From Randy Cerveny, President of Harford County Education Association (HCEA):
To the editor:
Monday night over 60 teachers took a stand to maintain high quality schools for the students of Harford County. Dressed in black, 6 teachers spoke about their relationship with their students and the need for adequate resources to help our children raise the ceiling on student achievement.
We must do what’s right for Harford County’s students by investing in our schools and children’s future. Research has shown that the quality of education a student receives depends on the relationship between the teacher and student in the classroom. We need to take the necessary steps to retain today’s high quality staff and recruit tomorrow’s outstanding educators.
Over the last decade our schools’ share of the county budget has decreased nearly 6%. Student performance has mirrored the educational funding of the County. As funding levels have decreased so has student performance. In 2006 we had 0 schools not making AYP and in 2011 there are 14 schools not making AYP. We cannot allow this trend to continue.
All members of the public who are interested in maintaining our high quality of education, please contact the Harford County Public Schools Board of Education at 410-838-7300 and the Harford County Council at 410-638-3343 and urge them to invest in our schools.
Sincerely,
Randy Cerveny
President of Harford County Education Association (HCEA)
Please stop trying to bring up issues that deal with funding. You seem to think performance is tied to money. How many students are making the grade without a decrease in funds. Amazing that you can still make claims of funding and you couldn’t even get the bonus passed. Please do not insult us, again.
How many are not making it because of funding. Will you be willing to accept that if funding continues to be reduced like it is since the system will be asked to do more with the same you will see the institution of transportation fees like they have in Texas or Pay to Play for Sports and other extra curriculars like other counties have or lab and materials fees for AP courses? These are all possibilities Especially if the Labor Board forces HCPS to honor the deal they made last year and they do not recieve extra funding to off set the money it will cost.
Parent,
I agree that funding and results are not ties hand and hand… However the more teachers are beaten down by a BOE tht does not act with integrity and treat its employees FAIRLY then the level of commitment from teachers will go down along with performance.
Those are facts!
Things like clubs, intramurals, tutoring, innovative lessons and more will be long gone.
Teachers aren’t asking to be rich but simply be able to have their contracts upheld… If they don’t meet their end of the contract they are terminated and black listed. But when the county doesn’t carry their weight the teachers most of whom can’t afford to live in the county are told to shut up and deal… Pathetic
Eureka! Now I know why older people are so “dumb”, it’s because funding was much less than today. Phew, I’ve been trying to figure that out!
Gosh, if it wasn’t for unions I wouldn’t know what to think!
B
Hey, we may never be the best funded school system but are we shooting for last? 16th is not good enough and the kids, as well as, the community are suffering. When the rest of the state is investing more, Mr. Craig is short-changing schools he can keep an $80,000,000.00 rainy day fund. That seems like a lot of rain…Meanwhile, back in reality every time it rains it is time for the bucket brigade in many of our underfunded schools. Our kids deserve better. Fund the schools Mr. Craig!
How about we fire Burbey and give his allotment to other teachers.
Yes, much more funding! Ipads for everyone!
It could save money on paper and copiers. There is a school in Baltimore county which uses none of those because the kids have i-pads!
Not to mention if the rainy day fund is for a rainy day and this does not qualify as a rainy day……what does?
How many teachers showed up at the CE budget hearing? Less than a handful with most of those HCEA Executive Board members. If you can’t get a thousand teachers out to demand funding you need to close up shop.
To be honest, during those county budget hearings, most of us are still working. Coaching, extra-curricular clubs, grading papers, planning quality lessons for the next day, examining student data to inform our instruction, working a 2nd/3rd/4th job, or spending a rare night during the week with family. We put our families and students ahead of defending ourselves and what we think we are actually worth.
We need you to come out!!!
I coach 2 sports and cannot make the meetings. If they start cutting more funds noone will be coaching or sponsoring clubs. Wake up BOE we do more than we have to but if you keep pushing us we will work to the rule, No clubs, no tutoring, no national honor society etc.
Then how is it that county funding has also decreased during this same time period yet county employees have stepped up to ensure that services to the public were not adversely affected! More money does not always equate to better performance!
Services to the public have been affected.
Look at the days DSS had to close and the Sherrifs had to field all those calls and reports!
OK OK Randy!! If we accept your statement as fact…..With the $1250 recent bonus, how much improvement should we expect?
Hey, $1,250 hasn’t even been paid and you do know that the County Executive made it very clear that this was a no strings attached thank you…It was not school funding.
