From the Harford County Board of Education:
The Board of Education of Harford County met for an open business meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 13, 2013, in the Board Room of the HCPS/A.A. Roberty Building and took the following actions and received the following presentations:
Appointed Barbara P. Canavan as interim superintendent of Harford County Public Schools, effective July 1, 2013. In addition, the Board approved the contract for Mrs. Canavan’s one-year term.
Approved the Consent Agenda:
1. Affirmation of Monthly Contracts
2. Minutes of Previous Board Meeting: April 22, 2013
3. Contract Award: HVAC Replacement at Prospect Mill Elementary School
4. Contract Award: Manufacturer Direct Juice Products
Approved the recommendation of earning high school credit for World Language courses taken in middle school.
Received a presentation on changes to the following HCPS Board Policies. The first four items will be held over for a minimum of 30-days for public comment.
1. Presentation on Absence of the Principal (recommended for deletion)
2. Presentation on Emergency Procedures of Public Schools (recommended for deletion)
3. Presentation on Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders (recommendation for deletion)
4. Presentation on Student Control and Classroom Management (recommendation for deletion)
5. Tabled the decision on the advertising policy.
Received a presentation of the Quarterly Financial Report for the Period Ending March 31, 2013.
Received the Superintendent’s Report, which included:
1. Congratulated Barbara Canavan on her appointment and Principal Blaine Hawley on her appointment as Zone 3 Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
2. A reminder announcement of the cost-saving measure of a four-day work week during the summer of 2013.
3. Announced the appointments and transfers of several administrative positions for the 2013-14 school year that. A full list can be found below:
The next Board of Education business meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. All Board meetings are held at the A.A. Roberty Building in Bel Air. To access all future Board meeting dates, log onto the school system website at www.hcps.org.
I’m shocked to see there isn’t going to be a new principal at Aberdeen High School! Shame on all of you!!!!
I could not agree with you more! Interesting thing is that several people have told me that when they have tried to give you and Concerned Teacher a “thumbs up” on your comment it wouldn’t register.
I see the thumbs down button works, well at least for my comments, LOL.
As if Aberdeen HS didn’t have enough administrative issues, now the one AP that the school had who consistently had the respect of the students and the trust of the teaching staff is being moved. Best wishes to Ms. Cooper in her new position at Fallston HS, and I hope she soon gets the Principal position she deserves, but I feel bad for next year’s teaching staff.
Interesting that I got 20 thumbs downs without a single written reply to my thoughts. Not sure what to make of that.
Hm, not as much of a purge as I was expecting…
Oh, good, so more advertising in schools is being tabled instead of thrown out, where it belongs.
Pretty soon we’re going to be putting promotional materials in the classrooms, just like the simpsons:
http://stolensoul666.buzznet.com/user/video/2657881/bolognium/
Once again good things leave the Route 40 corridor with nothing good to replace them! Classic HCPS!!!! Who is taking Canavan’s job?
WHAT ABOUT ABERDEEN MIDDLE? They have an open position and the school needs… wel … anything!
I totally agree. I have no issues with most of the teachers in the building. This administration is horrible – and has been for a long time. I can’t speak for the assistant principal that started this year, but the rest need to go. This principal must have some dirt on someone. Can’t believe she has been able to stay there this long.
I can speak about the new AP at AMS, Ms.White, she is awesome! I was scared to death to send my 6th grader to that school due to the horrible administration, but didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Ms.White has shown me personally how much she truly cares about the students at AMS. I just hope she doesn’t get pushed out like Ms.Cooper did at AHS.
Thank you for the update. I hope the school gets more like her.
Ms. Cooper did not get pushed out of AHS. Those decisions are made by the Executive Directors and the Superintendent. As an administrator, you understand that you serve at the discretion of the Superintendent and he moves people as he sees fit. It is extremely unfortunate that Ms. Cooper is being moved. I’m pretty sure that everyone on the staff, including the APs and the Principal would agree with all of us on that. She is one of the finest Assistant Principals I’ve ever been associated with. While those in charge of schools do have some power, they aren’t quite given that much latitude….thankfully.
Just the facts, I agree that Ms.Cooper does a good job, hence why I am sad to see her leave Aberdeen. I wish I could believe and agree with the other things you stated, because that is how the system is to work. The facts are HCPS’s own polices and procedures have been ignored and not followed by the Executive Directors, Superintendent, and many other administrators. I understand if you don’t believe it, I probably wouldn’t either if I wasn’t experiencing it first hand.
I am hoping that as the first order of business, Ms Canavan will reinstate Tom Szerensits as a principal, hopefully at AHS where he has done so much good! I will be sending her an email with everything Tom worked with the brand new PTA and me, as a parent, on. He is truly one of the best and always puts the kids first!
Save your energy and apply it elsewhere. Not a cause worth taking up given the turn around at that school
Well said, Hcps.
