The fate of the elected School Board bill goes down to the wire in Annapolis. For the latest updates, check out the comments to this article…
When a majority of delegates from a local jurisdiction sponsor legislation affecting their jurisdiction alone, the custom of the Maryland General Assembly is to approve it as a “local courtesy.” The bill proposing an elected Board of Education in Harford County should be a good example the Annapolis political tradition.
When the bill establishing a fully elected board was amended to create a partially elected, or blended school board, http://mlis.state.md.us/2008rs/billfile/SB0306.htm, it got the support of all three Harford County senators, unanimous approval in the full state senate and unanimous approval by a vote of the Harford County delegation – although Delegate Mary-Dulany James, a staunch opponent of elections, was not present for the delegation vote (remember this for later).
With no recorded votes in opposition to the partially elected Board of Education legislation and overwhelming public support for it, the bill should be well on its way to passage, courtesy of local courtesy. Why, then, are two members of the House of Delegates from outside of Harford County trying so hard to kill it?
Delegate Sheila Hixson (D-Montgomery), chairs of the Ways & Means Committee, which heard the bill on the House side, has set up a series of hurdles for the Harford delegation to clear before the bill can be considered for a vote. Although no one showed up to testify against HB 779, Hixson has outrageously demanded that potential opponents be tracked down to provide letters of support.
Then there’s Delegate Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery), who chairs the House education subcommittee where the bill is currently bogged down. Kaiser wants the Harford County Board of Education to approve the bill; although no such approval was required from school boards in either Talbot or Queen Anne’s counties when their elected school board bills were before the same committee.
Both Kaiser and Hixson represent Montgomery County, where citizens enjoy the right to vote for their own school board. What possible reason could these two have for withholding local courtesy in the face of a unanimous vote from both the full senate and the Harford County delegation, not to mention the testimony they heard from the citizens of Harford County? The answer is they have no reason. Then who does?
Delegate Mary-Dulany James abstained from voting on the fully elected school board bill. She was absent from the vote on the amendments that made it the blended body of elected and appointed members.
So James is not on the record opposing elections, although she has vociferously opposed them in the past. Is she working with Hixson and Kaiser to undercut the rest if the Harford County delegation?
If so, she ought to at least admit it. If not, she can prove it by using her considerable influence in Annapolis to gain local courtesy for the county she was elected to represent.
If you would like to read our previous articles about the elected school board, please see the following links:
- State Senate Amends Legislation And Paves The Way For A Partially-Elected Board of Education In Harford County
- Ekey: Elected School Board Needed To Take Away Superintendant Haas’ “Rubber-Stamp”
- Support of an Elected School Board: A Letter to Mary-Dulany James
- The Elected School Board Stunt of the Week
- “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” – Part II
- “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” – Part I
I certainly do. The statement in the second paragraph; “although Delegate Mary-Dulany James, a staunch opponent of elections” bothers me deeply. How can an elected official be opposed to elections? Is this really her stance? Can we get her to comment on this one point? I have respected and been a supporter of Delegate James and am somewhat shocked to think that she would think that we, the unwashed masses are not smart enough to elect a school board. On the other hand when you look at the folks we do elect one could make the case that we are not smart enough to send quality folk to any office. Maybe the good folk in Annapolis think we are really stupid. I feel bad!
Voters can call Mary-Dulany James toll free at 1-800 -492-7122 and ask if she is the reason Harford County is being denied local courtesy. If she is not the reason, she should be as outraged as anyone at the way Harford County is being treated.
No one doubts that she can get this bill passed if she pushes for it. If the bill fails, the voters will know why.
Dave…”the unwashed masses……” hmmm! Where have I heard that before?
Elections prompt discussion and discussion prompts thought out voting.
RichieC,
Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton used the term in his 1830 novel “Paul Clifford.” Bulwer-Lytton not only coined “great unwashed,” but also came up with “The pen is mightier than the sword” and the classic opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night.”
I never pegged you as a reader of classic literature.
If Del. James is successful in thwarting the elected school board bill, the people of Harford County should be just as successful ensuring that she never has to worry about another election as well…
TY dell for the source.. I like Bulwer-Lytton. Now Im gonna have to read him. But truer words never spoken.
Mary Dulany James will never answer this call to do the right thing. She is merely out for herself and could care less what her constituents want. I challenge you Mary Dulany James, prove me wrong!
Asking the current School Board to endorse this bill is like asking a criminal to endorse his sentence. Mary Delaney James should know better than to work against her own constituency. Why was it fine to elect her but not elect the group of people who spend one of the largest pots of taxpayer money? What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Perhaps this goose needs to go the next time that the citizens of Harford County visit the polls.
For what is is worth, I sent the following email to Ms. Dulany-James:
Ms. Dulany-James
I have attended hearings for SB 306, HB806, and HB 779 in Annapolis and testified at all three. I am also aware that Rep Hixson has actually solicited opposition to HB 779 even though no one testified against it. Common sense would lead me to believe that since you are the only Harford County Representative that did not support the bill, but also did not vote against the idea of an elected school board, that Ms. Hixson’s act was done as a courtesy to you. I know these deals are made behind closed doors all the time, but at least own up to the fact that you are the roadblock to this bill. Reports of “stiff opposition” are misleading considering you are the only person not supporting this bill. Regardless, I would like to now hold you to your word. During your testimony for HB 806, you stated that, “The only reason I proposed this bill (HB 806) was in case SB 306 did not make it out of the Senate.” You even stated that it was likely not going to make it out and that the current system needed to be improved. Well, now SB 306 did make it out, and did so with a unanimous vote! You have publicly stated that we need a change and your bill was only a fall back. The entire delegation supports the bill and it was even amended to include appointments.
You are on the record with your testimony. You did not vote against an elected school board only abstained from voting. You have members of your own area in support of an elected school board. You can stay true to your word and support this blended board or you can forego your integrity and work to destroy it.
Your choice will speak volumes for your character. I hope you will do the right thing and stick to your word and representing all the people in your district.
And lest we forget: unlike most of us, MDJ has already had the opportunity to “vote” on how HER children are educated…… she voted with her feet and has sent them to private school outside the county. Now, she has that right, and far be it from us to judge her on that; but to tell the rest of us that WE can’t have a say in OUR board of ed. ?!?!?
The term that comes to mind is: audacity
We know that she is behind this unprecedented stunt. And if she succeeds in thwarting this, every good citizen of our county needs to stand up and ensure that she is held accountable for this outrageous disregard of the will of the people and their elected representatives.