Ryan,
I am still trying to figure out whether you can’t put together a posting that has one rational and cogent thought in it or if you missed your true calling as a comedy writer. While Harford County has a good school system generally if any of my children were in just one of your classes I would yank them the same day and they would be enrolled in a private school by sundown. Your thought process and your postings have done more to reflect poorly on public school teachers than anything I have ever seen or read. Whenever I think of public school teachers the name Ryan Burbey immediately comes to my mind first and if they are all like you then I don’t care if they ever get a raise. Based solely on what you have said publicly on Dagger I wouldn’t want my kids anywhere near you or any teacher that acts and thinks like you do.
Well, that would be very sad for your children because, I am an exceptional teacher. I don’t teach children to think what I think.
I teach them to read, to write, to look critically at text and to develop their own ideas but support them with text references and facts. I teach children to study and work hard and want more for themselves. I demand that my children, both my students and my own sons, do the very best that they can, always. I teach children to be polite to one another and to respect the contributions of generations past and to respect the sacrifice of our military.
But your best quality is your modesty, Ryan.
Remember, if you don’t pat yourself on the back, nobody else will – and your excellent benefits package includes medical coverage in case you pull a muscle doing it.
WOW! Not only do you deserve a huge raise, you should get some kind of commendation letter, trophy and gift.
I’m pretty sure that you spend most of your time on the Dagger Press message boards trying to find new ways to attach David Craig
sorry attack
Ryan only writes insulting comments about our elected officials because he wants to have a good working relationship with them for the next time he has to negotiate for the people he represents. By saying terrible things about them, he will have the upper hand and they will be responsive to his demands. Have faith teachers, Ryan will make sure you get it in the end.
Way to go Ryan because Phil Dirt just needs to put his kids in private school if he does not like public schools. I do not know you personally but have heard you are a great teacher. Let him try the private schools where he gets teachers who are not certified and if they get in trouble good luck! Just support educators and stop trying to undermine us. The teachers of Harford County and Randy Cerveny (who I had the pleasure of working with) only wants what the teachers deserve.
Is it insulting to write the truth? I don’t negotiate with Mr. Craig. I am an employee of the BoE. I don’t think I have insulted anyone. If Mr. Craig or anyone else is insulted, perhaps, they should change their policy.
ratemyteacher.com Look up BURBEY. Your students don’t agree Ryan.
Alex R. Just put your kids in private schools and shut up. Your children would be lucky to have Mr. Burby as a teacher! Our schools are terrific and we have well qualifed teachers but what we need is parental and community support.
Engineer,
Teachers will indeed get it in the end. The question is which end?
Ryan is the little monkey at the end of Organ Grinder Cerveny’s string that draws attention from the real issues. The first real issue is that people in Harford County are paying enough taxes already and they are unwilling to pay more. Not for any reason. If the County and the BOE can figure a way to re-allocate existing funding to get more for education that the voters will accept then well and good.
The second real issue is that the Dem/Libs in Annapolis would like very much to shift expenses from Annapolis to Harford and other counties in the form of teacher pension costs without shifting revenue. If that happens then there will be less money available for teacher compensation and other costs of education. Too bad. That is between the HCEA and O’Malley and friends. The HCEA enthusiastically supports the Dem/libs so let them work it out. Not another dime from me.
Alex- Fiscal conservatives support the shift too. Several Republicans in the past have supported the shift. It is not a liberal or Democratic idea. It is a conservative idea. Counties should pay for at least a share of the pension. Why should all taxpayers be forced to pay more because Montgomery County decides to give an 8% raise to teachers who are already making $103,000 a year? However, the shift should be phased in with a revenue shift to at least offset the current liability. Other variables such as baseline coverage vs growth should be on the table. As a Harford County taxpayer, I should be held accountable to pay my bills for services. However, I should not have to pay for services that I do not receive and are provided to residents of other counties. I have no problem paying for quality services that Harford County provides me. As a fiscal conservative, I support smaller yet effective government. I have very little respect for those who do not pay their bills or fail to honor a contract. My mother used to say, “If you can’t afford it son, then don’t buy it”.
Your mother was a smart woman. I am not against the shift but I am against the shift without the revenue transfer which is what is being proposed. I also want the shift to include total control of the funds.
