The president of the Harford County Board of Education wants the Edgewood Community Council to halt the “negative press” in their community newsletter. Will the ECC comply?
In a recent email copied to several recipients, School Board President Mark Wolkow writes to the Edgewood Community Council with some general advice on how to improve the ECC newsletter, which is typically sent to 1200-1500 area residents. Among Wolkow’s suggestions are that the newsletter should contain positive stories and “eliminate any trace of negativity”. Wolkow argues that there are plenty of other outlets for that.
Wolkow doesn’t cite any examples of “negativity” but back issues of the newsletter are available here and they’re hardly brimming with hit pieces. There is a piece calling out parents for their lack of involvement in the PTA at Deerfield Elementary School and another one (written by me) about the elected school board which the ECC supported and Wolkow strongly opposed. But most stories in the ECC newsletter are either informational or upbeat and in fact, each edition is written under the banner: “Edgewood: Better with Everyone’s Help!”
No matter, when it comes to news from the schools Wolkow seems to say that his help will come at a price. He writes: “I will commit to seeking a way to get good news stories published; however, I will only encourage the ECC NL [newsletter] as an outlet if the negative press is halted.” Wow.
So the Edgewood Community Council can only get good news stories from their school board representative if they agree to censor anything “negative”? Wolkow’s ultimatum to people who are doing excellent work in their community is chilling all by itself. His explanation then makes you wonder if the drive for good PR leaves room for much else.
Wolkow writes, “In my personal opinion, one negative comment about the community or a school offsets 100 positives.”
If all stories have to be “positive” and none can be “negative”, where does reality fit in? Wolkow doesn’t seem to give the people of Edgewood much credit for being able to handle anything but happy-talk.
For sure, it’s up to the Edgewood Community Council to decide how they’ll respond to this attempt to manage their message. But I hope this group of civic-minded volunteers will stand their ground. Allowing public officials to pull the strings on freedom of the press may serve public officials, but it doesn’t serve the public. As far as “negative” stories are concerned, stamping them out won’t make any underlying problems go away. To the contrary, silencing the community may deprive decision-makers of information they can use to find solutions, especially if one of those problems happens to be that community members feel disconnected from their public schools.
Here’s the relevant text of the email from Wolkow:
With regard to the ECC NL[newsletter], my suggestion is that the ECC have a discussion at the next meeting to develop a purpose and/or goals for the NL, then discuss how best the NL can meet those goals/purpose. [Newsletter editor] Art and I had several conversations about this at the outset of the NL, and I was reluctant to indicate what I thought it should be, since I am not a member of the ECC Board. But I’ll give you my opinion now, simply because I have a strong view of what it can accomplish, and maybe it can help with a future discussion. Feel free to use (or not use) these, as you see fit:
>
> Purpose:
> To make a positive difference in the Edgewood Community
> Goals:
> 1. To deliver information about upcoming events of interest to Edgewood area residents
> 2. To deliver short, positive, news and feature stories about organizations and people in the Edgewood area
> 3. To provide a short, well-formatted, easy-to-read, document that people will want to read
>
> That’s it. It is a great niche. If you keep it to 2-4 pages, all the better. If you can actually send it as an email rather than an attachment, all the better. Eliminate the letters (lots of other venues for that). Eliminate the political input (lots of other venues for that). Eliminate any trace of negativity (tons of other venues – in print, electronically, and in person – for that). If you want busy people to read it, you have to keep it short.
>
> All – Regarding our schools and our Principals, you will not find a bigger supporter than me. I am unabashadly proud of what we have accomplished, and not one of our schools is following a cookie-cutter approach. Anyone who steps foot into our buildings knows that. I know, because I’m in the buildings all the time, and have conversations with Principals, staff, and students. [ECC President] Jansen, if you believe that we’re “doing what we’ve always done”, then it is clear to me that you have not been in the buildings nor talked at any length with people who are. I suggest that you become as informed as possible about the schools – especially if the ECC wants to be a partner to make them better. I will offer this right now: Come take a tour of any of the buildings with me and the Principal on any day of mutual convenience. I’ll make the time.
>
> All – We have more work to do in our schools. EMS has made incredible progress. But we have some serious challenges. The good news: teachers are learning every day, based on data, how to better help our children learn. The bad news: many of our students do not come to school ready to learn. That means they will need additional help; additional support; to be successful… and the economy and local budget situation will not give us the luxury of additional revenue to help with the solutions. That’s why we need to work together – all of us – to make every student successful.
>
> Here are just a couple of things that parents and community members can do… perhaps these could be discussed at an ECC meeting:
> 1. Visit a school and offer to volunteer in the building. (Don’t be put off by the security – that’s all for our children’s safety)
> 2. Offer to be a mentor – most of the schools either have a program in the building or a partnership (e.g. boys2men at EMS)
> 3. Support orgs that support the schools (e.g. join a PTA; come to the Greater Edgewood Education Foundation gala in October; come to the inter-school volleyball game in November; help out the Booster clubs).