A hearing on SB 306 (the blended school board bill) has just been scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 at 1 PM before the House Ways & Means Committee.
Del. Dan Riley did not abstain from voting on the blended school board bill as today’s Aegis implies. He abstained from the delegation vote on an all-elected board, but he voted in FAVOR of the amendments creating a blended board (as previously reported by The Dagger).
Many in Riley’s district favor elections and his vote may have been a reflection of the feedback he has received. If so, he deserves credit for listening to his constituents.
Now he and Mary-Dulany James should use whatever power they may have in Annapolis to do the people’s business and get the school board bill passed for Harford County.
Here is what is in the Aegis, and as Cindy pointed out, is clearly false:
“The delegation’s two Democrat members, Del. B. Dan Riley and Del. Mary-Dulany James, both representing Southern and Eastern Harford County District 34A, abstained on the bill when it was leaving the delegation caucus.”
MDJ was the only one who abstained. Wonder how Delegate Riley feels about this error?
Steve,
I did abstain on the all-elected school board and the reason is because the next thing on the delegation agenda was the PNC school board issue. The abstention was used to say I am not necessarily against an elected school board but my constituents preferred the PNC school board. Letters, phone calls and emails still have the majority of my constituents favoring the PNC bill. I did vote for the amendments to make the Harford County delegation bill model SB306. The Aegis has a habit of “twisting” the truth or purposely leaving out details which some call facts. If I may, let me state other examples.
In editorials, the Aegis, claimed the Harford County Delegation voted for the STDs or Special Turner District. I mean Special Taxing District. Not true!
Delegate Pat McDonough and I voted against the STDs. The Aegis also claims the delegation is afraid of former delegate and hotel magnet W. Dale Hess and would not support a hotel tax for Aberdeen. I did.
The decision about which school board is best for our kids rest in the hands of the Ways and Means committee. Remember, there is a hearing on SB306, Wednesday, April 2. Go down and testify for or against. If you wish to testify make sure you sign up one hour before the committee starts its work. If you have written testimony you will need 40 copies for the committee. Oral testimony is limited to 3 minutes.
Delegate Riley,
Thank you for your candid response. I have very much appreciated your openness and willingness to set the record straight here on this site.
Delegate Riley, I have testified before the House and Senate Committees in favor of an elected board. I have come away with the discouraging impression that the “committee” does NOT operate on a democratic (majority rule) basis, but is run by the chairperson alone! Why are the other delegates even present at the hearings? I feel that they are wasting their time as well as ours. How dare Chairperson Hixson! Is this our “democracy” at work? How many times must we go to Annapolis, when we are being railroaded by the dictatorial chairperson?
I predict that this bill dies in commitee and we’ll have to go through this again next year, and the next year…
The PNC did not get the support of anyone in the Harford County delegation except for Dels. Riley & James. It came up for a vote and it failed 2-6.
It had no support from the 3 senators representing Harford County, all of whom support the blended bill.
What little testimony there was opposing elections came from the BOE and a handful of groups who were going to be named to the PNC – in other words, groups that wanted to reserve the power to choose school board members for themselves. Except that the PNC was a sham to preserve the system of political appointments and some of these groups either didn’t realize it or didn’t mind one bit. Either way, expect them to be out in force at the hearing on Wednesday.
If it does die in committee it will be solely due to the backroom machinations of Del. James (and assumedly, the acquiesence of Del. Riley). And there are countless Harford Countians from both parties, who will dedicate themselves to holding THEM accountable for this outrage.
And the PNC bill, which has been correctly referred to as a sham, has been used by those who are attempting to roadblock democracy in education. And they are: the above-named delegates, senior staff of HCPS and other friends of the superintendent, a couple vocal members of the Harford Business Roundtable (which was initially formed by the superintendent, and itself represents less than 1% of the Harford business community), and vocal and dominant boardmembers Wolkow, Rich and Fidler. But let us review a potential scenario that is possible, if not probable, that the PNC construct would codify:
Someone, let’s call him John Smith, becomes a member of the PNC (membership on the PNC would not have a high bar……one would just need to be a member of one of the interest groups named in the legislation). John Smith is also a friend of the superintendent. John Smith needs a name to nominate for a school board seat. The superintendent gives John Smith a name of someone who is likely to unconditionally defend and rubber stamp her and her senior staff (just as the above three mentioned board members do now). Let’s call that board nominee Lucy Bowles.
Lucy Bowles presents herself well at the PNC hearings (just as the above mentioned board members likely would have). Lucy Bowles makes it onto the list of nominees presented to the governor by the PNC for consideration for appointment to the school board. John Smith (or the superintendent) have the governor’s ear. The governor selects Lucy Bowles, ignoring the rest of the nominees on the list. Lucy Bowles is our next board member, overseeing our children’s education, a half-billion dollar budget, and most alarmingly, she is overseeing the superintendent who put her there.
This is, by no means, an outlandish example at all. What is outlandish is that those who know what the PNC bill is, would attempt to pass it off on the public as something else.
Please continue to let Delegate James know that you know what she is doing. And please go to Annapolis and urge Delegate Hixson not to set a horrible precedent by killing “local courtesy”.
Parent, Taxpayer, and Businessman:
Thank you for the scenario you presented as to how a member of the BOE could or would be selected with a PNC. But even more, I appreciate how clearly you named those who strongly oppose an elected school board (or the compromised blended one).
It is very refreshing to have a forum such as The Dagger Press that allows the public to hear how our political system seems to work – underhanded, behind the scenes deals where money and power make the laws. MDJ’s opposition to the elected school board bills, as well as her recent meddling into the Edgewood Train Station (as reported in The Aegis by a letter to the editor from Councilman Dion Guthrie) are examples of this kind of politics.
Ms. Dulany-James’ political career may be cut short, for the citizens of Harford County are growing weary of dirty politics. It is time for her to start playing fair and listen to the “little people” who put her in office and not just the ones with the big wallets.
Pwh word’s so true. big money & dirty politic’s go hand in hand. it’s amazeing how the elected’ suddenly for get who put them there.
The hearing on SB 306 is “sponsor only” meaning that the sponsors (Senators Glassman & Harris) are allowed to speak to the Ways & Means committee., but no one from the public (pro or con) willl testify. Just didn’t want anyone to plan the trip and be disappointed.
Cindy,
You are 100% right! Testimony for SB306 is sponsor only. Sorry for my mistake implying that citizens would be able to testify on SB306. Thank you for the correction.
