The Harford County Board of Education voted 5-2 in a late-night special meeting Thursday to appoint the new principals of Aberdeen, Fallston, and Joppatowne High Schools, two of them replacing administrators controversially ousted by Superintendent Robert Tomback last month.
Michael O’Brien, currently an instructional facilitator at Edgewood High School, will take over as principal of Aberdeen High School for the outgoing Tom Szerensits. Pamela Ziegler, formerly an assistant principal at C. Milton Wright High School, was named principal of Joppatowne High School, replacing Macon Tucker.
Click below to hear the audio recording of Dagger Education Editor Cindy Mumby discussing the naming of the new principals on WAMD 970AM
[audio:http://www.daggerpress.com/wp-content/uploads/052611_CINDY_DAGGER.mp3|titles=052611_CINDY_DAGGER]Richard Jester, currently the principal of the Western School of Technology and Environmental Science in Baltimore County was named the principal of Fallston High School. He replaces Joseph Schmitz, who was promoted to the position of Executive Director of High School Performance, replacing David Volrath, who earlier this month announced his retirement at the end of the school year.
The promotions and appointments are scheduled to take effect on July 1.
The naming of the new principals came several days after Tomback announced Monday that Szerensits would be transferred to the position of assistant principal of Bel Air High School and Tucker would be transferred to the same position at Patterson Mill High School.
The transfers were made at Tomback’s discretion. But Tomback opted to put a hold on those transfers after the board voted 4-3 at Monday’s meeting to table any action on promotions and appointments for the 2011-2012 school year which, unlike the transfers, require a board vote.
“Dr. Tomback has the discretion and authority to initiate transfers as per the needs of the schools,” Harford County Public Schools spokeswoman Teri Kranefeld said on Tuesday. “The promotions and appointments may affect transfer decisions, so full implementation of the transfers has been put on hold at this time. However, none of this takes effect until July 1.”
The transfers will proceed, following the board’s approval of the promotions and appointments. The two votes against the appointments were made by board members Don Osman and Bob Frisch.
Among those named to positions in the Harford County school system Thursday night was Kevin Ensor, who is currently the director of college counseling at Hereford High School in Baltimore County and will assume the position of supervisor of school counseling.
Ensor and Jester both depart the Baltimore County school system two years after Tomback, formerly an area superintendent in that system, was named superintendent of Harford schools.
The board met in closed session beginning at approximately 8:15 p.m. Thursday, and were scheduled to convene an open meeting at 9:15 p.m. However, the board did not leave the closed session until just after 10 p.m. and moved quickly to approve the promotions and appointments.
Comments by board Vice President Leonard Wheeler hinted at what went on behind closed doors, with discussion centered around the process by which employees are promoted, appointed, and transferred.
“We did have a very lengthy meeting discussing [the subject],” he said. “It was a very important meeting and a very fruitful meeting… I think this issue is of such importance that I wanted to clarify some issues . . . we talked about the treatment of our employees. We talked about a fair and equitable process. And we talked about why boards were created in the first place. They were created as a reaction to the mistreatment of professional people. As a response to that we created tenure laws. The superintendent has every right to make recommendations that he feels will carry on or help enable to carry on the goals and objectives of this board. The board has a responsibility to ask questions about these new appointments.”
“As a board member I would say to you that I believe there are some serious flaws in the process, in my perspective,” he added. “As a board member I can assure this community and staff that when corrections need to be made they will be made.”
Following the board’s vote, Frisch took the opportunity–without naming names–to make a series of comments on the topic of leadership.
“Leadership built on fear, or intimidation, or punishment is not leadership at all,” he said. “That type of leadership is nothing more than an exercise of power built on a foundation of quicksand. The most successful operations or organizations not only nurture, but expect their employees to push the status quo through intellectual debate, free from fear of retaliation.”
“In absence of the freedom to express differing opinions, organizations suffer a loss of creative thinking, sinking morale, and the departure of superior quality employees who recognize they have no future in that organization,” he added.
Additional reporting was contributed by Jeff Jarina and Cindy Mumby.
The full list of promotions and appointments, including the resumes of those named to the various positions, as well as the full list of transfers, follows:
Decision on Promotions and Appointments 05-23-11
Boe Revised Transfers Summary Report–corrected Version
Another Baltimore Co. person brought in by Tomback. It looks like morale will continue to stay a rock bottom in the Harford Co. school system. Only Frisch and Osman stuck up for our employees. What happened to Wheeler and Grambo, very disappointing?
Alot of accusations are being made about how wrong it is of Tomback to bring Baltimore County people here to Harford Co. However, give Jester a chance. He’s a good man and well deserving of the job.
We shall have to wait and see about Jester. However, there are already questions being raised about the quality of some of the other Balt. Co. people Tomback has brought in.
After watching the tape from Monday’s BOE meeting I was shocked by the poor quality of the presentation given by Dr. Brown who has a very high position in the system, and in a job created by Tomback. Another porson with Balt. Co. connections. When asked specific questions about his budget, personnel, how he measured the effectiveness of the programs under his control, he was unable to give specific answers.
It is things like this that make people question the quality of those brought in by Tomback and certainly leaves Tomback open to criticism and suggestions of cronyism.
I can’t believe that Baltimore County people want to come up here to work. The commute can be a drag if they don’t move and there just isn’t as much to do up here…if they do move.
Why do people change positions? Hey if a friend is Superintendent and what he says goes, and he asks me to come to his county why not? I’m sure no one from Baltimore County is taking a pay cut to come here. I think a requirement should be the Superintendent should have to live where he/she works. Then he’ll see the folks whose lives he’s changing.
If the Baltimore County principal is so outstanding, why not put him at Joppatown or Aberdeen, where clearly an effective principal is needed, according to Tomback.
I agree. I think the C. Milton Wright staff is going to have a rude awakening at J-towne. The Baltimore County tech staff would be far more familiar with the diversity and challenges of Aberdeen and J-towne.