> 4. Offer to help Bangtam Miller with her tutoring program… she’s already helped 5 area residents get their GEDs!
>
> Good News from Schools – This is a tough one. Our schools don’t have people or organizations set up for PR. Heck, the entire schools system depends on Teri Kranefeld and two assistants for the entire communications department. We were turned down for funding an additional position… several times. We’ve had the conversation about getting good news out many times, and I hope that it is something we can figure out how to do without putting yet another burden on school staff. Bottom line: Educators are into teaching, not tooting their own horns… and sometimes that works to their detriment. I will commit to seeking a way to get good news stories published; however, I will only encourage the ECC NL as an outlet if the negative press is halted. In my personal opinion, one negative comment about the community or a school offsets 100 positives. That is why people have negative impressions about schools in general, and Edgewood schools in particular… mostly due to the Aegis.
>
> I care deeply about Edgewood schools. My daughters both spend their entire k-12 experience in the EHS feeder system. It’s one of the reasons I serve on the Board. It’s one of the reasons I spent the last hour typing out this note. But if I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s how you do things, not what you do, that makes the biggest difference. Process matters… it matters a lot. So let’s go forward not in a haphazard way, but in a positive, creative, and productive way.
>
> Mark
>
> Mark Wolkow
> President, HCPS Board of Education
> Mark.Wolkow@hcps.org
Pretty strong words from someone who was appointed into “power” and opposes board elections.
LOL!!! Nice! I didn’t even get a chance to read the rest of the comments; yours hit it right on the nose! Nice!
Feedback should be encouraged, whether it is good, bad or indifferent. If a problem is not communicated, how can it be fixed? There are constructive ways to communicate negative issues but ignoring them is not a solution.
It sounds to me that Wolkow does not want to hear about it unless it is positive?
Negative news can be good if it is constructive in nature and includes a solution or willingness to step up to the plate. Negative comments with no real solution or desire for a solution is deadly to real change.
Who is this guy to tell a non-governmental council what or what not to write? Is he kidding? What arrogance and pomposity. I don’t know too much about the Bd of Ed or Mr. Wolkow, but speaking as a citizen, what in the world gives him the right? Will he be telling the people in Edgewood how to dress? What kind of cars to drive? Narcissistic people like him disgust me. And they are dangerous because they believe their own hype. What an obnoxious moron.
Cdev, do you just post here to try to see how many people disagree with you? News is news – negative, positive, neutral. News is what happened, not how to fix it. News is not “constructive in nature”, it is informative. Negative news does not include “a solution or willingness to step up to the plate”. If it does, it’s not news, it’s commentary.
However, if you watch the “news” shows on the big three networks, MSNBC or CNN, I can understand your confusion.
Phil I just post my opinion some people agree with it some time and sometimes people do not. I don’t think anyone will agree with anyone 100% and I truly think that some people will find something they agree on and people agree with in a spectrum. I disagree with his sentiment, if the context is correct; but I do think that a newsletter that is simply a rag for people to air dirty laundry with no real attempt to solve the problem can be distructive to the community reform effort. That is group dynamics 101!
If the current BOE President was doing his real job (like policy and curricular decisions for HCPS)maybe the school system wouldn’t be sliding down in the state rankings in the MSA and in the reading and math scores for elementary school. If you have to threaten an organization like the ECC, you are in real trouble. Let the facts speak for themselves and if parents and or students have an opinion, they are entitled to it and the group can do what they want in their community.
So I guess in Mr. Wolkow’s mind, if there are burglaries in my neigborhood than people shouldn’t tell other people about it. Might make the community look bad … I would argue that it would raise people’s level of awareness and maybe the community could figure out a way to solve the problem. Same for Edgewood and any other community trying to improve itself. Can’t fix a problem until you identify it first. Maybe that is why the school system continues to decline (based soley on test scores) … a policy of only stating the positives and not even bothering to acknowledge the negatives.
Elaine you know his role on the BOE is not compensated!
And they can start with getting rid of The Everyday Math Program in the Elementary Schools which is failing our kids…..
Elaine very true but could , at least in part, the reason for the decline be that we rank 21 in the state in per pupil spending and are constantly asking schools to do more with less? Mr. Wolkow has nothing to do with that, not saying he is right here because he clearly isn’t if the report is an acurate context; but the county council controls the purse strings and they have made it clear that funding the school system is not a priority.
While I would agree that financial investment is required to provide a quality edcuation, I would disagree that per pubil spending is the root cause of the recent decline in Harford County Public Schools. While I don’t have exact numbers, I seem to recall that per pupil spending was comparable to todays level a few years back when Harford County ranked in the top 3 in the state.
It’s about time citizens wake up and smell the coffee. I for one believe the root cause of the problem is that we have a school system that is led by incompetent people at the most senior levels. On top of that, we have had to put up with a BOE that has been nothing more than a rubber stamp for ill-advised policies put in front of them by HCPS. As an example, the much debated block schedule in the high schools. It is a failure!! Sad thing is….and this makes the problem worse, when poor decisions are made/poor policy implemented, nothing changes!! The parade of Happy Talkers come out of the woodwork, proclaiming they know better than us citizens because they are the “education professionals”. This happens throughout the system, down to the administration level in the schools themselves.