Thanks Delegate Riley. I made the same assumption at first! I think a lot of Dagger readers also appreciate your willingness to discuss this issue publicly.
The campaign to vote out MDJ must begin immediately! We must educate “the masses” about her backroom, stone-walling politics and especially about her hypocrisy . Remember which part of Harford and Cecil Counties she represents…write to those newspapers that reach the majority of the voters in her area – primarily The Record (Havre de Grace/Aberdeen) and the Cecil Whig. Parents and taxpayers in those areas need to know what has gone on behind the doors in Annapolis.
SMS, you can write all the letters your want to those papers, but they only print so many. I have a better idea. Spread the word about daggerpress.com, and post your comments and send in your letters to the dagger here.
Steve is right ‘spread the word on the dagger. it’s instant’ access & and the aegis is on a campaign to save ink.
Del Riley…Steve…Vet…SMS…PWH…Parent …and all …check out the tax dollars of yours(water way grant money) wasted in HdG …
http://www.daggerpress.com/forums/topic.php?id=286
http://www.daggerpress.com/forums/topic.php?id=291
Go Dagger !
The Dagger is fine for some people…but there are still a lot of people who read the newspapers and the letters to the editor. Spread the word using all means of communication! Not everyone is on the Internet constantly.
SMS, Agreed. People should still send their letters to the editor to the local papers. Any mean of getting you voice heard.
At least here, there is no black hole where letters go to die, if you play by the rules 🙂 (no personal attacks, no pretending to be others, limited abusive language, understanding that the one who makes the comment is responsible for any legal actions)
SMS says it…use all the tools in the box !
HB 779 has passed out of the Subcommittee. THis is a huge victory in passing of the elected school board bill. It should be on the next committee voting list.
Thanks Delegate Jennings, this is great news.
We all need to work now to make sure that both the House bill and the Senate bill go through without amendments. Any amendments would likely kill the bill for the session, since the Senate would be required to also approve the change, and we’re short on time.
The legislators and people of Harford are on the verge of a victory– all we have to do is keep pushing this forward for a week!
This may be a bad development. The House Bill is coming late and will go to senate rules and may doom both Bills. Right now a vote on the Senate Bill will complete the process. This looks to be a move to kill the Bills.
Delegate Jennings and Senator Glassman;
We appreciate your efforts, but a failure of the bill is in fact a failure of the Legislature. The monkeying around that occurs in the Ann Arundel logic free zone is mind boggling. Thanks for trying.
We just voted HB 779 out of the committee. It is headed to the floor of the House. Senator Glassman is right in the fact that the House Bill could be held in the Senate Rules Committee. However, during the voting session I asked the “what if” question about the Senate Bill if the House Bill gets stuck in the rules committee. I was assured that we would move forward with the Senate Bill.
After Senator Glassman testifies on the Senate Bill I’m going to move bring the bill up for an immediate vote.
Delegate Jennings and Senator Glassman have been working very hard to see that this bill gets through. Contrary to what the Aegis is saying, this bill is still alive thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of some on our delegation. What the Aegis fails to recognize, I guess, is that A LOT of work gets done during the last week of session! Thanks to the Dagger for keeping this discussion alive.
Thank you Senator Glassman, Delegate Jennings and anyone else within or without the Harford County State Delegation who have aided this bill in any way. I am crossing my fingers for passage as are so many involved and informed parents and students. And thanks to The Dagger and its staff for providing the conduit for timely information, updates and a much needed forum for discussion and education. Good work to you all!!!
It’s really too bad that we are getting this minute by minute info. I kind of liked looking at my Wednesday paper to find out what happened last week. Matt, Brian and Steve deserve a huge amount of credit for getting this out there. I am also encouraged to see the 3 elected officials on this string and Delegate Riley on the hotel tax string as well. My greatest concern, while in office was the “how to get the word out”, and here it is. Folks we may not always agree on stuff but as long as we can communicate in some way we can stay civil.
Thanks all.
Dave
Delegates and Senators,
What can we do to help this process? Can we help or is it just a wait and see thing? Patience is a virtue, but a lot of blood sweat and tears from everyone has gone into this. I’d like to “leave everything out on the court” instead of wishing I had done something in the eleventh hour.
Chris,
Thanks for your willingness to help but really, at this point, we are doing everything that can be done. We’ll know something either way in a short time. Keep your fingers crossed!
Dave….
This is Dag-tastic !
RichieC it most certainly’ is. Dag-tastic. it’s a pleasure to see the delegates speaking here.
And renew’s my hope there may still be a democratic goverment at work.
Good luck to you in Harford County. You deserve to have an elected school board (although it is sad that some of the seats will still be appointed). It amazes me how some legislators think that the same people who are intelligent enough to vote for them are not intelligent enough to vote for school board members.
Please wish us luck in our effort to return the Prince George’s County School Board to 9 single-member elected districts. We’ve been at it for more than 6 years now and seen numerous dirty tricks kill our bills at the last minute.
Dave Cahn, Co-Chair, Citizens for an Elected Board
Vet yes inddede!
Dave Cahn is right to warn us of opposition forces and last minute maneuvers. Thanks Dave, for your good wishes too.
Our representatives know exactly what they are up against and no one is resting on the progress made so far.
For the past two months, I have had the pleasure of assisting with the Patriot Program at my son’s elementary school. Each morning, I listened with joy as the 4th graders began to understand how our nation’s government was formed and the pride so many of our founding fathers had in our country. They explained what the Pledge of Allegiance is, defining “liberty andjustice” as freedom and FAIRNESS. They learned how a group of men sat in a stinking, hot room for three months to create the government that our nation still has today. A democracy, in which the MAJORITY rules and a system of checks and balances keeps people HONEST. They learned of the Bill of Rights, the changes that were made to our Constitution to give us many freedoms.
I explained to my own two boys that Maryland’s government is patterned much after our nation’s Constitution. They even had the opportunity to come to Annapolis , and watched with interest (at least for awhile) as ordinary citizens presented their testimony, or position, on various bills. They even watched their mother speak in support of an elected school board.