Tomback needs to go,period!! Get somebody from harford county who cares about the school system to run it.
I am reading all of these comments concerning the state of affairs with our school system. I have more than 11 years in the HCPS system. Truthfully, I have no problem with Tomback. He is getting us (HCPS) out of the prehistoric age of education and has done what Haas should have done which is put the responsibility back where it belongs…. with the principal AND teachers. I walk the halls of Aberdeen. Aberdeen is not where or what she should or could be. I am looking forward to working with Michael O’Brien. He’s a no nonsense individual who cares for the students but he is straightforward and to the point. Frankly, I don’t care where administrators come from, as long as they can get the job done is my concern. Change is hard but it is something that must be in order to survive or ultimately one dies. It’s funny when Haas was living, the BOE use to rubber stamp her appointments. Now someone who is trying to put the right people in the right place and has done their homework, the BOE now wants to question what Tomback does….. can you spell PATHETHIC? The BOE should have taken this posture all along. Don’t use the checks and balances system when it is convenient for you. In this case, when the system fails, it is ultimately the children who suffer and I’m tired of seeing this year after year.
I do not believe anybody is disputing that change must happen. This is always true in the normal course of events. The issue for many is what type of change and how it is implemented. From my observations there are at least a few members on the school board that are not acting like the rubber stamp you obviously disliked under Haas. Yet you chastise the current school board for not being that same rubber stamp when they question what Tomback is doing. You can’t have it both ways. Yes the old school board should have taken a more active roll in the direction of the system when Haas was in charge and now it appears there are new board members that want Tomback to justify his actions and maybe even hold him accountable for his decisions. Just because Tomback says someone is great does not necessarily make it true. School board members are not stupid and from what I read in their bios are intellegent and successful people. It looks as if some are, as you suggest, actually doing their own homework. And maybe that is causing them to question some Tomback choices or decisions. School boards are supposed to be the check and balance to the superintendent and their senior staff. It would be, as you say, pathetic if they were not doing so. And who said the disagreements that may or may not be having are simply a matter of convenience? Would you prefer that the superintendent be an appointed cabinet level position answering only to the County Executive? At least under the current system school boards have some autonomy from other elected officials in state and local government.
Exactly Joe! This mess did not start when Tomback took over. It was all started under Jackie Haas and nobody did anything about it.
Now hold on just one minute! It isn’t fair to decide just because someone is coming from Baltimore County that means they are a Tomback crony and a bad administrator. Do you realize that no matter who got the Superintendent job that they would probably bring in people for their respective school district? If Carl Roberts got the job, he would’ve brought in people from Cecil County Public Schools. Franklin Till would’ve brought in people from Broward County, Florida Schools, and Dr. Bryant would’ve brought in people from Elmira, New York Schools. That is just the way these Superintendents work.
Now I am not taking sides in this at all. These guys could truly be cronies or they could turn out to be the best administrators HCPS ever had. What will happen? I don’t know. All I am saying is, give them a chance!
No one is suggesting that Mr. Jester is a bad administrator. The real issue here is whether every outside person Tomback brings into the system has to come from Balt. Co. There are many other good people out there from somewhere other than Balt. Co. Plus it is the number out outside people he is bringing in. That sends a very clear message that the people already here are not good enough. Yes you do give Tomback some latitude but he is taking advantage of the situation and it is hurting the Harford Co. school system.
I completely agree. I might not like all he has done but there is a lot of waste in this county and there are people who need to go. They may be nice and all but they are ineffective. There is a big difference and people need to realize that regardless if you like Tomback or not.
Let’s Be Fair Now
Why would you bring in a new principal when we have numerous well qualified administrators in our county that have been in our system for years. Especially at Fallston where the parents are very opinionated and know they have one the best high schools with great test scores. Let Jester go to Aberdeen or Joppatown! The teachers have the lowest morale that I have witnessed in the 15 years of teaching in this county. Tombeck is ruining our system and we are losing great teachers!
So, you’re saying that one should put his or her blood, sweat, and tears into a particular school district only to hob-knob with someone in said district’s central office to obtain a promotion?
Why would one do that?
Why can’t an individual afford the opportunity to advance in his or her current school district (which is not cronyism, by the way)?
This is the problem with our American education system–people in power hiring their friends as opposed to hiring the best person for the job. And, who is better suited for upper level jobs than teachers who possess an idea about the children of the district in which he or she works?
I guess that just makes too much sense.
Sunshine, Obviously you are not from Harford County, do not have kids in school or you are not a teacher. If you have not been in the schools you have no right to comment on why the educators feel like it is a slap in the face not to feel the vacancies from within the county. I am an educator and I love my job. The morale of all the teachers in the county is at the lowest I have ever seen in my many years of teaching. We do more and more with no support from the BOE and especially not from the superintendant. Many people say “Be glad you have a job! Most teachers did not go into teaching just because it is a job but love teaching and educating children. Please do not make comments about croynism unless you are an educator because you have no clue.
*That should say, “from their respective school districts” not “for their respective school districts.” I apologize.
The HCPS BOE should be ashamed of themselves for allowing Dr.Tomback to run free, making rash decisions based on nothing more than personal feelings for the past 2 years. It will take HCPS years to recover from the chaos he has been allowed to create and foster.
Having said that, we should be really proud of the individuals that are being promoted within HCPS. In the secondary ranks, the promotions of Joe Schmitz, Pam Zeigler, and Michael O’Brien should be recognized as excellent selections for the strong leadership that our schools need. It’s sad that the celebration of their well deserved promotions have to be clouded by the controversy surrounding the BOE and Dr. Tomback. Get it together or show him the door!!!!
In over 20+ years of teaching I have never witnessed what I have seen this week with HCPS and Board. Folks I am telling you things are bad. Their are alot of great people in our system, but the top has become dysfunctional, and it is beginning to effect everyone. Moral is low, it could be from dysfunction, no raises, or just lack of trust.