It may take a while, but hopefully once we get some clear thinking folks elected to the BOE, we can clean house at central office. That could lead to more money for quality teachers as opposed to administrators that do nothing more than carry a clipboard around the hallways.
I disagree in the sense that when we ranked third in per pupil spending it is not that we reduced it is that others have upped the anti!
Cdev –
Should we get in per pupil spending war with other districts and declare victory once we are spending the most money per student?
Maybe we should have higher aspirations like having the highest spending per pupil in the nation or even the world?
Joe
No that is not what I am saying. I am saying that per pupil spending has a high coellation with success. There are outliers and exceptions; but we are not spending near what we should for the results we expect given the realities our district faces.
If amount spent per pupil has any relevance at all, then we should look at how much we were spending in 1950. The education was far better then.
Cdev –
You have a lot of gall to ask me personal questions when you don’t even have the courage to post under your own name.
Joe
Sorry Joe I do not use my name Maybe the internet saftey classes my generation got in school where it was a cold hard fact you should not use your name as some nutcases (not you) out there will hunt you down.
Interesting reading
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/adult-cyber-bullies-staying-safe-on-shine-and-around-the-net-353386/
I am just trying to glean your mindset and factors that you may effect your attitude. If the questions make you unconfortable don’t answer them!
Cdev –
There are minimal risks in using your real name in a forum, however using a pseudonym and posting under the cover of anonymity diminishes your credibility and makes you a coward.
Joe
Joe is calling someone a coward breaking the TOS since you got on someone today all high and mighty? My first initial is C and my 3 middle names begin with D E & V accordingly!
CDEV, let me clarify. I did not intend to say HCPS ranked 3rd in per pupil spending. I was trying to convey the point that when HCPS ranked in the top 3 in test scores, our per pupil spending at that time was comparable to where it is today…middle of the pack. Again, I don’t have hard numbers in front of me, but I think my recollection is pretty much on target.
You are saying when our scores where higher we where still 3rd from the bottom in PPS? If you claim the money was the same amount give or take. That is the problem. It is costing more and more to do basic things like copying and heat building leaving less to the classroom!
Further more school systems state wide are uping the ante. The count that is at the bottom and has always been used to be almost 1,000 behind and now they are within earshot. There scores have gone up.
Cdev writes “we are not spending near what we should for the results we expect given the realities our district faces”
How do you know?
Are you out of your mind? Spending more per pupil will not ensure improved results, new behaviors by BOE and HCPS might work?
Joe
Joe I know because as someone who works for a private school where the most undesirable students are sent from all over the state. I see it. My wife works for HCPS, as I have said. When she is spending our personal cash to supply materials for manipulatives for kids because the schools do not have the money the school system is not adequately funded. Last year she spent $1,462.17 that does not include incentive items. I spent next to nothing and basically on items I could take with me to any place I would teach. How are you sure we spend enough and an increased per pupil amount would not improve the results? Do you have any actual experience managing a school budget?
Cdev –
While your anecdotal experience is mildly interesting it hardly means you know what you are talking about or have a holistic view of budgeting.
Joe
True I do not have the whole picture but I have a piece. Do you have a holistic view of an educational budget and from what experience?
Cdev –
I have a taxpayer’s view and I want better value for our tax money.
Joe
I have a taxpayers view as well. So essentially niether of us have a holistic view of educational budgeting on this scale.
I think our difference is how we define value. I define Value as high quality education and results you call it pinching pennies and spending less.
Joe another question, Do you have kids of school age and if so what is their educational arrangement?
Cdev, couldn’t we spend more per pupil if we cut central office staff? I won’t list names here but if your wife works for HCPS I bet she could give you a few. But seriously, we have way too many administrators, that money would be better off given to the teachers. We could have more teachers and give those teachers more money to supply their classrooms. We could spend less money and get better results!
Sandy I agree that is one thing we could do but I still believe that money would be insufficient we still need to invest more. One admin position is about 2 teachers.
To make things better, whether in public education or community involvement, ALL people who are inclined to work towards positive change need to know both the good AND the bad. Rather than expecting the public to see everything through rose colored glasses, and allow the “leaders” to see the things that aren’t so rosey and work them out, seems a bit like Big Brother from “1984”.
Here we go again, with the money fixes everything argument and the county council is the culprit again. The county council made it clear that the school system is not a priority. Unbelievable. Perhaps “cost effectiveness of the school spending should in the scenario. And of course, only the board of education should be the sole determiner of that.
The Council userpt that authority when they dictated what school should be built. Again the council approves the budget and decides how much money is in it. The BOE has no authority to decide how big the budget is only the line items. The council gave the minimum they could give the last two years by law and even asked for some back which the BOE was not obligated to give back.