What an ideal world I was living in. But then, my bubble burst. Each day, I would come home from the Patriot Program to read e-mails and receive phone calls that our democratic process was not working the way it was supposed to. Yes, people can testify in front of an entire committee in Annapolis, but it is only the chair of the committee who decides whether to move a bill forward. Oh, and even though the majority is supposed to rule, a counter bill to HB779 received a hearing before HB779, even though only 2 of 8 of the Harford County delegates voted in favor of it. And even though the Harford County delegation voted 6 in favor and 2 abstentions for HB 779, it did not receive local courtesy. Soon after, things really started falling apart, with demands for letters from the members of the the BOE who like the appointment process and other opponents of an elected board to show support for the bill. Yes HB 779 was being jammed and we knew who was behind it.
So, what do you tell your children. Well, I explained that sometimes people fall to the lure of power and money. It makes them do things that you might not normally do, but it is a strong force. But luckily, there are still many people out there who believe in our democratic process that was created so many years ago. People who will fight by writing letters to representatives, testify at hearings, make numerous phone calls, dig up facts, and keep up to date with what’s going on by reading websites like The Dagger Press. And luckily, there are senators and representatives out there, like Barry Glassman, Susan McComas, J.B. Jennings, Andy Harris, and Donna Stifler, and councilmen, like Coach Slutzky, who are willing to listen to their constituents and fight for them. They are the folks we will re-elect for they preserve the ideas of FAIRNESS and HONESTY and the concept of MAJORITY RULES.
So, I, and my children, will watch with interest during the next few days to see whether democracy rules or the lure of money and power prevail. Please make our founding fathers proud.
House Hearing on SB 306 went smooth. No Questions. We will have to wait and see if the Bill is moved. Thanks to everyone for their hard work!!!!!!!
Awesome! Hope the hard work is reflected in the voting later today.
Can’t beat the real-time updates from the state house floor!
It looks like Del. Sheila Hixson is holding up SB 306, the blended school board bill. It was not on the voting list today and may not be on the list tomorrow (Saturday).
THERE IS NO REASON FOR DELAY EXCEPT TO KILL THIS BILL
Hixson told her committee that she would not play games. Please call her office and ask her to keep her word. Call today and tomorrow 1-800-492-7122. Ask for the House Ways & Means Committee. Tell the staff you are calling to ask Chairwoman Hixson to move SB 306, which had a hearing on April 2nd and is word for word the same as HB 779 which the committee passed last week.
Please spread the word and thanks to everyone who has been calling all morning.
This is impressive Team Dagger! Kicking butt in the evening and taking names in the morning.
Keep calling to support the blended school board today (Saturday) 1-800-492-7122. I called at about 2:30PM on Friday and the staff told me they were getting “bushels of calls.” Thanks to DaggerReaders for your support!
Remember to ask for the House Ways & Means Committee and tell them you are calling to ask Del. Hixson to move SB 306.
I just called and the woman “thanked me for being very reasonable in my call.” So I’m not sure if angry callers are phoning or what. Thanks for the number! I was wondering what was happening with this.
Mary-Dulany James’ office is now telling callers that she is not stopping SB 306; it’s opposition from our own school board. Nice try.
Queen Anne’s County & Talbot County got school board elections in 2006 and 2005 and their own boards’ permission was not required. Call Mary-Dulany James and tell her Harford County voters deserve the truth. 1-800-492-7122
I’ve been calling and emailing MDJ every day since March 29 and have yet to receive a returned phone call or email. It’s not only local courtesy we are being denied, but common courtesy!
Thank you to those politicians who have posted on The Dagger and have NOT ignored the voices of those they represent
This is just a front for MDJ to hide behind but in the next election cycle, she can be exposed for what she is doing and she will be. I was at a public hearing for the newly formed Anne Arundel County Permanent Nominating Caucus and a representative from the Maryland Association for Board of Educations members testified. She made it very clear that the Board of Education should not have an agenda (political or personal). I don’t think it is on the MABE website, but she repeated it several times. I’m sure that the Harford County Board of Education was told to take a position last year so they could use it as an excuse to hold up the bill – they were being coached by MDJ at the hearing. She was coaching all of the witnesses on what to say. Maybe someone should ask Mark Wolkow about this and about the Board’s legislative platform because he was definitely promoting an agenda. Some Board of Education members have spent a lot of time fighting this thing. I only wish they would spend nearly as much time reviewing some of the really poor decisions they have made over the past several years. Maybe instead of teaching “Living in a Contemporary World” we could teach a class on critical thinking because there seems to be a top down deficit in those particular skills.
The word from Annapolis is that Delegate Mary Dulaney James traded votes to kill the elected school board bill.
How dare you, MDJ!!!! Look out because now the truth must come out for the public to know the real story. You must have something to gain from this…how can one person kill a bill that everyone else supported and voted for?! And you are not even honest enough to admit that you were against the bill, telling The Sun newspaper that you don’t know how you would have voted if you had been there to vote (conveniently, you “had other commitments”)! Then why did you submit a bill for an appointed BOE earlier? That lets us know where you stand. You also must not know the definition of compromise. Now you have woken us up….I can’t wait to support your opponent in the next election!
Our R delegation has never learned that politics is a give and take affair. They bit off their own noses to spite their faces on this one. Had they suported the Tech Tax Repeal bill , we would have the Blended Board Bill. I for one supported the Tech Tax Repeal – to bad our R delegation didn’t. We could have had two wins.
curious, what are you talking about? The tech tax repeal passed 93-44. They had nothing to do with each other.
What did happen was the senate voted 45-0 for a bill, democrat and republican, yet because of backroom deals, that doesn’t count for anything because a few decide just to drop it from consideration. Under what rationale can you say that is right?
Hey- I didn’t say it was RIGHT. It’s just the reality of politics. It is what it is. Why do you think our delegation can’t seem to bring home the bacon? I submit that they are uncompromising. Some would say good on ’em. Unfortunately it doesn’t pay off for HC.
Personally, I’m glad to know that there are some delegates and senators who are ethical, even if they don’t “bring home the bacon”. I find the rest of them to be totally disgusting.
As I said- it is what it is… Ethics and a willingness to make practical compromises are not mutually exclusive. Is not raising taxes on millionaires for a limited period of time more important than allowing your constituancy to vote for BOE members – for example? Is not raising taxes on hotel stays more important the the financial solvency of a town in the county? Some people would hold that being able to prioritize and compromise is more ethical than the reverse.
curious – you are making the assumption that if the Harford County delegation voted for the tech tax repeal/ millionaire tax, they would have gotten the blended school board bill in return.
But if MDJ traded a vote to get SB 306 killed and the delegation traded a vote to get it passed, then one side was going to lose, because both trades could not possibly be honored. The delegation saw a trap and chose not to fall into it.