Mr. R,
While I fear responding to you will only encourage you to write more nonsensical ravings, I am not anyone’s monkey or on anyone’s string. I am fighting in every way I know how to get better school for my kids, both my students and my sons. I am citizen and I pay my share of taxes but would gladly pay more if it were dedicated to schools. Likewise, I have been highlighting how Mr. Craig has cried poor to his citizens and workers, while simultaneously telling bond agencies the opposite and endorsing hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Is that a conservative, balanced government? I am highlighting the falsehood of the continuing austerity argument. The rainy day fund is projected to reach $80,000,000.00 this year. Yet, our schools and students are suffering. Mr. Craig and his top advisors make over $100,000/year each. Did they take furloughs? Have they trimmed their pay?
@Ryan Burbey – “I am citizen and I pay my share of taxes but would gladly pay more if it were dedicated to schools.”
You can write a check to the county or directly to the school district today if you like. In fact you can get all your like minded friends to write checks as well.
See… there’s the problem with that… there are few like minded people interested in the services provided by the state county and federal government. As a consequence, if someone feels they don’t have to do their fair share, they will be happy to let someone else do it for them. I mean we keep telling you about the disparity in care and concern for the well being of others in the world but you still seem to be fixated on your immediate needs. And people are permitted to add an amount to their taxes to pay down the national debt – the only problem is the rest of us just don’t want to pay what we owe or what we should.
Oh my, I actually agree with you Porter. I would pay an offset to reduce national debt. How do you feel about the fact that while crying poor our county executive is racking up millions in bond debt and hoarding away an enormous rainy day fund?
You must not work because you are on here every day of the week. We have all seen your negative and spiteful comments on every issue. Get a job and complain to your boss. If you do not like the schools or the county-move and send your kids to private schools. Smile and try to stop complaning and do not sweat the small things or those you cannot change.
Relax and enjoy life@
@TEACHERHCPS
you are too stupid to teach, please quit.
Teacherhcps, I access the internet just like everyone else around here. And I also work. How about the next time you decide to have an inservice and close the schools so you can attend it, we instead move it to the middle of summer when you do not work? That way my son and all the other kids can attend school, when it’s supposed to be in session, and get an education from you enlightened individuals. Or would that upset you terribly to work a full year for the money you get paid?
I do when I buy materials that I need for my classroom.
Likewise, HCEA does not enthusiastically support anyone. We vote on who to support. It is all based on democracy. HCEA, MSEA and NEA are all democratic, little d, organizations we endorse candidates who support public education and we vote on it. Any teacher who wants a voice in who the union supports need only be a member and run for office, delegate or building rep. It really is that simple. If you Mr. R are a teacher in Harford County and you want a voice in the union then join. Otherwise, you have no standing to criticize from the sideline.
Ryan,
Please tell me which Republican candidates, by name and amount, that the HCEA has endorsed in the past 3 elections. By name and amount, please. Then please tell me the total amount spent on political campaigns so I can see what the percentage is. Of course, if I don’t see spome semblance of a balance then the HCEA is just a shill for the Dem/Libs so drop the masquerade.
Love your Facebook postings. It gives me some insight in to the real you.
I am not aware of us supporting any candidates in the last election. Please tell me who the pro-education Republican candidates are.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Although, it should be private. I am not exactly sure how you are seeing it but I have nothing to hide and I don’t post anything hateful.
Dagger Readers – Check out Ryyan BBBurbey’s hateful facebook postings. He is nothing more than a mouth for far left-wing views and union redistribution of taxpayer wealth.
I read the Dagger article on Harford County 5 finalists for teacher of the year. I suggest everyone read it carefully noting who is and who is not on the list.
the above comment was meant for David POrter
David Porter the comment about not working is for you
Hey sweetie… do you teach in HCPS and do you teach my son? If so tell me how such a malicious hateful person as yourself is allowed to work around children. Are you on medication during the day that permits you to interact with them without becoming a narcissist? Why are you posting here and taking personal potshots – while I am directing my comments at the issues being discussed? You can disagree with me, but your personal attack is little more than an indication of your lowered self esteem and your need to soothe your own ego at someone else’ expense. Seek counseling. And a job in the service sector.
D Porter – If I were a betting man, I would bet that most of these people aren’t really teachers. This is an anonymous board. Several sound like the same nut jobs who respond on other boards. They use twenty different names and take all sides of every issue. This is the pretend world not the real world. Don’t take them so seriously. However, they sure are entertaining!