See the good and ignore the bad? How would we ever fix the problems that way? Kind of reminds me of playing Peek A Boo with my little niece. When she closes her eyes she really thinks I can’t see her. At the next BOE meeting I’ll have to see how much time Mr. Wolkow spends with his eyes closed.
Cindy, I appreciate your hard work and enjoy your articles. However, I think you and the Dagger are making too much out of Wolkow’s email. I read his email, and I view his opinions as just that — suggestions on how improve the Edgewood community newsletter. Mr. Wolkow is from Edgewood and proud of his community. He wants the newsletter to highlight the positive developments happening in Edgewood, especially its schools. The provocative headline suggests that he’s making some sort of threat or is attempting to use his position to censure the newsletter. I don’t think a fair reading of his email shows that.
Sorry David, but I disagree. First of all, if you knew anything about journalism, be it via newspapers, blogs, radio, etc., you would know that journalists use the “provocative headline” to attract people’s attention to get them to pay attention, lead them to read/listen to what is being said and then draw their own conclusions. Furthermore, if Mr. Wolkow was simply writing as an Edgewood resident, why did he sign his email with his official title and HCPS email address? If he is stupid enough not to know you shouldn’t write a personal, unofficial letter using your professional title and email address, no wonder our kids are in trouble.
Mr. Wilkow is obviously using the school board presidency to position himself for another elected or appointed position so only good news works for him. Mr. Wilkow does not want to acknowledge the performance issues – others here and in the Aegis, etc. have noted the academic performance issues. Instead of trying to be cute with entertaining every academic innovation that comes from someone’s wild dreams just do the basics and the proven instead of every magnet school and cirriculum change ever concieved.
The poor facilities performance is just as striking. Noted is the recent article in the Aegis on the Bel Air vs. North Harford design disparities. Just as striking is the poorly done middle school versus high scholl design at Patterson Mill. Pattwersn Mill doesn’t even look like Aberdeen or Bel Air or the upcoming Edgewood school. Now that Patterson Mill is full the hallways aren’t even wide enough to move the kids and the lockers are only half size for high school kids. Tough place for the staff to manage when they were handed this upscale middle school and down scale high school. You wonder why the County Council has no cinfidence in the school board for picking sites and building projects – dah? Same as the public view – the Council just reflects this lack of confidence in the Board.
I would bet that they weren’t all that concerned with the crowding at Patterson Mill. Edgewood High is way below capacity and they are rebuilding the school even bigger. My bet is that a lot of Patterson Mill families will find themselves redistricted to Edgewood High. It seems pretty unlikely they are building a school just to leave it half empty.
Joe a few things. Edgewoods scores are up. The MS made AYP for the first time in five years. Something Fallston MS failed to do!
Second the Aegis “article” you refer to is a column and one persons opinion (although I agree). The BOE does not decide what gets funded they set priorities which the council has seemed fit to ignore. As far as PPM it seems the county learned it’s lesson from trying to do better.
Part of the reason PMHS is so crowded are large numbers of students who were going to private school are now going to public school because their parents can’t afford to pay the tuition any longer. I’m not saying there aren’t design problems with the school (and from the outside it looks vaguely like a prison without the barbed wire…), but they have been swamped this year with a lot of kids transferring from various private schools in the area.
Does anyone know why Harford County fired Thomas Foster?
Cdev under Maryland State law the County Council has no authority to reduce the BOE budget. The County Executive has the authority to set the budget for the BOE.
If the County Executive trims the BOE budget the County Council has the authority to add back some amount of money not to exceed the original request from the BOE.
In the last 7 years one BOE budget was fully funded by the County Executive, the first time in anyones memory, and on 3 or 4 other occasions the County Council reinstated funds to the BOE budget sent to the Council by the Executive.
So, the reality is the County Council has never cut the BOE budget and therefore is not responsible for education spending in Harford County.
I agree you only gave the BOE the minimum you could under the maintenence of effort requirement. I believe the rest is semantics. You claim you fully funded them because you gave them what they asked for. If they had asked for 200 Billion you would have said NO! That would not be fully funded. You certianly could communicate to them you would give them more. I suspect they asked for that amount because they got told that was all they could get. The county exec asked for 5% back which they did not have to give. Your funding of schools is pathetic when we rank 21 in per pupil spending in this state. Imagine if you funded schools at a more reasonable level we would see better results. WHile some will say money does not always equal better results, for example Baltimore City, it has an awful lot to do with it. Until you all step up and fund schools at the level they should be then I will continue to believe you are not making education a priority.
You hold the purse strings of the puppet Step up and get on board investing on our counties greatest commodity; our children!
Spending more money per pupil is no guarantee of better performance outcomes.
I would personally like to thank the Council for NOT giving the school system more money. Where do you think the money is coming from anyway – the sky? Harford County does have lower per pupil expenditures than others counties but in some cases the difference is $25.00 – $50.00 in school systems like Queen Annes and Carroll County. Not a big difference… What you really have to look at is the per pupil expenditure in relation to the FARMS students which gives you a much more accurate accounting of how much money a county is spending on students.