The problem is not an inablility to compromise, the problem is a system where committee chairs can kill a bill, give no reason and pay no price. The problem is one delegate can use that system to undermine the will of the voters. That is, until the voters find out about it.
No worries Cindy, they obviously couldn’t get around to voting for Harford’s elected school board bill (ignoring local courtesy) because they were busy lining up the votes to pass the bill naming Smith Island Cake the official state desert.
” if MDJ traded a vote to get SB 306 killed and the delegation traded a vote to get it passed, then one side was going to lose, because both trades could not possibly be honored.”
Cindy- It seems to me that we are both guilty of assumption . My thought is the repeal was on it’s way to passage and had our delegation supported it they might have improved their chances of “making friends and influencing people”- wouldn’t it have been worth a shot? The outcome couldn’t have been worse. MDJ had one vote to trade- how many from the rest of our delegation could have created leverage?
Just from years of observation, I would say that the majority of our delegation have a lot to learn when it comes to the art of prioritization and compromise. This is not the first battle they have lost for our county. They need to rethink their strategy.
You never trade a vote. Trading a vote shows you have no morals and can be bought and paid for. If you don’t support a bill on prinicple you simply don’t vote for it. Somebody who trades a vote should not be in office. You do however, work to amend a bill so you can vote on it.
As for MDJ, I truly doubt she traded a vote. She has been against the Tech tax from day one, as was I have been. She and I felt different in about how to repeal it. That’s why we voted differently.
As for the School Board bill it died because the leadership did not like it. They put road blocks up. We did our best to overcome them. In the end we were overpowered by the rules of the House. The chair had the ability to keep the bill in the drawer and she did. Like it or not those are the rules that we are governed by here in the House.
Well said curious. The delegation also needs to rethink the reason they ran for the office in the first place. The only reason our elected officials act so arrogantly is because we let them. Ever been somewhere and the elected folk go to the head of the line? Noticed ho they come to a meeting, grace us with their presence and then duck out as soon as they have the opportunity to have their say or pick up their gift or whatever? How in the name of God did we let it get to the point of putting these folk on a pedestal and letting them get away with nothing but substandard performance?
It looks as though this current travesty has been foisted on us by just one of them. I suggest that we hold all of them accountable for it , however. Where is the outrage from the others? It’s nonexistent because they have a code of protecting one another. If one screws up we need to jerk all of their pants down and expose them for what they all represent. Trust me it’s great to be in a position to have both cloven hooves firmly embedded in the public trough. We pay for it with our taxes and with the constant failures of the system.
Display your outrage! Call them out! Refuse to accept a line of puffery. Zap them publicly!
MDJ was the obstruction since day 1 plain and simple. Perhaps voters will remember this next election. What is good for the Harford County citizens, what is good for the children (our future leaders), and what is good for local government doesn’t mean squat for a politician with a personal agenda. That goes for those politicians that give her an endorsement next go round too!
The similarities between watching a school board meeting and a sub committee hearing in Annapolis are frightening….. everyone so careful not to be disrespectful when speaking in front of the committee. Where is the respect we deserve…where is the local courtesy? All these articles, all these phone calls, all these postings…..time wasted when we should be putting that energy into improving the situation for our children! I would be emabarrassed as a politician to know that I distracted so much time and energy trying to block a positive change for our community.
I don’t know MDJ personally so I don’t want to pass judgement on choices she has made. I did listen personally to her in Annapolis when she testified in support of the bill submitted by Del. Riley and herself…that was amusing. I also sat in Annapolis and waited to hear opposition to HB779 and heard none! We knew at that moment that they knew they could fight this one behind the lines! The bills they had testified against/support of didn’t go so well from testimony. I guess they took a different course of action in the end.
I am optimistic because I now know that too many tax paying voters will demand an answer and will hold whoever is responsible for this bill being killed accountable.
I think we all have our work cut out for us in the coming months. Thanks to all those in Annapolis who have worked so hard and have been so responsive to our needs…your voters won’t let you forget it!!
In Tuesday’s Examiner Pat McDonough had a great quote …
“She stood against an entire county … Talking about the school board bill without mentioning Mary-Dulaney James is like talking about the Titanic without mentioning the iceberg.”
At least I got a good chuckle and at least some of our delegation is willing to speak up for its citizens. Thanks Pat McDonough and Rick Impallaria for telling the voters of Harford County how they got fleeced by one of their own. Let’s see how unpolitical the next two school board appointments are since the Harford County Board of Education was so worried that an elected board would poison education with politics!!!
I know this will be an unpopular point here- but what’s good for the goose etc.
Perhaps MDJ ‘s hard stand against this bill- despite the threats of political consequences – was based on HER strongly held principles. You don’y have to agree with her- but others in our delegation have been applauded for intransient positions based on their personal beliefs on more than one occasion… just saying.
curious, that’s fine, and if true, I commend her for holding her ground. But why is her stance more important than the rest of the delegation? Why didn’t she take a stand by showing up to vote against the bill? Is it because she is hiding behind the scenes, working to kill the bill, hoping no one would call her out?
If it was about representing her district (34A), why did Del. Riley and Sen. Jacobs vote for the blended bill? And what could her strongly held principles be on the matter when she doesn’t use the public school system for her children?
Curious- while MDJ will most likely tout her “hard stand against this bill” as one “based on HER strongly held principles,” what she failed to realize was that she clearly acted, in this case, contrary to the will of her constituents. In essence, she stood on her balcony overlooking the starving masses and said, “Let them eat Smith Island Cake.”
curious,
MDJ has a strange way of displaying her “strongly held principles”. Strongly held beliefs are those that a person has the COURAGE to speak up for in public. When asked if she would have voted for the blended bill in a delegation vote, she answered, “I don’t know..” That doesn’t look like a “strongly held principle ” to me. Abstaining from votes and not testifying against the blended board bills are also poor ways poor ways of displaying “strongly held principle”. Let’s face it , curious, MDJ learned from the masters of slime politics, Busch and Miller.
I personally hope that the rest of the delegation railroads every bill of MDJ’s that they can in future sessions. She deserves that for the way she treated them and her constituents. Enough of her personal agendas.
Curious:
Is is possible that MDJ used the Board of Education and NAACP to win her battle? She is afterall an attorney and they don’t always care what the merit of the case is, as long as they are able to win it. I don’t think she would ever admit that she was against elections, but she clearly feels that her constituents are incapable of selecting a school board member. In regard to principles, where is she in helping the communities in the Route 40 corridor that she represents? What has she done for them? What has she “gotten” for the Harford County School System in the last 10 years? She hasn’t been able to get any more money or do anything to change the way education works in the state, but she has consistently voted to spend more money and raise taxes.