I will bring up one word: Grotsky It took the county several years to recover from that mistake. I am not sure what is going to happen, but what is happening now needs to stop.
I still love my job, and enjoy coming to work everyday. Personally this has been one of the best teaching years I can remember. I am worried about the younger teachers, and what their perception is right now.
You are right to mention Grotsky. Grotsky and Tomback are frequently mentioned in the same sentence. I hear that things in Harford Co. are even worse now than when Grotsky was here. At least that school board admitted their mistake and got rid of him before the end of his contract. Maybe the ground work for a similar exit is being prepared for Tomback. It has become clear that Tomback does not have the full support of the current school board and that some board members are not afraid to speak publically about their dissatisfaction.
What you see happening now is the result of Tomback’s actions. What is also clear is that some of the current school board members refuse to be rubber stamps or door mats for Tomback, and they are responding. It is good to finally see a few school board members with some backbone.
Mr. Frisch sounds like he has the current management style pretty much pegged. I’ve never seen the morale in school so low and all of it is because of the fear and intimidation tactics Mr. Frisch mentioned. The sad thing is that when teachers and other school personel begin to feel like the last place they want to be is at work, this has a definite impact on the kids. It’s a very sad state of affairs in HCPS.
Within the school system Tomback is referred to as “the intimidator” and Bill Lawrence (his number 2) is called “the assassin.” Sounds like a great work environment.
Don’t put all the blame on Tomback. At least some of the blame should go to the BOE. They have exhibited through all of this they don’t even have a backbone to stand up against him. The final plunge has increased especially the last two years with Tomback as Sup and the BOE as his mentors in arm. So obvious their lack of concern for the HCPS teachers, their experience, professionalism and recognitions when choosing promotions. Their willingness to continually step on their own people, the BOE has exhibited, by not stopping the problem in its track, they continue to support Tomback. Am not surprised and so obvious that it will continue. No wonder teachers and supported staff are so dis-heartened with their jobs.
Do not lump all of the school board members together. Backbone and leadership are being shown by some members. Remember you have to have a majority of the school board members in agreement to make changes. With Wolkow and Evans leaving the school board in July Tomback will loose two allies. That will only leave Krchnavy dependably in Tomback’s corner. We will have to wait and see about the five new school board members being seated in July. If we had an entirely elected school board you would probably see Tomback packing his bags.
DISAPPOINTED is spot on. The turmoil we see at recent board meetings is evidence of the board’s growing pains as the older appointed board members (who are on their way out) clash with newer members. There will be some dissonance in the mean time, but what we will eventually get as a community is a stronger board if the residents of Harford county elect the right people for the board with the background necessary to make responsible decisions for education (even when those decisions are not popular).
What will take longer to fix is drawing experienced dynamic teachers back to the county. We are losing good teachers to other districts and to other fields of work due to the issues that have affected morale (increased responsibilities and demands with even less pay, for example). Part of the blame for the teacher rush out of HCPS is a different county elected official…
Couldn’t agree more. I left the county to work for another system and am shocked at how green the grass really is elsewhere. My current system is much more professional and treats the employees with much much more respect. My spouse continues to be employed by HCPS and we are anxiously awaiting for the turn around in the economy to trickle down to the county level so school systems can’t start hiring again. When that time comes, my spouse is out as well. The actions of the board and sup. are pathetic.
*can
It was disappointing to see that after all Dr. Tomback’s bluster about removing Mr. Szeensits as Aberdeen’s principal because the school needed a new direction, he appointed someone with no experience as a principal to the position. Mike O’Brien might end up doing a good job, but teachers I know who worked with him when he was an assistant principal found him to be someone who looked for reasons to criticize his teachers rather than support them.
I was glad to hear the criticism of Dr. Tomback from the Board members last night. Comments from Dr. Wheeler and Mr. Frisch indicated that the Board certainly believes that Dr. Tomback is more interested in wielding power for the sake of power than he is in working with them for the betterment of the school system. I find it interesting that two of the people who helped hire Dr. Tomback are now bailing on him. It is quite likely that the future elected members of the board will represent areas of the county with disgruntled parents, and will be essentially adversaries. Unless Dr. Tomback changes his attitude and his management style, this will be his only term as Superintendent.
Concerned Teacher,
You might want to wait a second before you start bashing individuals who have yet to begin in their new roles. If you happen to look at Mr. O’Brien’s resume, you will see that it has been 5 years since he was an Assistant Principal. As a general rule, most people change, learn and grow with time. Also, what makes an impression on me when I look at his resume is that in the past 5 years, he has been an Instructional Facilitator at 3 different schools (Harford Technical High, Alternative Ed, and Edgewood High). As I talk to people from those three schools, what I find is that those schools have benefitted greatly from his instructional leadership. Was the change easy? No. Were teachers held accountable for their instructional practices and asked to raise their standards? Absolutely. Is it difficult to hear that the status quo isn’t good enough anymore and it might be time to do some things differently? Yes. Are those schools better today because he and the principals worked together to implement change that has had a great impact on students and their learning? You bet. I find it interesting that people choose to take a negative attitude about someone with whom they might not have been exposed to in 5 years. I, for one, am quite interested in seeing what Mr. O’Brien and Mrs. Zeigler will do with the opportunities presented them with Aberdeen High and Joppatowne High, respectively. I’ll bet we will all be pleasantly surprised!
The problem with your analysis is that these two individuals are not proven success stories as high school principals. I believe Councilman Dick Slutzski’s comments in a recent Aegis article are correct. If Aberdeen and Joppatowne are as bad as Tomback thinks they are then the best administrators and an adequate support team should have been placed there. These schools should not be used as a training ground for new principals. Tomback’s rationale in placing these newbie’s at the most challenging high schools in our county is flawed. It would have been better to put people there who could hit the ground running. It will be tough enough getting the education component in place to turn these schools around without having to deal (learn) with all the personnel issues that will most assuredly be a major issue to deal with. These new principals deserved better then this from Tomback. He did them no favors and has shortchanged the students at these two schools. I fear that this will be just another in a growing list of poor decisions by Tomback.