Montgomery County is losing ground as one of the top school systems in the state (who spends the most per pupil) because they continue to deal with a more diversified student population.
Even in another paper today, they were questioning what HCPS is doing with their money in regards to hiring administrators. Mr. Wolkow said we don’t have as many as other school systems, but where is the evidence and if they are hidden within the schools like they are here, it may be difficult to determine. Also, why is it that Maryland colleges apparently can’t graduate teachers who are prepared to teach. Don’t they do student teaching as a big part of their senior year? One of the reasons it is so difficult for career changers to become teachers is because of the student teaching requirements. Why can’t these “Teacher Mentors” be required to teach classes in the schools where they are housed. They are a LUXURY item that we can’t afford and with our test scores going down, their effectiveness is also in question.
MD Colleges do not graduate enough teachers to fill the need of the state! Most of ours come from the teacher farms in PA and to PA they return after we molded them at our expense for better pay and better benefits.
25-50 dollars a student is alot in a school system that alone can equal 9 more teachers! Plus funny you mention Queen Anne’s they spend less then us. Look at Wicomico which was one of the best preforming in the state!
Where are you getting your information from?? You still aren’t addressing the top heavy administrative problem either that could put those teachers back in the classroom.
Funny there was an article in the Sunpaper last week how many of the school systems aren’t having the teachers retire that they expected so teacher loss isn’t as much as expected.
Elaine the teachers are not retiring they are leaving MD with 5-10 years and getting a job in PA who commands 40 applicants in some school districts for 4 openings!
I am not saying everything is shangrala but the fact remains we do not fund our schools in an adequate fashion. Look at the survey on MD colleges and Ed major graduations against retirement rates. Science, Math and Special Ed are critical the only places we fill our quota are Phys Ed and Social Studies. Most schools are not offering classes like wood shop because they can not find the teachers!
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/FCB60C1D-6CC2-4270-BDAA-153D67247324/18996/FACT_BOOK_20072008_12309.pdf
Compared to Fredrick and Howard counties, the systems we are closest to in size we have less non-instructional personel.
Cdev, have you actually looked at the BOE’s budget? The amount of money wasted is obscene! They are building new schools with so much wasted space, there are less kids and more administrators than there were a few years ago. Take a look at what those administrators salaries are. They need to cut the central office staff in favor of hiring more teachers.
Yes, I suspect you speak of Edgewood as the big school? Edgewood needs to be larger for a few reasons.
1) it is opening up a magnet program which would appeal to those looking for more rigorous academics in this county. It would allow for more space.
2) I suspect they will use it to alleviate overcrowding at Patterson Mill and Aberdeen. Sandy one admin is about two teachers we have about the same enrollment as Fredrick who has 200 more administrators! Howard has about 2,000 more kids and a dispraportionate number of administrators then us.
Sandy, Have you looked at a school budget or are you just regurgitating the line from Wed. Aegis Editorial? I agree reallocating resources will help but we still should be spending more money on our kids then we do.
No, I’m talking about Aberdeen and Bel Air having so much wasted space. High ceilings and skylights are pretty, but that space could have been used for much needed classrooms. Since Edgewood is being built with the same basic plan, it will have wasted space as well. We shouldn’t be building schools that look like show places, we should be building them effeciently. I wasn’t speaking of wasted space as in too many classrooms, I was speaking of not enough classrooms for such big buildings that cost so much money.
As for administrators, maybe the administrators in other counties do a good job? I have no idea. But I can tell you from attending board meetings and listening to the presentations that we are wasting money on administrators that we don’t need. And many are doing much harm to our education system because they are competing to out do administrators from other counties instead of doing what is best for Harford’s kids. They are applying untested and controversial ideas to our curriculum when it isn’t what is best for our kids. I’ll use the block schedule and Everyday Math as examples. They are clearly not helping our kids but that isn’t the goal. The goal is to be the administrator that implements the “newest” ideas.
Yes, I have looked at the budget and attended many of the BOE budget discussion work sessions. I haven’t seen the Aegis article.
cdev,
i am taking a furlough day tomorrow. the teachers don’t have to do so. Maintenance of effort law is flawed and unfair to the economic realities we are facing as a community. I don’t like not getting paid, but guess what I still have a job come next week. That’s more than some people out there. I believe that teachers have 90% of their health insurance covered which for a family of four translates to a health benefit of over $800.00 I don’t know how you guys have the audacity to cry poor. I don’t want to hear about needing to have a masters degree either, because I do also.
I work for a non-public placement school so things are different for me. My wife is an HCPS teacher. I think we need to pay teachers more to attract AND KEEP the best teachers like we as a county want for our kids. I also think the additional money should go into the classroom in the form of manipulatives and other items for instruction. By the way Rocco I feel for you taking a furlough day; I suspect that if they could legally furlough teachers they would. But answer me this does the county give you all the materials required to do your job effectively or do you have to spend your own money on a great deal of it?
dude,
Overrated claim. at least your wife gets to deducted of her taxes. I can’t deduct anything. I have a personal blackerry so I respond to my clients even on weekends. Its part of doing the best I can for my clients. You don’t become a teacher for the money, as much as I could make more money in private marketplace. the starting salary for teachers is higher that a deputy…while I grant you that being a teacher is not easy job either. Just need to stop complaining, the county is in bad shape and the economy is tanking right about now.