In contrast, other delegates from Harford County have at least tried to get laws passed or money for the county and haven’t been successful, but I do believe that many of them are acting on principle. If MDJ is really against elections, she needs to say so because at least she would be espousing an idealogy that she really believes in, and voters can decide whether or not they agree with it.
I
curious,
While in normal circumstances I commend anyone for standing up for their beliefs, last time I checked we elect people to stand up for what the public believes in. MJD is in office to be OUR voice, as are all elected officials. She has chosen to not do her job, letting us know that her personal beliefs are more important than the majority.
Fool us once MJD….we won’t let you fool us again.
To Whatshername:
“Other delegates from Harford County have tried to get laws passed or money for Harford County and” HAVE been successful. Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because we’re Republicans, we can’t get anything done! Frankly, I thought we had this discussion on this site before. This year alone, those of us on the BRAC joint legislative committee will bring back $58 MILLION in roads fund alone. Compare that to last year’s high of $22MILLION and I consider it a success. We also shepherded a critical piece of legislation called the BRAC Community Enhancement Act which, as amended by Harford legislators I might add, makes Harford County one of the premier BRAC zones in the state, putting us in line to bring in additional money. My committee voted out the Tourism Act just yesterday that will also bring in $ to Harford County’s growing tourism industry. And ask any steelworker in the state of Maryland which party was responsible for killing the jog-costing bill called Global Warming Solutions and they’ll tell you it was the Republicans on the House Economic Matters Committee. Sometimes dead legislation is just as important as passed legislation. But if some of us manage to get BOTH done while we’re here, we’ve done our job. Did we accomplish everything? No way. But the last time I checked, I still had 2 years left of my term. I’m not promising that the elected school board bill will pass, but I AM promising I won’t just pack up my things and go home in defeat because I’m a Republican!
This would have been a better statement before Delegate Stifler spoke up. But why are we always concerned about bringing home the bacon? Shouldn’t we want legislators that are more concerned with not spending our money. I would rather have a project cut, even if it is from my community if it means keeping spending and taxes down. A lot of us are upset with O’Malley’s taxes and spending, but I would rather have pork and spending cut rather and worry about feeding my family.
I can only speak for myself but I’m concerned about bringing home the bacon because my constituents are forking over too much of it to other counties for services we don’t want. It’s high time some of OUR money comes back to OUR county. I couldn’t agree more that we need to cut spending. But it must be across the board. Until that time comes, I will continue to work to bring Harford County dollars back to Harford County where it belongs. For far too long, we’ve been on the short end of the stick. If we’re going to send in our hard-earned income to be spent at the discretion of the government, then those of us in that government have a financial responsibility to make sure it gets spent here at home.
Delegate Stifler,
Thank you so much for your perserverence and integrity in serving the people of Harford County. And I do believe that most of your fellow delegates and senators share your sentiments and determination. It is a true blessing that most of our representatives listen to their constituents instead of acting according to their own agenda.
Steve-
I think that Delegate Jennings answered your question when he stated “If you don’t support a bill on prinicple you simply don’t vote for it.”.
PWH –
” most of our representatives listen to their constituents instead of acting according to their own agenda.” How did that work out with the Aberdeen Hotel Tax? Was the majority constituancy of Aberdeen represented when the R delegation deep sixed that initiative- based on THEIR personal beliefs? Pot-kettle, kettle-pot.
MDJ has no respect for the voters of our county and as such she should no longer pretend to represent Harford County. AS a parent of two Harford County PUBLICALLY EDUCATED students I have a problem with a person who PRIVATELY EDUCATES her children restricting what impact I can have on that institution. I wonder if MDJ for all of her education ever took the time to read a document my children memorized in the Harford County Public School Patriot Program It begins:
“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
I and many others like me call for the permenant removal of MDJ. That is one vote she can’t take away from us.
Kathy mdj is putting her self above the people. seeing the state of affairs in edgewood early on’ she quietly moved to greener pastures. no public education for her children.
Mdj could & should have spoken about the decay of edgwood. but it’s eaiser to run and let it be some one else’s problem.
ok curious, so MDJ abstained from voting for it and used an excuse, real or not. The rest of the delegation supports SB306, and the state senate passes it 45-0. What happened? You yourself said something about not the R delegation not supporting the tech tax repeal being the reason SB306 failed, which is false, because some of them did vote for it. Soi again, what happened? Did Chairperson Hixson decide on her own to block it? What county is she from again?
I find this very disheartening. Where is Chairwoman Hixson from? Why is she preventing us in Harford County from voting? I am shocked at the poor coverage this has received in the MSM. This is an issue that many in Harford County are concerned with, because unlike MDJ, many cannot afford to place their children in private schools. I’m thinking about Jackie Haas saying at a meeting discussing the continuing failure of Edgewood Middle School (4 years in a row) that this was an opportunity! Too bad Bel Air and C MIlton students don’t get that same “opportunity” to attend a continuually failing school. Maybe then enough parents would be upset to get involved and do something. And The Aegis wouldn’t be able to pretend that the majority of Harford residents are still in favor of an antiquated system that doesn’t allow taxpayers to vote on something as important as the school board.
Steve & mcb -Del. Sheila Hixson is from Montgomery County, where the school board is elected.
I’m not sure I remember where it was mentioned that Chairman Hixson felt like there was not enough public support despite phone calls, emails, and personal testimony.
Is this a situation we need to physically bring the people to Annapolis next year for?? I would love for them to look out their window and see a ton of Harford County Citizens campaigning for an elected school board! Can’t argue with that can you?? Strength in numbers!!
Shamrock- I read that in the Sun today. What planet is Ms Hixson on?
I’ll just add piece of information and a suggestion. The information is that, for all the quotes in the media that say in essence “everyone in Harford supports an elected Board of Ed” or “all the parents support and elected BOE”, etc., it simply is not the case.
The Committee heard (in writing or in person) from parents; teachers; the business community; the Harford County Assoc of Student Councils; the NAACP; MSTA; a number of former BOE members; the Board of Ed itself; plus a variety of upstanding individuals who were in favor of an appointed, not an elected Board. I was in the Committee room last year and this year when the Chairwoman spoke very clearly. In essence, she said that “Annapolis is not going to solve Harford County’s problems”, and went on to say that all the key groups – including the BOE and others – needed to be on board for a bill to go through. Those were the rules, and Harford County ignored them.
