several Harford County Board of Education Members and Interim Superintendent Patricia L. Skebeck from Prospect Mill Elementary School parent Janet Noone. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication.
Dear Board Members,
It was with much disappointment and dismay that I heard the BOE vote last night to keep monies allocated to the Campus Hills school site rather than transfer it to the Red Pump site to allow construction to re-commence immediately.
This action was a complete reversal for Mr. Hess who is on record, verbally and in print, that he would not stand in the way of the construction of “A” new school, even if his preference was the Campus Hills site.
Ms. Rich, as we spoke after the meeting, I believe you have the most history on the Board with this overcrowding issue even though, as absurd as this is, the parents at the school ...Continue Reading
The members of the Harford County Board of Education voted Monday night to re-elect Board President Patrick L. Hess and Board Vice-President Lee Merrell to serve in their respective positions for the 2009-2010 school year. Both votes were unanimous.