She cant deduct all of that the remaining portion (after the $250) does not equal the required percentage for work expenses to deducte it from your pay. Rocco understand my rational for more money is not just teacher pay issue. It is providing a top quality education with no expense spared for our children; you know the bery people who will provide our medical care and decide when to pull the plug!
Cdev,
its admirable that your wife and any other teacher will use their personal funds…I know many teachers that do that also, I know they make sacrifices in other to provide the best service they can. However, education can’t be provided with an open checkbook and no balances. there is a limited amount of $$$ that can be spent on anything, be it education or heart transplants.
Your arguements are good, but in the face of our present economic condidtion, how can teachers cry poor when truckers, manufacturing, retail and just about any field out there is feeling an income crunch?
It’s not crying poor but in all fairness during the boom times when COL went up 8% they had to beg for a 2% COLA. My main reason for mentioning compensation is that we have a teacher retention problem directly related to compensation and our proximity to 2 school districts in MD which pay better in the long run and the PA border. If we want to keep the rookies we train we need to pay better. Otherwise we will continue to be “JV teaching” for PA schools.
My big thing is we need more money to put more teachers in the classroom and provide adequate resources for teachers to effectively practice their craft. When a special Educator in HCPS has a case load of 35 students in a middle school she will spend less time in the classroom co-teaching and more time doing paper work.
Regarding the Feature Article on “No News If It Is Not good News”.., Cindy points out a couple of letters that I reprinted in the Edgewood Community Newsletter. One dealing with PTA attendance by parents. My intent WAS to point out a concern to our residents in hopes that some parents would become more involved with the PTA. However, most of the readers of this forum likely did not read what else I had printed in the same newsletter of June 2009. If you have the patience, please read what else we wrote. It is long because this IS GOOD NEWS about Edgewood schools!! Here is the reprint:
“Edgewood Schools News
Have you ever heard anyone say to you that the Edgewood Schools are “bad”? I have and it angers me when people don’t know what they are talking about! We have EXCELLENT teachers and dedicated staff and for the most part good students who are willing to learn and work hard. Just because we have a few lazy and undisciplined juveniles is NO reason to denigrate our schools, our students and our community. With the work of ALL our parents and community, the Edgewood School system CAN become the envy of the county. Want to prove it? Below are just a FEW of the accomplishments of our students. You most likely will not read about THIS anywhere else in this County! Beginning with the new school year, we are expecting our Principals to provide monthly updates on GOOD things happening in their school under their direction. For this issue of the Edgewood Community Newsletter, we are focusing on the Edgewood Middle School. Now what do you think?
As an introduction to the School News achievements, the following was provided by Lisa B. Sundquist, Principal, Edgewood Elementary School a Title 1 school with the motto: Proud and Powerful.
“At the beginning of May, the schools in the Greater Edgewood Area were visited by an international team of educators from the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, to see firsthand the work that the schools have done to ensure a quality PreK-12 education for all students. Their visit also included a meeting with Harford County Public School central office leadership. This 2 year process is a future-oriented and visionary opportunity for the schools to work together to chart the future of the Edgewood Feeder System. The stakeholder group that participated in this self study was comprised of parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and HCPS central office personnel. The group worked tirelessly for 2 years to identify areas of strength and develop a plan to ensure continued growth in each of the 12 specified areas. The 12 areas are: Philosophy and Mission, Governance and Leadership, School Improvement Planning, Finances, Facilities, School Climate and Organization, Health and Safety, Educational Program, Assessment and Evidence of Learning, Student Services, Student Life and Student Activities, and Information Resources and Technology. The process was rigorous and challenging. After the visit in May, the Edgewood Learning Community was awarded full accreditation. This certification recognizes the quality programming, highly qualified staff, and vast array of resources available to students attending Edgewood schools. Dr. Haas, former Superintendent of schools, who passed away suddenly in December 2008, had a vision for the benefit to students when teachers and administrators from all of the schools in a feeder system work together to create aligned programs and expectations, and seamless transitions from elementary school to middle school to high school. We look forward to the official conference of the accreditation in the fall.”
Now for more GOOD News!
Edgewood Middle School, Principal, Dr. Lawrence Rudolph
Prepared by Stacy N. Corcoran Bryan
Teacher Mentor; IEP Co-Chairperson
Edgewood Middle School: Empower. Inspire. Achieve.
TOGETHER!
You Have to Use Your IMAGINATION
The Edgewood Middle School Destination Imagination Team, comprised of Megan Spicer, Emily Arnold, Majie Surock, Michael Lewis, Dan Gorski, and Tim Napfel, and guided by DI Team Manager Gretchen Gemsemer, a first year math teacher at Edgewood, and Mrs. Gorski, a dedicated parent volunteer, showed RAMS pride at
the DestiNation Imagination State Tournament at Towson University on April 18, 2009.