So what do we do? Continue to whine about who did or didn’t do something; continue to work against one another for pride or whatever reason of choice and have no process for getting BOE members for years to come… or roll up our sleeves and do the hard work of coming together on a solution? Personally, I’d like to get the problem solved.
If you happen to be reading this late Fri or early Sat, here’s something you can do right away to make a positive impact for education and the community: Come out Sat a.m. at 7:30 to the 2nd Annual Franklin L. Tull Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Walk for Student Success. It is being held at the Lakeside Business Park, Lakeside Blvd and Quarry Drive in Edgewood right off I-95.
Mr. W>
Please– if you are going to preach on not whining please try to do what you preach. Do you think this is about pride? I think not. I’m not sure why the –upstanding citizens remark, but they are on both sides of this issue and Annapolis has not been asked to solve anything relating to Harford County. Unfortunately, its not count the votes, it’s weigh the votes.
There is little to no diversity on the board and if it isn’t a dictatorship, I’ve missed my government class. I would venture to say that there would be more diversity if an elected school board were possible.
Sheila Hixson is allowed to make up the rules for the rest of the state and Harford County know huh? Again, this was local courtesy and it was a compromise bill. That means both sides got a little of what they wanted. The appointed people got 3 and the people who believe in elections got 6. The only reason the vote wasn’t unanimous was because a certain delegate wasn’t in the room when the vote was taken. She didn’t even have the nerve to vote against it so she can play a shell game with the public and press. I hope it was all worth it for her and the Board of Education because neither one is looking so great after all of this.
Additionally, since when did any candidate in an election ever get 100% of the vote??? Most of the elections in this country are people expressing different opinions and views and voting for different candidates. I don’t consider myself on either side fo the political fence, but letting the governor have the final say is nothing but politics. Let’s see who in the county has the governor’s ears (or someone in his appointment office) and that who is we get on the school board. Elected school boards seem to be working for the best performing school systems in Maryland but apparently it can’t work in Harford County.
I believe in dialogue and letting people vote and I don’t khow you compromise on that. You can call the PNC anything you want but in the end, it is just a way to create barriers to democracy. We may not have the KKK or chemicals in our milk in this county, but I venture to guess that people from Monmouth County, New Jersey are accustomed to electing their board members since most of the country is. The can see for themselves that the Harford County Board of Education was instrumental in helping shut out the public in elections ,,, what country are we living in anyway and what does that really say about our Board?
Mark – I am all in favor of working together. We have reached out to numerous communtiy organizations including business groups, community councils, PTAs, the NAACP and the HBRT along with individual members of the school board, both past and present. We held discussions to find common ground and we have actually found some.
When concerns were raised about racial diversity on the school board we supported a blended board, providing for 3 members appointed by the governor with consideration for racial, ethnic and gender diversity. That was a compromise. What did your side offer except opposition?
You can’t call for compromise and cling steadfastly to your position at the same time. You have to let go of one or the other.
Listing the few opponents to school board elections does not alter the fact that they are overwhelmed in numbers by those who are in support. We even have some “upstanding individuals” on our side too!
You are the one who told the senate committee that a referendum on an elected school board bill would pass easliy and elected officials from all over the county would heartily agree. They have been hearing from their constituents; some have gotten more correspondence on this issue than any in recent memory, which is why the county council and all 3 Harford County senators supported the blended bill. So did 7 out of 8 delegates. These are not “quotes in the media”, they are facts on the ground.
While it is helpful to your side to claim Harford County is undecided, you have correctly noted that repeating a claim doesn’t make it true. Likewise, if there is a “rule” that a local school board must support their own election, then both Queen Anne’s and Talbot County broke it, because they got fully elected school boards in 2005 & 2006 without such input. Calling something a rule doesn’t mean it is a rule. That is, unless you are making up the rules as you go along.
In fact there is no such rule. The best you can say is that a lack of support from the current board was used to justify denying elections for Harford County – this time. But this legislation will be back again next year and every year until the public has the right to elect our own school board.
Supporters will remain open to suggestions regarding a blended board. Opponents who reject any change in their own position yet claim they seek “coming together” will not fool anyone into believing their side is reasonable and the other side is, as you say, “whining”. Too many people know the facts and we don’t mind repeating them as often as necessary.
Shiela Hixon is obviously your standard run of the mill hack. She has had her cloven hooves in our trough for way too long, and so has MDJ obviously. They are of the elitist mind that knows that an electorate dumb enough to keep electing them is way too dumb to select its school board.
Mark, you are way the hell off base. Have you talked with us in the unwashed mass category? Have you talked with the students who are affected by any bone headed decision the board makes? Yesterday, my grandson, a freshman at AHS told me he doubts that he will be able to catch up in geometry because he “only has it evry other day and there is no way to keep up.” Excuse? You bet, but its a pretty damned good one. I will bet even money that the report to the board, will not quote one single student who is actually impacted by this nonsense.
You would lose the next election if you had to run in this district. That’s not personal, Mark but is in general to the entire board. I would guess that’s a real good reason to oppose the election process. I wonder if the teachers fear the electorate for the same reason? If we get our noses into their tent they might end up being held a bit accountable as well.
Cindy: “You can’t call for compromise and cling steadfastly to your position at the same time. ”
Cindy, that’s textbook Maryland politics. ‘We don’t care what the people want; we know what’s best for them, so let’s sit down with them, discuss this, and come up with a reasonable compromise that incorporates all of our points and none of theirs.”
Mark,
I admire your engagement here (however dismissive, misrepresentative or condescending it may be). But there is something you need to hear:
There are 2 categories of people who deserve a place in the hall of shame for this travesty: a) those that play a part in our system being broken, and b) those that arrogantly fought a democratic attempt to make a broken system and its overseers more accountable.
You are on a very short list of people (along with another board member or two)who qualifies in both categories. Being part of the problem, and fighting the solution is a double dis-service to the kids (and also to the taxpayers).
I don’t expect you to get it; but you need to hear it.
Cindy – The Commission Bill was crafted by a wide variety of representatives – some of whom supported an appointed Board and some of whom have not been supporters of an appointed Board. The blended bill is almost identical to the bill submitted last year. I acknowledge that supporters of the blended bill reached out frequently and with vigor to gain support for the bill once written. Clearly, that campaign resulted in many people sending supportive email to their elected officials.