What turn around are you referring to? Please share specifics .
Why the thumbs down, it’s just a simple question?
A certain someone is probably running around to different computers and giving you a thumbs down.
All you are asking for is clarification- which is valid.
If you are going to give my question a thumbs down, please at least answer it.
Malleng428, thank you! What you said is sad but probably true. It is probably the same certain someone that called me a dolt for advocating for my child.
Typical to see a real shuffle of the cards. Can the route 40 schools please have some “real leaders” that actually have leadership skills. Note: leadership skills aren’t taught in a masters degree…it’s time HCPS actually hire leaders and not washed up educators!!!! What about moving Santos, Brown, Krantz and the clown at AHS to the north and hire someone that can lead and inspire our youth!!!!!! Wake up, just because you have a doctorate or masters in education, does NOT make you a leader!!!!!
What about parents inspiring the youth???
What is the reason for giving “concerned teacher” a thumbs down response?
And Stallings as an AP?!??!?! Baahahahhahahahahhahahahaha.
She hits ‘reply all’ to every email because she’s an idiot.
Well said Hardford Resident!!!!!!!
Malleng428, what exactly does “Baahahahhahahahahhahahahaha” mean? English please!! I have worked with Stallings and I think she was a wonderful teacher and administrator. It’s good to finally see some diversity in Harford County’s administration team. By the way, it’s not a bad thing to hit “reply to all”. Wouldn’t you want to be included in an email if it pertains to you?
@HELPTHEYOUTH- Good luck with helping the youth when you don’t know the meaning of ‘bahaha…’
“Alternative method of saying haha, more likely to create the impression of laughing harder ” urbandictionary.com
“Reply all” is a bad thing when it’s about your personal lunch order requests. I don’t personally care what she wants for lunch. Would you want to be included in that email? Does that apply to you?
Being a good worker is not an indicator of future success as an administrator or manager.
Unfortunately, the Peter Principle applies and some wonderful teachers are promoted to AP, only to be in over their heads and then never get sent back to the classroom where they are most useful to HCPS and the community as a whole.
Reply-all is a major office faux pas.
I’ve almost given up hope for Edgewood Middle School. Ms. Brown’s only strategy for improvement is to place staff members on a Plan of Assistance. She takes NO responsibility to assist teachers nor does the IF. Why doesn’t the leadership team at Central Office take notice and make changes? The military leadership is well aware of the problems at this school and find private education for their sons and daughters. The children of EMS deserve better. Parents speak up and demand outstanding teachers and role models for your children.
Those outstanding role models need to first come from the parents.
I find it interesting that everyone is searching for new, inspiring teachers that will be role models for our up and coming citizens, yet we are not paid what we are worth. With a Master’s degree in my content area there are many other jobs that would pay me much better that I am tempted to seek, however I stay year after year for the kids.
What do the citizens of this county expect? Why would quality teachers and leaders come to this county and stay in this county if we are not given the steps and pay increases that we were promised upon hiring? At what point is Harford County going to wake up and realize that you have to invest in education?!
It seems as though a lot of citizens are concerned over administration and leadership but where are you when the county executive does not pass the budget? I hope that you are not one of the ignorant writers commenting on how teachers only work 7 hour days and have their summers off. (No real, good teacher does this!)
*This is not directed at anyone on this board… it is just a comment directed at the community as a whole.
Also, I would like to say that Santos does her job here at EDHS. If you are a bad teacher than no, you probably dont like her. She holds teachers accountable. That is why EDHS has a high turnover rate. She does not settle for mediocrity.
I’ll preface by stating that nothing here is meant to be derogatory or condescending, and I’ll do my best to see that it doesn’t come across in any such manner.
You ask why quality teachers would come to this county and stay even if not given step and pay increases; you also state that teachers aren’t paid what they are worth and that you could earn much more in another profession, but you still come back to teach year after year.
I think in a sense, you can probably answer your own question based on your own statement. You are paid less than you feel you are worth, less than you know you can make elsewhere, yet you are one of those whose motive for doing so you are questioning. Why do you come back? Why do you accept getting paid less? Your answers to those questions are probably much the same as many other teachers. They love their students; they feel a “calling”; they think of their job as more than a paycheck; they are less concerned with how much they make than how much impact they can make.
The whole world does not operate based on such humanistic criteria, and those who are more business minded know that they can pay less without losing dedicated individuals such as yourself. This mentality has become so ingrained in the public psyche that teaching is one of the few jobs/professions that the expectation of pay raises and better benefits by the labor force is viewed with utter disdain. A professional athlete, an attorney, a surgeon, an airline pilot, a plumber…all are welcome to earn as much as they can for themselves based on their experience and expertise, and no one questions their financial motives. But a teacher who wants a better paycheck is viewed poorly, because they are more interested in their own gain than that of their students.
Hope this makes sense!