Destination ImagiNation (DI) is an innovative organization that teaches creativity, teamwork and problem solving to students across the U.S. and in more than 30 countries. Its main program is an unconventional team learning experience where student teams all over the world solve mind-bending Challenges. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work as a team, and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills-they learn to unleash their
imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving. All Team Challenges (except for the yearly Improvisational challenge) can be broken down into two parts: the Central Challenge and Side Trips. All DI Challenges have different required elements that teams must include as part of their solutions; these requirements comprise the Central Challenge. Side Trips are based on the educational theory of multiple intelligences, which in part emphasizes the
importance of allowing participants to find their own best ways to process and present what they have learned.
Although DI has been an active student team for several years at EMS, this is their first year working with Ms. Gensemer as Team Manager. Ms. Gensemer was a DI Team Manager in another state, volunteering to lead Edgewood Middle School’s DI team when she joined the teaching staff this year. Her efforts were tirelessly supported by Mrs. Gorski, a parent volunteer.
The Edgewood Middle DI team tied for third place out of 19 teams in their division, scoring a perfect score for their instant challenge. This team challenge focused on Instinct Messaging with a focus on theater arts. In eight minutes, and with a $125 budget, the students worked together to create a skit that communicated effectively the methods that wolves and chameleons use to communicate with each other. This required students to engage in Zoosemiotics, or the study of how animals communicate with each other.
Carson Scholar Shows RAMS Pride in Everything She Does
The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to students in grades four through 11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities. Students then also receive the honor of being named “Carson Scholars” and are awarded with an Olympic-sized medal and a trophy for their school to celebrate their accomplishments. Previous winners of Carson Scholarships are eligible to reapply for the scholarship annually, as long as they consistently maintain high academic standards.
Edgewood Middle School eighth grader, Kerry Bruso, was recently named a 2009 Carson Scholar winner for her outstanding academic work in school, as well as community service efforts. Kerry maintains a 4.0 average and is involved in several after school activities including Treasurer for the National Junior Honor Society, Student Representative to the Parent Teacher Student Association, a member of the Executive Board of the Student Government Association, a member of VIBES (an after school auditioned chorus), and MATH COUNTS. She is also a volunteer for several children’s programs at St. Francis de Sales Church in Abingdon and is a volunteer for the Activities Department at Bel Air Health and Rehab Center. Furthermore, Kerry is a member of the Hot Shots National Dance Team at the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts. She will be attending the Science and Math Academy at Aberdeen High School in the fall of 2009.
Congratulations to Kerry for earning this distinguished honor. Your EMS family is both impressed and proud of your accomplishments.
Music to Our Ears
The EMS Band, Chorus, and Orchestra participated in Music in the Park at Kings Dominion last week. The performances of each group were great! The orchestra received a rating of “Good” and came in 3rd place in their category. The band received a rating of “Excellent” and came in 2nd place in their category. The chorus received a rating of “Superior” and came in 1st place in their category. Our chorus received the award for “Best Overall Chorus”, which means that the
chorus had the highest score of the day out of any other choruses in the other categories. We were graded on a 100 point scale and earned 97 points!! Thank you to our students for representing our school and learning community! We’re so proud of you! Additionally, we’d like to thank the many supportive parents who helped to make this event so successful for our students. We couldn’t do what we do without you!
This event was preceded by amazing performances at the County Music Festival in April. The chorus received 100% Superior ratings on their performance and on the sight reading portion. Superior ratings are the highest possible honor during this festival. As a result, our chorus was invited to perform in the Maryland State Choral Festival on May 7th or 8th. What an honor! We were among some of the most stellar groups in the state. The orchestra received 100% Excellent ratings on their performance and on the sight reading portion. They demonstrated fine musicianship skills and audience
skills throughout the entire festival! The band also received Excellent ratings on their performance and a Superior rating on their sight reading. Their musicianship and demeanor as an audience is to be applauded! For the past four years at least one of our ensembles has been invited to perform at the Maryland State Music Festivals. This is an achievement that we need to celebrate and acknowledge!
All of our musicians at Edgewood Middle School are demonstrating exceptional music learning as demonstrated by their outstanding scores on their sight reading. Reading music is where students develop true musicianship that will help them to continue and excel in their futures.
Thanks to Ms. Amanda Yinger, Mr. Don McClure, Ms. Dawn Zipay, and Mr. Nick Trosclair for empowering and inspiring our musicians to achieve!
Great Things STEM from Hands-On Learning Experiences
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) studies are a hot topic in education and career development today. Students at Edgewood Middle had several experiences this year to empower and inspire them to consider this path!