Teacher,
Let’s go with that theory for a second. I’ve been trying to think of a principal who is experienced and has been successful in a high school that is in AYP trouble and has a demographic that is similar to Joppatowne and/or Aberdeen. As noted, the issues particular to both of these schools don’t really exist in all of the county’s high schools, correct? Edgewood High would seem to have the closest connection and while Larissa Santos has been a very successful principal there in the last 4 years, moving her to either school would seem to be counterproductive….or perhaps I’m just missing something in my thinking. The longer I ponder the situation, the more difficulty I have coming up with a good solution! Glad I’m not in charge on this one!
Not everyone shares your assessment of how successful Santos has been at Edgewood.
Many are betting that Tomback will not complete his current term. He will either bail out or will be bought out when he looses the support of the school board. Recent events might indicate that the board may already be moving in that direction.
Very good comments in this discussion. If I may add my 2 cents. I am not only a parent of HCPS students, but also a product of this school system. I go back to the days of A.A.Roberty. While I am not employed by HCPS, my role as a volunteer has put me in contact with several members of the current board and the administration. From my perspective, the level of incompetence from the current administration and the remaining musketeers on the board who provide them a rubber stamp is beyond belief. They no more care about the students in the system than the man in the moon does. Fortunately, I think we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. We finally have some BOE members who will actually ask intelligent questions. Who will research the issues in effort to make an intelligent decision. Hopefully, once the old guard on the BOE is out the door, we might have an opportunity to make a change at the top of the administration. We can hope.
I’m confused. Is Harford County in support of, or against cronyism? Are they in support of, or against unfair hiring practices? If all of the promotion came from within … wouldn’t that constitute cronyism. A look at the big picture shows 89% of the promotions came from within the system. Everyone’s criticism of the Superintendent’s choices seems to contradict the belief that cronyism is unacceptable, but rather encouraged. Glad I’m not at the top ~ seems like a lonely place. Harford County moral shouldn’t be swayed …. 89% chance of promotion is something to celebrate.
It is not the percentage that matters so much but that the Balt. Co. connection has become so pervasive that it is destructive to the school system. A significant number of these Balt. Co. hires are to high ranking positions in the system, and not just on the education side of things. The cronyism is more clearly demonstrated by Tomback’s personal connections to these hires.
If you want to see a good analogy of this watch the tape from Monday’s board meeting and listen to the comments made by Frisch at the beginning of the meeting.
There is a lot of home grown talent within the district which after every Baltimore County hire feels more and more deflated. It’s a slap in the face to those that have dedicated themselves to the students of Harco, prepared themselves for higher leadership roles, and feel helpless to the whims of the district. It’s sad to see morale sink so low, so fast.
Check the records. Zielger worked in Baltimore County as Assistant Principal under Tomback. Why did’nt any one mention this. Couldn’t get promoted there?
Principal promotions: Baltimore County 2
Harford County 1
There was a lot more at stake than just promotions.
Tomback, Lawrence, and Wolkow won on Thursday. The county lost BIG time when a majority of the BOE caved. Everyone in Harford County (citizens, parents, students, and school system employees) got screwed.
Wow, thank goodness for news mediums like this. There is a lot that goes on that none of us are privy to.
I can’t help but think the board that appointed Tomback really set the tone here by not hiring someone from HarCo. As someone else pointed out it is typical in upper level management to surround yourself w/your own and that was likely to happen regardless of who was hired. Be that as it may, I still want to believe that the board and Tomback are trying to do what is best for our students, but am not convinced any longer. It sounds like Tomback as his own agenda….what is it???
I for one am thankful that we finally have voter input into some of our board of Ed and that come July we will be losing some old faithfuls and get some newer blood. It sounds like some of the newer members are asking the right questions and challenging the status quo-hallelujah!!
I feel for the teachers and hope we don’t continue to lose good qualified teachers. Personally if I worked at the schools affected I would be very frustrated…Fallston gets someone totally new-why not send them to Jtowne or AHS?? (If they are sooo talented they need to leave BACo and take a Harfo county spot), And PMHS once again gets dumped on??
Well I say keep telling us the truth we need to keep strong concerned citizens running for the board-this impacts all of us whether we have students still in school or not!
It would be nice to know what happened in the closed session before Thursday’s meeting. I think that it’s beneficial to get some of the discussion out in the open -as Mr. Frisch has been doing. Anyone who tries to squelch him is a huge red flag to me. I would really like to hear something more from Dr. Tomback about his plan. I realize that sometimes large upsetting changes have to occur in order to have a course correction. The question to me is wether or not this can be played out in public or if tactics & liability prohibit us from truly knowing what’s going on. Other school systems have seen the needs of the adults placed before the needs of the children and when that was challenged mis-information was the tool of those trying to protect the status quo. There have been “inexplicable” changes in my children’s school as well as many others. We will make the very best of them in any case but it sure would be helpful to know where the ship is headed. Making believe that a public position as large as Superintendent of Schools can go under the radar and use a public spokesperson shows a generational disconnect with the connectivity that we all embrace today. I support Dr. Tomback but he’s not making it easy for me to do so.
You are probably on the mark about the liability issue. I suspect there was a lot more that went on behind closed doors than the public will ever know. From what I hear Tomback is not liked in the County Executive’s office and has little or no support in the County Council or with our representatives in Annapolis. He may in fact be a liability to the school system because we are dependent on those three for funding. Maybe what we are seeing from Frisch and Wheeler is a recognition of this. I do know that cheers went up all across the school system when the school board stood up to Tomback on Monday.