Parent, taxpayer, businessman – With regard to the system being broken, I would suggest that you consider the thousands of students who are, by every measure, succeeding in HCPS. We are recognized regularly by independent organizations for being a successful system, and consistently rate near the top of the State in almost every measured category. The issue that has more people engaged than any other in all my years on the Board is schooll uniforms. People are passionate about them – on both sides of the issue. In fact, I can guarantee that whatever the Board decides, we will have at least 30% of the County claiming that we are not accountable to them… and maybe more. But I’ve read hundreds of comments; dozens and dozens of suggestions – and those will inform not only how I will vote on this issue, but also how we will implement if we decide to do so.
Are we doing as well as we want? Absolutely not. Are we taking on issues to try and improve? Absolutely yes. Initiatives like High School Reform; building an Alternative Ed program (which this year will graduate about 50 students who would have been dropouts in the past); striving for modern, efficient, and comfortable buildings; implementing a pay for performance system with our administrators; and developing intervention programs for those at risk of failure – all of these are things are being addressed, along with many others. Sure, there are parts of the system that must be improved. We know that and are trying to do something about it.
The point is, the method of putting people onto the Board does not drive results. That fact has been proven by study after study. Even the National School Board Association – comprised of mostly elected Boards – understands and publishes that fact.
My intent is not to be “dismissive, misrepresentative or condescending”. I understand clearly there are two sides to this issue, and there are people of good will on both sides. That is why I will continue to work for a true compromise, where supporters on each side, and intereted parties who have not taken a position, get into one room and work toward a solution. I’m not naive… I realize there’s a wide gap here and it may not be successful. There won’t be any rounds of Kumbaya. But if we don’t make the effort, this issue will fester and divide us even further, and we are all going to spend a lot of time over the next few years on something that, in the end, will not affect student achievement. And isn’t that what all of us are working for?
Mark:
You have a much bigger issue on your hands than the Elected School Board and Uniforms etc. The High School Reform, as you call it, is in big trouble and the silence by you and many others on the Board regarding that survey blows my mind. The Superintendent says there was good and bad news, I have news for her it was bad and worse news. She also so noted “no surprises really” Really?, no surprises? Well there were no surprises for many who oppossed this change, but the Super wasn’t surprised. I give Tom Fidler some credit for calling her out. Where were the rest of you? Maybe the Board and the School Administration isn’t as smart as we think, or maybe there are some creative parents and teachers who are not as dumb as the Superintendent and Board think.
I even think the survey team was trying to soften the news that they presented. This 80 minute class and the pathways are “pie in the sky” initiatives. which don’t solve anything. It baffles me that those who have spent there whole life inside schools somehow think they are in touch with the real world. The survey shows that they are not. No profit making company would ever just change without evidence that the change would work. It amazes me as my son went through the process to get accepted at Calvert Hall and John Carroll and as parents we saw those schools succeed with 45 minute periods to the tune of over 95% being accepted to colleges. My son is going to Bel Air because that is where he wanted to go but he was accepted at both those schools and I was trying to persuade him to go to CHC or JC because of the fact that I have talked to teachers and students alike and they say that our Harford County high school classes are too long to keep the students attention and for the students to stay focused that long. Granted not all students want to go to college and some students have a difficult time with school work etc, the survey even noted that some students who are struggling have a bigger chance of failure with the block schedule. There is big trouble in the school system and it looks like the blame will fall downhill. I would suspect that Dr. Haas is not happy with the Administrators and Teachers and I think we all know what happens then, just ask the Ex Assistant Prinicpal at CM Wright who was blackballed by her. The Board had better get some answers and quickly, no more surveys, no more band aids and no more super fixes without valid and verifiable information.
For the record, the ex -assistant principal at CM Wright pulled a boneheaded manuever that would not have been acceptable or rewarded in the “real world” either. He was either clueless or a victim of very poor advice- probably a combo effect. Either way, defending him does little to support your aurguments for quality leadership.
Silence is a way to make an opposing view irrevelent….ignoring it into irrevelancy.
This is a practice I find very distastfull as it smacks of elitism. The solution is to make a change at the voting booth……the other side of this equation.
If the trend continues with the Dagger we may find that those who decide to remain silent about issues they should be addressing will be the subject of discussion rather than a participant. That will be a change for the better.
go-dagger
OK, Curious:
then, take him out of the argument.
I believe that was the minor point in the argument then disregard and move on.
My complaint is the CSSRP and the survey, even with some irrelevant questions bares out that “there is a big problem” which I think will be band aided to look better than it is
Mark,
First of all, you mention that there are some good things going on in the school system: There darn well better be, a) since we spend nearly a half-billion dollars a year on it. And b) since we have a fantastic community of teachers, students and parents across the county.
Second of all, regarding performance. We used to be consistently number 2 in the state….. now we are in the middle of the pack. I will be happy to allow that its a coincidence that the descent began when you and the Superintendent ascended.
Third of all, a study was recently published that found that Harford school children enter the school system better prepared for school than in any other jurisdiction in the state. Isn’t it wonderful how initiatives like Everyday Math and CSSRP can pull our kids right back to the median (its a good thing we have Huntington Learning Centers…….. or should I say, “it’s a good thing Huntington Learning Centers has Harford County Public Schools”).
I’d like to add that my nephew who attends high school in Harford County was questioned, I’m not sure if it was for this survey, but a survey, where he said the surveyors were completely rude and took up almost an entire class period. Because they were so rude, the students answered questions with crazy answers, so I immediately questioned the validity of that study. (One student said he was a migrant worker, i.e.)
IAbout the elected school board, I’m still wondering who all the dissenters were whose “voices weren’t heard” during the process in Annapolis. I recently heard Mr. Wolkow speak against an elected school board that would only be chosen by people who would only vote for one issue.
I think everyone WOULD vote for the same issue. They’d vote for someone who would listen to them, be willing to change their minds, and help change the attitude of elitism in HCPS.
But then again, since HCPS thinks “stakeholders” aren’t smart enough to choose school board members, maybe many of them couldn’t even find the nearest polling place.
Time to get this blog line going again. I do not live in MDJ’s district, but I hope others who do will call with their support of an elected school board for this year. Surely it isn’t too early to start.
From Cindy’s early post: Voters can call Mary-Dulany James toll free at 1-800 -492-7122 and ask if she is the reason Harford County is being denied local courtesy. If she is not the reason, she should be as outraged as anyone at the way Harford County is being treated.