Throughout this school year, students worked with volunteer engineers from our new partner in STEM education: Northrop Grumman. The volunteers worked with students for several hours in the morning engaging all of our eighth grade students in problem solving and design challenges. In the spring, a group of seventh grade students were selected to visit the facilities at Northrop Grumman to see some of the latest developments in radar technology. The focus of the partnership is first to spark an interest in engineering and design, and second to ensure that minority students are being challenged to pursue higher education that will lead them along competitive and challenging professional pathways. This partnership includes participation in Northrop Grumman’s DiscoverE program, through which EMS was awarded a $1000 grant to support STEM education. Thanks to Stacy Bryan, EMS Teacher Mentor, for coordinating this partnership for students, and to the EMS Science Department, under the leadership of their department chairperson, Jim McClenahan, and the eighth grade teams for helping to make the concept a reality. Last, but not least, a huge THANK YOU to the volunteers from Northrop Grumman for so many hours of service to our students.
To complement and extend on this experience, six students from each eighth grade team attended a special event at Harford Community College at the end of May. Mr. Andy Renzulli, the Science Supervisor for Secondary Education, coordinated this experience to help students see what types of jobs exist in the engineering and technology industry. Students saw robotics demonstrations created by students who attend HCPS’s Science and Math Academy (SMA). Additionally, they saw the following demonstrations revolving around the following topics: forensics (focusing on how chemistry helps to solve crimes), lasers, and
exothermic reactions in pyrotechnics. Students were able to engage in and observe multiple chemistry experiments. Partners in this venture included Harford Community College, the HCPS Science and Math Academy, and the U.S. Army, to name a few.
It goes without saying that these hands-on learning experiences that allow children to engage with professionals in the STEM field are critical in helping children determine educational and career paths.
To top this off, we have a teacher and two students attending Space Camp as part of the partnership with Northrop Grumman. We shared a third spot at Space Camp with a student from Magnolia Middle School. The teacher is Brooke Smith, a 7th grade teacher who
joined our staff this year. The students are Gerard Wright (a 6th grader), and Danae Mars (a 7th grader). The students will be participating in an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in July.
Bringing the Curriculum to Life
At the Curriculum Activities Awards held in the Board Room of the HCPS/A.A. Roberty Building on April 29th, educators won monetary awards for their stellar curriculum activities ranging from $350 to $750. Eight total awards were presented to various teachers in Harford County Public Schools for their exemplary work. Congratulations to Ms. Caitlin Swearingin, who submitted a
co-planned and co-taught Integrated Language Arts unit based on the experiences of Anne Frank. Ms. Swearengin, a native of Michigan who joined the EMS Faculty this year. Ms. Swearengin was recognized for her submission, and we’re looking forward to her being among the monetary winners in future years.
Parents, students, and community partners are encouraged to visit the EMS Homepage at https://www.edline.net/pages/Edgewood_Middle_School
for updates about current events at Edgewood Middle School.
You are also invited to read other news about Edgewood Schools by visiting the HCPS website since each PR Coordinator for each
school submits news through the main site. The link to the page is:
http://www.hcps.org/hcps_photogallery/default.asp?iId=JLMGE
If you do a search with Edgewood in the title, you’ll get all kinds of news.
Congratulations to all of our Edgewood High School graduates and our best wishes for a bright future!”
I guess Mark is correct. It is too long but 99% of my readers say they appreciate the information and can skip over the stuff that doesn’t interest them. Guess I’ll keep doing what I have been doing for our community of Edgewood.
Wolkow is Dion Guthrie’s right hand man. Of course they only want one side of the story spoken!
Hi Lawrence. Actually, I don’t believe that Mark could be called Dion’s “right hand man” as Dion has encouraged me to keep doing the newsletter just as I have been doing it. So I will continue to publish what I think our community is interested in and needs to be aware of…good news or issue news.
Thanks for posting your note.
Art
Hats off to Art (Edgewood Newsletter Editor) and Jansen and everyone else who works so hard for the constructive good of the Edgewood community! As for the post above stating that Wolkow is Dion’s right hand man. I must respectfully disagree:
– Dion fought (strongly and fairly) for an elected school board while Wolkow fought (arrogantly, incompetently, dishonestly, and, thank God, unsuccessfully) against it
– Dion is a strong supporter of Edgewood, while Wolkow only fights for Edgewood when it serves his self-absorbed ego.
– Dion (who I often disagree with, but respect greatly nonetheless) consistently performs his sworn duties as a councilman, while Wolkow has consistently failed to perform his main sworn duty as a member of the board of education: that duty is the good faith oversight of HCPS and its administration.
Wolkow really needs to go. For 7 years we have been listening to his arrogant, irrelevant and mediocre preaching and pontifications. Yet the only constructive thing he has done during that time has been his failed fight to preserve the political appointment process for board members.
In his defense though, he DOES have 2 talents:
– admiring his own illogic
– circling the wagons instead of holding HCPS accountable
It sickens me to hear his dripping condescension directed at the good folks who publish the Edgewood Newsletter. Who is he to talk down to them is such a manner?
Keep up the great work Edgewood!
Hi, yup this article is actually good and I have learned lot of things
from it about blogging. thanks.