Teacher,
I am very interested in your perspective, but really, can you please post something of substance? This is a (pardon the pun) “textbook example” of what I’m talking about. Your post shows no facts and is about as useful to me as a bunch of high school girls talking trash about a boy.
You writing; “From what I hear” followed by an unsubstantiated attack on “who likes who” does me little good. Granted Frisch and Wheeler had something to say but just a few weeks ago Wheeler was one of the board members trying to stifle Frisch’s questions. There would seem to be a reason (be it good or bad) behind such a large change but instead of directly addressing the issue we get speculation, mud throwing, and fables that encourage you to read between the lines.
As for us getting little support from local or state government, I believe that the county has cut everywhere and the Annapolis issues that ALL of Harford County face have a lot to do with being a red county in a blue state.
Respectfully,
Open Minded
You can’t afford to be too specific with the facts so as not to make yourself identifiable. The intimidator and the assassin may be reading. Maybe you can still afford to be open minded (pun intended), some of us need to worry about keeping jobs to put food on the table and pay the bills. Being open minded lasts only so long. When the reality of Tomback’s changes set in my mindset changed. There is more to genuine support then finances.
I might also add, isn’t speculation what most every comment on the Dagger entails? Almost none of us has the complete story. We just tell things as we see them. But the commentary here leads to bits and pieces being put together by the regular reader. That stimulates the brain, gets us thinking, helps formulate our opinions, educates ourselves and others. And reading between the lines is like trying to forecast the ending of a good mystery novel. Challenging and entertaining. That is unless you’re the boring type who only wants to cut to the chase, just the facts, etc. Where is the fun in that? But then again, this is not about fun. This is serious business because what is happening to our school system has real implications for the students we teach, the people we employ, and our community as a whole. And in the opinion of just about everyone I know in our school system they no longer support Tomback and that is fact. While you may still be sitting on the fence based on your statement, “I support Dr. Tomback but he’s not making it easy for me to do so” from what I know the vast majority of those inside the system and most of the power players outside the system have already made up their minds, and he has lost their support. The question I would ask of you is what has happened that has put you on the fence?
Why has no one mentioned the one obvious conection that Jester lives in Fallston and therefore has a vested interest in the community. I also think he is going to take a pay cut to come here too!
I am fairly certain he is retiring from Baltimore County then getting a second paycheck from Harford County. How is that a pay cut? Could be wrong on that but I don’t think so. Maybe some other Dagger reader knows for sure and could let us know.
As for him living in Fallston that should have no bearing on his assignment. And if he is as great as some say then his talents could have been better used at Aberdeen or Joppatowne. Others have made similar observations including the questionable decision to put inexperienced principals at those schools.
My point is everyone is acting like he is an outsider to the county and he is not. Everyone cried for changes under her majesty Jackie. Not consulting with parents on books like “The Chocolate War”, School Uniforms, Breaking up the Good Ole Boys Network, and some other things yet when they get change and someone with a different vision they complain!
See my other comment reference wrecking ball changes.
Agreed. Jackie Haas was no saint either and she was mean and vindictive as well to teachers. The difference is, the economy was a lot better under Jackies Haas and everytime she added more and more responsibility to the teachers their were also pay raises and step increases to go with it. Another perfect example is her very good friend who she appointed as the principal of Aberdeen Middle School. Look what a rotten performing school that is yet and she is still there. If the Aberdeen and Joppatowne pricipals are being removed then she should be as well since it is plain to see she can’t get the job done.
People don’t like change. Tomback is changing things. I am a bit removed from the school system because I took my kids out of public schools while Saint Jackie (God rest her soul) was running the show.
As a person who has lived in other places, it always made me cringe when a principal introduced a new teacher and said something like: “Miss Suzie Smith went to our little elementary school and our middle school and our high school and then she went off to our closest state teachers’ college and now she is back.” Aaaaarrrgh. I think it is great when teachers have a little outside experience. Cronyism–as in always hiring from within–narrows the experiences our young people are exposed to. Even if it is just Baltimore County, these people have worked some place else and tried some different things.
Bringing people from outside is good. It brings new ideas and even if they are not implemented, they are there to be discussed.
There is a difference between making some changes and taking a wrecking ball to an organization. Our school system was not broken but many believe it is now heading in that direction under Tomback.
Okay, moral is down, but is that because the Superintendent filled 3 of 28 positions outside of the county? Lets consider the potential pool … Pennsylvania, Cecil County, and Baltimore County. What are the incentives for these surrounding locations? Is there more of an incentive for Baltimore County over the remaining pool candidates. I don’t think friendship with the Superintendent is the biggest issue? Are there other issues at play? Is it about salary, benefits, lack of extra-curricular assignments, etc. Teachers are hard worker, no question. But, I think the anger is misplace. The U.S. is in recession, property values are dropping, and less revenue is available to support the teachers . Maybe the Union could negotiate furlough , or extra paid leave. Moral is a multi-faceted problem, we should start to fix it now. No more finger pointing. Just look for solutions to the moral problem and fix it.
Many have come to the conclusion that the first step in finding a solution is to change who is superintendent.
There is an old saying that goes “students don’t care how much the teacher knows until they know how much he cares.” The same can be said for teachers about their supervisors. To have treated two dedicated employees of over 30 years as failures and to publically humiliate them is a poor example of leadership. I don’t disagree with Dr. Tomback’s decision, if that is what he thinks is best for the HCPS, but I do think it should have been handled differently. Both men were were successful in working with students and in the things they did for the system. Bring them into the office and tell them to retire or be replaced. Now, when their names are mentioned, they will be remembered as being demoted, despite the wonderful things they did for years. This isn’t good leadership on Tomback’s part. I hope he learns from this.
