From the Harford Business Round Table for Education:
Our public schools are entrusted with our most precious gift. In placing with Harford County Public Schools the responsibility to educate, nurture and protect our children we also entrust them with our community’s future well being.
Although the day to day leadership of our public schools is the province of our Board of Education and public school system, their ability to carryout this responsibility requires, by law and common sense that they work in conjunction with elected officials. But to complete this “partnership” the wider community of stakeholders—- parents, businesses, minority organizations and other public agencies to name a few, must have a voice.
On April 30, 2010 the Harford Business Round Table for Education (HBRT) with the support of the Harford County Chamber of Commerce and Harford Community College, facilitated a day long Conference to create a dialogue on the future of education in Harford County.
Some of the important questions we hoped to answer included:
How do educational decisions have community implications?
Should planning of various governmental agencies ensure educational issues are dealt with effectively?
How should government agencies prioritize fiscal realities versus the needs of teachers, parents and students?
How should technology and career education be incorporated in the educational system?
How should the community be involved in curriculum and educational programming decisions including meaningful student achievement and involvement of parents in the educational process?
How should more influence over the regulatory process and unfunded mandates be exerted?
Our goal was to create a dialogue which would help us answer these questions and help create a vision for our schools and our communities. With the upcoming revisions to both the Harford County Public Schools Strategic Plan, and the County Master Plan and Land Use Plan, we have a unique opportunity to imbed coordinated values, visions and action plans into these guiding documents.
Invitees included members of the Harford County Board of Education, the Harford County Superintendent of Schools, the Harford County Executive, the Harford County Council, the Harford County State Delegation, the President of Harford Community College, members of the Harford Business Roundtable for Education, members of the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, PTA members teachers, school administrators, the minority community and faith based organizations. All interested Harford County citizens were welcomed to attend.
This report provides the outcomes of a very successful exchange of ideas.
Next: Part II “Good is the Enemy of Great”
Note: The Harford Business Round Table for Education (HBRT) is a coalition of employers with a long term commitment to supporting education reform and improving student achievement in Harford County. We are aligned with the State’s Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT). Under the direction of local business leaders, HBRT works collaboratively with government officials, educators, parents, community leaders, and other stakeholders to strengthen systems that affect student learning. Daggerpress LLC is a member of HBRT and participated in the conference.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.