Though out my years, I have learned that people are driven by impression management. Imagine what an embarrassment it would be for the Superintendent and his distinguished record, if Joppa and Aberdeen continued to fail AYP and Corrective Action. Even if you don’t think Mr. Tomback has the best interest of HCPS in mind, you have to believe he is watching his own back. Poor choices would affect his reputation. Additionally, the Board wouldn’t approve Mr. Tomback’s recommendations if they couldn’t see the benefits behind his choices because they risk embarrassment too. Embrace the Change; it could be good for our children. What has the Superintendent done that warrants such hostility? Please help me out.
Again, I would like to reiterate impression management. I don’t think the Superintendent was responsible for the publicity and public spectacle that followed his conferences with Mr. Tucker or Mr. Szerentsits. From what I have read, it was Szerentis desire for public support that brought on this unprecedented attention. His public announcement (letter) of demotion, brought awareness to every family in his community. Mr. Szerensits could have said, “I’ll retire,” and none of this grandeur would have occurred. He deserves respect and admiration for a long career at a challenging school, but someone aired the news and stole this thunder. We’ll never know who leaked the information, but can be certain that Mr. Szerensits could have squashed the story and salvage his reputation with a brief statement contradicting the facts. “Dear Parents: Earlier this week I had a meeting with the Superintendent to discuss my retirement. As previously reported, it was not force or coherence. I served proudly as an Eagle, and hand that torch to your next Principal effective July 1, 2011.” All done, reputation intact.
If that was the case then why didn’t he bring his buddy Jester into Harford County and put him at Aberdeen or Joppatowne? If he wants to claim that his guy is top notch, then why put him in a school that is already at the top of the test score ladder? Put him in a place that needs the help most.
You know, if he had done that I would have felt there was some legitimacy to his action. But dumping two principals in underachieving schools, then hiring your buddy not to head the underachievers, but to take over at the best school you have? For that matter, put the two underachieving principals in the best schools and see what happens. If the scores stay the same or go up, then the problem schools are definitely not the fault of the two principals.
Tomback is using Harford County as a stepping stone and he’s bringing his buddies along with him. That’s why he put his friend at the best school: so he could look good and continue his climb up the ladder, compliments of the citizens of Harford County and their children.
The whole thing smells VERY bad.
HOW ABOUT YOU ALL QUIT AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO TO PAY THE BILLS RATHER THAN SPREAD *** ON THE INTERNET?
take a break and step away from the keyboard, internet hero.
Impressions, what a load of bull. You are stating a ridiculous premise of what leadership is according to your view. I hope you aren’t in a leadership job. I am not disagreeing with Tomback’s decision, because he has the right to make such a decision. I disagree with how he handled the situation.
Monster, I don’t know what we are fighting over. You stated that you agree with Tomback’s decisions. I don’t even have a view point on the situation … Principals stay, that’s great. Prinicipals go, I don’t know. I think the only thing we disagree on is the manner in which it was handled, and the Principal’s were dragged through the mud. When I review the articles and friendly postings, It appears that an anonymous person leaked the story. It would be unfair to say the Superintendent or Principals were involved. Therefore, we should absolve both parties of wrong doing at that time. However, as the event proceeded, Mr. Szerentsits sent a letter to everyon in his community announcin his demotion, and desire to fight. At that point, we must agree that Mr. Szerensits was encouraging or at the very least aware that publicity would follow. He put him in a situation were outsiders were prievy to private personal issues. He could have retired and called it a day, or accepted the other assignment while fighting it behind closed doors.
Impressions, I did not say that I agreed with Tomback’s dismissal of the two principals. I merely stated that it was Tomback’s right and responsibility. Szerent… letter was sent after the story was placed in the paper and the dagger. Why would Szerent… leak this? Do you think he really wants to be remembered this way. I hope that Tomback is trying to find that leak. Personnel matters are confidential, and should be kept that way for all except elected officials.
Under the new teacher evaluation system mandated by Tomback, there have been more teachers given unsatisfactory evaluations than ever before. This includes many teachers who have been teaching for over twenty years and have had stellar careers. The new system is nitpicky and is focused on “procedural” rules that Tomback is mandating that all teachers must follow. Administrators have to meet a quota of teachers about which they must give negative evaluations.
All this is being done while teachers haven’t had raises in X number of years, their pension is being eroded in Annapolis, and their benefit costs are going up. They took away step increases and longevity increases.
Yes, the economy is what it is and we all have to bite the bullet; but maybe during a stretch of years of asking teachers to do more with less is not the best time to start busting their rear-ends with ridiculous mandates.This is especially true when these are the same people you are counting on to come in each day and run clubs, coach athletics, put on plays and musicals, put bands in community parades, etc, and still give the kids and their parents good experiences even though money is so tight.
I know a lot of teachers who are going to stop doing all the extras and it’s not because of the money issues. It’s because they feel disrespected and are being treated like unskilled indentured servants at the hand of the superintendent who has created this atmosphere. If I treated my students in my classroom the way he treats his employees, I wouldn’t be teaching very long, tenure or no tenure.
It’s a shame because he’s driving away a lot of people who really do love the kids at a time when kids, parents, teachers, and our communities really needs to pull together to get through this recession. His attitude has created an environment where teachers don’t want to hang out at their schools for ANY reason, any longer than they absolutely have to because the environment is so hostile.
DMICHEALS76:
How right you are. I am a teacher that no longer will volunteer for ANYTHING at my school. I love my students dearly, but one can only be kicked in the teeth for so long. I was once a teacher who took part in everything at my school…during school hours and after hours. After 30 years of a stellar career, I was given a cold and hostile observation evaluation earlier this year and was placed on a “corrective plan”. I was shocked beyond words. The principal refused my request to model what they wanted me to do differently. (Let me also say that my students have always been successful and continue to make progress. I suppose none of that matters.) It seems to matter not that a teacher continues education beyond a Master’s degree, attends workshops and conferences, volunteers for in school and after school programs, has a wonderful rapport with parents and students, has an excellent attendance history and is prompt. There is no respect as a professional in this county. I cannot retire fast enough!
DMICHEALS76:
How right you are. I am a teacher that no longer will volunteer for ANYTHING at my school. I love my students dearly, but one can only be kicked in the teeth for so long. I was once a teacher who took part in everything at my school…during school hours and after hours. After 30 years of a stellar career, I was given a cold and hostile observation evaluation earlier this year and was placed on a “corrective plan”. I was shocked beyond words. The principal refused my request to model what they wanted me to do differently. (Let me also say that my students have always been successful and continue to make progress. I suppose none of that matters.) It seems to matter not that a teacher continues education beyond a Master’s degree, attends workshops and conferences, volunteers for in school and after school programs, has a wonderful rapport with parents and students, has an excellent attendance history and is prompt. There is no respect as a professional in this county. I cannot retire fast enough!
If you have over 30 years in, it doesn’t surprise me that you got a negative evaluation. Making the work environment miserable and unfair is a much more cost effective way to squeeze people out of the system than offering a buyout. Big companies do this all the time when money gets tight. And it works; even you said that retirement couldn’t come soon enough.
What the system needs is a top flight manager. The superintendent is so far removed from the “education process” that all the skills acquired moving up in the school system are not utilized.
A manager realizes the teachers and the staff are the “tools” to hone the final product. You always take excellent care of your tools.
ALONGTHETRAIL, you have an intersting point about leadership in the county being “too far removed from the ‘educational process.'”
One of the big issues in the county, I feel, is how “big” the cental leadership has gotten. I’d like to see an elected board step in and use an outside, objective agency to examine how much money and staffing goes into the A.A. Roberty Building compared to schools.
Perhaps they could decentralize HCPS and shift staffing and resources from the administrative offices into the schools (you know, the places where kids actually learn).
BINGO!
Could somebody please tell me what an Instructional Facilitator is and what they do? I seriously don’t know, but it sounds bureaucratic to me.
Very good question.
An Instructional Facilitator is one who:
a) Facilitates instruction.
b) Gives instruction on how instruction can be facilitated.
c) Facilitates the giving of instruction on how instruction can be facilitated.
Now, to the laymen this may seem somewhat redundant, meaningless, and useless, as well as being a waste of valuable resources. However, you should understand that to those of us who are teachers, Instructional Facilitators provide a valuable service to the learning community through the facilitation of instruction (or so we’re told).
I hope this helps clarify things, although to really understand what they do and their importance to the school system, you would need a PhD in Education and an office on South Hickory Avenue.
DMICHAELS76…I actually laughed out loud on that one. That was a good description. I might have to share this with my fellow teachers so they can get a good laugh too. 🙂
The instructional facilitators help provide growth opportunities during the school day for teachers to reflect upon their practice, keep up with nation-wide practices published in professional journals, and, ultimately, become better teachers. They are responsible for planning and facilitating monthly sessions geared towards teacher collaboration during the school day (job-embedded staff development) as well as overseeing bi-monthly sessions where teachers collaborate with other teachers. They plan the school-based professional development sessions during in-service days. Many IFs play an integral role in their school’s improvement committee to help schools perform at a higher level. Additionally, a few of the instructional facilitators on the route 40 corridor planned and implemented a VERY successful multi-school professional conference called the G-4 Summit which was geared towards improving instruction and practices in schools that struggle to meet AYP each year (this conference was “dropped” when the responsibility for its planning shifted to principals).
Personally, I have found that principals are constantly observing teachers (assessing quality of instruction) and APs are inundated with day to day operation and discipline. Good IFs with a clear idea of their role serve as the “big picture” providers for a school. They look at ways that students are falling short in the classroom and provide support and guidance for teachers on how to serve all students. For schools that are having difficulty meeting AYP and schools with younger, less experienced staff bodies, instructional facilitators are a crucial part of the administrative team.
Stand and Deliver: It must be nice to have an instructional facilitator who does all that. I work at 2 different schools and both of them combined do not do hardly any of that. Lucky You!
I would bet money that Stand and Deliver is either an IF, married to an IF, or good friends with an IF. Every teacher that I have talked to all agree that the positions have no real value. They make at or near six figures and do very little that impact classroom instruction.
“impacts”
If the teachers you have spoken to all made those comments, then they work in schools with lazy and ineffective IFs. A motivated, dedicated, hardworking IF can make all the difference in the success of a school, as it does in mine. To make general statements that positions are wasteful is ridiculous. The ineffective people in the position are the waste.
GRADY, as a teacher who has been in schools with both effective and ineffective instructional facilitators, I agree that some schools can do without IFs (i.e. some of the schools that have always met AYP and have a higher percent of teachers with advanced professional certificates). Now, will those schools still benefit from the services I mentioned in my previous post? Absolutely.
For schools that struggle to meet AYP and that have a younger, less experienced staff body, they can be a valuable asset (i.e. Aberdeen, Edgewood and Joppatowne).
I would suggest you talk to individuals at those three schools about individuals who have held the position and what they bring to the table. You’ll probably get a different story.
Stand and Deliver has an excellent point. Do all schools need an IF…no. My wife teaches at a school that needs one with 16 new teachers 13 of them rookies and struggles with AYP. They have had great IF’s and they do a lot to help in the instructional piece. She said it is a shame they have to share them on an equal basis with a school that has one new teacher and has never not made AYP.
Stand and deliver- to speak of laziness and yet- presumably a teacher yourself who has time to comment on this page at 10:30 during the school day seems a contradiction- just saying.
IF’s are just another prime example of tax dollars squandered by HCPS- along with any of the following examples:
1. The costly and needless reorganization of dept. chairs
2. performance matters
3. all of the race to the top money which creates high salaried administrative positions to make sure the moeny is spent and “managed” amoung other great plans….
none of which include any solutions to benefit the teachers or students of HCPS!
Here is a novel idea- why dont we attract quality proessionals to the job in the first place by at least competing with surrounding systems, screen those candidates well and monitor their progress with administrator and supervisor evaluations (remember those content area supervisors??), hire more teachers for smaller class sizes and more individual attention for each student, and then treat these professionals as if they were professionals and let them do their jobs!!!
BECOMING BITTER, while I agree with you about the very questionable allocation of Race to the Top funds by the county, I’m not sure why the other “initiatives” you’ve mentioned can’t ALL coexist? It seems that IFs pointedly-placed in schools that need them, department chairs as in-building content specialists (who have actually taught their subject recently while content supervisors may not have taught in decades), Performance Matters, and competitive pay for a larger body of teachers aren’t mutually exclusive ideas. (The same way being a hard-working teacher and using five minutes of one’s planning period to stay informed and inform others are not mutually exclusive concepts, just saying…)
ahhhhhhh- touche and fair enough about the use of planning time..my apologies..as the name states I am a little bitter these days about the wasteful spending when my family is truly scraping by- like everyone else- but it’s more than that… my morale- like just about everyone else- is the lowest point of my career…I long for my first years as a teacher in this county when the curriculum was broad- there was freedom to explore teachable moments and things were not so prescribed that we lost any sense of creativity… I had some autonomy- and felt a degree of faith from my superiors that I was doing a great job and had their support to do the best possible job I could to instill a love of learning….sigh…
and while the ideas mentioned may not be mutually exclusive-are they cost effective and more importantly neccessary to improve learning in the classroom? do any of these measures TRULY support what you do in the classroom in a ay that makes it all worthwhile? How many teachers could be hired for the salary of one IF and therefore lower class sizes for many…and while it may seem ok on paper to change the dept. chair position -there are many problems implementing this expensive change that no one can seem to answer or address- and is the dramatic cost of reorganizing the dept chairs when we had a system in place worth the end result?? What is the justification?? How many teaching positions could be created with those figures? (Again look at how funds are allocated in this area alone from RTTT!) And the testing and performance matters- that’s another post below…but aren’t we as a system making the relatively simple solutions that would put the responsibility on the proefssional in the classroom aside for complex, expensive, and not so valid solutions and more standardization and beauracracy!??
What data warehouse would you suggest replacing performance matters with? It replaced a system in which the county had to pay someone to run scan sheets for all the county testing. Now teachers can do that job themselves and faster! Either way you need a data warehouse and they cost money!
Rhetorically speaking why DO we need a data warehouse??
And I agree that is what it is- a storage place for subjective test data- none of which, in my opinion, is relevant to a child’s true ability to be successful in the classroom or in life.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am for reasonable accountability and would support the results of valid tests and authentic assessments- but really- I don’t need scores and tables of data to tell me what my students’ weaknesses are- that is what I was trained to do in my education and what I work to diagnose and correct in my classes every day.
And the tests are faulty- designed by the county and not the teacher- and worst of all there is too much of it!! Tests every quarter from the county, the more important teacher tests for their own classrooms which are relegated to the least important, and HSA’s- and for what- to go in the data warehouse that most of us- in reality- don’t have the TIME to use as a teaching tool???!!
All this testing is to the detriment of true standards and higher order thinking- we are killing creativity in the classroom and helping to foster mediocrity…
But that’s all beside the point, perhaps- maybe we should just look at the COST- or the fact that we are changing/upgrading to a new program next year, aren’t we?? I thought that was what I heard??? And didn’t Cecil County abandon PM before we ever signed on to even use it as an ineffective program??
And finally–how in the world did we EVER function for the first ten years of my teaching career (and for hundreds of years before that) and educate people without all this prescription and testing and data warehousing???!!! If PERFORMANCE truly matters then we need a better way to measure it, and that begins in the classroom.
Think about the reduntant predessors of performance matters. Before to collect much of the data in it you had 3 programs to consult and had to do much of the data analysis by hand performance matters consolidated those and scantron. You can write your own tests according to my wife. She does so all the time. She uses performance matters to score them and look at the questions and ones kids missed most to determine if reteaching is needed or if it is a bad question. She used to take those green scantrons and have to tally them which took much more time.
Don’t get me wrong there are other data warehouses out there. but this is putting all the data that used to have to be accessed in 3 data warehouses and rolls it into one.
Becoming Bitter, Thank you so much for your wonderful and intelligent comments about the school system. I too have taught in the county for many years and have the same reaction to the changes taking place, espcially the new evaltuations. We were told at least 5 times in faculty meetings, professional development meetings and dept. meetings that we better read the steps to a good evaluation and follow them. However it was drilled into us make sure the objective is on the board and it better be a valid one. Do they honestly think that we went to school for 7 years to become a teacher and we do not know how to write a good objective. That is totally insulting to the teachers in the county. The other point they stressed was make sure that we demonstrate that the students learned the lesson.
The principals told us that is all they are looking for. Sad that they are not really interested on all the great things that are taking place in our classrooms. It is a shame that they are forcing the great and experienced teachers out of the schools and I truly believe I am one of those because I love teaching the students. God bless you!
Just wondering if anyone has been to Joppatowne High recently? I for one have 2 children there, one that has just graduated last night and another that still has 2 years left. The students there are out of control. They have no respect for any of the administration there! Mr. Tucker unfortunately is one of those that the students just ignore whatever he says. They proved that last night at graduation. The worst graduation that I have ever witnessed. I can state that of all those there the only ones that any of the students listen to is either Mr. Mack or Mr. Harbert. Wondering why one of those was not promoted into the principal position?
My husband is a former Joppatowne graduate and he himself is ashamed of what the school has become!! Every other day it seems that my children come home and tell about a fight of some kind that has occurred there. Joppatowne used to be a good place to raise your children, the schools are making families want to leave Joppatowne. There have been several students that I know of that have changed schools and have now moved away or transferred to Catholic/Private schools! Something has and MUST change at that school. I am wondering what the school will become now? I have 3 other children that will have to go there and that scares me!