Harford County Board of Education President Nancy Reynolds made the following public comments at County Executive David Craig’s fiscal year 2015 budget hearing held on November 25th at Fallston High School. A copy was provided to The Dagger for publication.
· County Executive Craig and members of the cabinet, I thank you for the opportunity to address you this evening on behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Education in support of the more than 5,400 employees and approximately 38,000 children that make Harford County Public Schools the excellent education system that our community expects and deserves.
· As you know, I currently serve as the President of the Board of Education of Harford County. Having spent majority of my career as an educator and administrator in this county for more than 31 years, I have been afforded many opportunities to see, firsthand, the effects adequate funding, or lack of funding, can have on an educational system.
· Throughout the economic downturn, the school system has been reducing the budget by making cuts that have had minimal impact to the classroom until this year. As referenced by the impact of the critical decisions we had to make this year, we have arrived at a point where we can no longer maintain our current level of services with the funding provided.
· Since fiscal year 2009, the school system has eliminated 240 positions while enrollment has only decreased an average of 154 students per year (or a total of 769 students). This may seem inconsequential to some but the fact remains that while the number of students may have slightly decreased, the needs of our students and the demands for accountability from the state and federal government has increased and continues to increase each year regardless of funding.
· In addition to the $13.1 million in positions cut, we have incorporated cost-saving measures and sustainability efforts that have a realized a savings of $14.4 million over the last five years. We continue to review and analyze initiatives that will allow us to conduct the business of education more effectively and efficiently. Our current superintendent has opened up the budget process to the community and asked for even greater participation than ever before. As a Board, we look forward to reviewing the input provided by the community and incorporating thoughtful measures, where possible.
· With all this said, our employees have been suffering the effects of the economy and the lack of adequate funding of the school system budget requests. Our employees have not received salary increases or longevity adjustments in four of the last five years putting HCPS in a perilous position in terms of attracting the best and the brightest to educate our children. We must provide a competitive compensation package in order to attract and retain the best educators and staff. In addition, our inability to fund adequate salary adjustments for our staff has left our employees feeling as though their Board of Education, their community and their elected officials do not appreciate their efforts on behalf of our children.
· We realize that you have a difficult job ahead of you in developing a budget that reflects the needs of our county. We are confident that you, the leader of our county, want to do what is best for our youth and we hope to assist you in that effort.
· The job that our teachers perform each day for our students with passion, care and concern, is critical to every other career that keeps our county running efficiently and making Harford County a great place to live, play and work. Without that foundation, not only does our county’s economy suffer but our children suffer.
· Knowing you have a difficult task ahead of you, I, on behalf of my colleagues, request that you support the children of this county by helping us maintain the rigorous and meaningful education that generations of students have been afforded. We respectfully request that you fully-fund the education budget this school year. Our children are counting on you.
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From Harford County government:
County Executive Hosts Informative Budget Input Session
Roughly 250 citizens attended the County Executive’s annual Budget Input Session held last night at Fallston High School, with approximately 60 people addressing the County Executive, Director of Administration, County Treasurer, and Budget Manager.
“I thank all of the county citizens who spoke at and attended this year’s budget hearing,” County Executive Craig remarked. “Before we begin to craft the budget for the coming year, it is vital that we hear from citizens regarding what they would like to see funded.”
In the past, the public input session had typically been held in January. This year, the Administration decided to hold it in November to allow for public comment before the budget begins to take shape.
County Executive Craig continued, “This year we heard from many public school teachers and parents who shared their desire for more county funds to be allocated to the Board of Education. We also heard from advocates for Parks & Rec programs, as well as a representative of the Deputy Sheriff’s Union.”
“Over the next few months I and my staff will formulate the FY 2015 budget taking into consideration the comments received from citizens at this hearing. We will also be taking into consideration county revenues, increases in the costs of doing business, and budget requests from county departments and outside agencies.”
“As always, we must balance the divergent wants and needs of our community with the resources provided by our county’s taxpayers. I appreciate and value the comments provided at the input session and throughout the upcoming budget process,” County Executive Craig concluded.
For more information on the county’s budget, visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/budget.
Craig, “We will also be taking into consideration county revenues, increases in the costs of doing business, and budget requests from county departments and outside agencies.”
DECODE: Keep dreaming! You’ll get less this year despite the fact that other county departments were not at the meeting providing public feedback in the same volume.
ahhhh, yes…there are a couple hundred members of the sheriffs office who would have liked to been there to voice their “feedback”…however, due to internal repercussions of having any kind of voice in the matter most have to stay quiet! and yes you would think the sheriffs union would have some sort of discussion with Craig about the budget…..unfortunately there is a heavy lack of confidence between the union and its members at this time which has been ongoing for years now! we can only hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Teachers fear reprecussions too. There are 3500 hcps employees, all talking about the issue, and only 70 (2%) publically speaking. Those few are very brave.
I worked in HCPS for nine years at HHS and I LOVED my job my co-workerS and my chief….The admin there were awesome my reason for leaving had nothing to do with where I was it h everything to do with where the money is and I found a short little trip across the river was what was in store for…better money,opportunities and the steps that I should at Cecil saw to that:) Also they sent me to boilers traing I miss all the kids and all the little dramabut I am happy where I am MISS U HHS
No money for teachers, but plenty of money to build a new Havre de Grace high school.
You people are so ******* stupid.
Very interesting thing I’ve noticed. The Argis/Sun paper report 175 people attended, and Harford County Govt reports 250. Meanwhile, WMAR reported nearly 500 people attended. What’s the deal? Or should I say agenda?
Excuse me Aegis
It was definitely closer to 500. There were people standing! If you want to know the Aegis angle read today’s editorial. I think the editors don’t want to pay for the schools because they have no school age children.
The Aegis is owned by the sun which will be sold to some concervative group soon.
What is your point? Do you believe the editorial staff of the Aegis is pivoting from their previous liberal views and statements to a conservative view in an attempt to save their jobs if bought by a conservative group?
I don’t think the Aegis was ever liberal but they are probably playing it safe until Tribune is bought!
Doesn’t say much for the integrity of the Aegis editorial staff does it?
Can’t happen soon enough for me.
Ms. Reynolds,
Get HCPS to cut the incredible waste, bureaucracy and duplication. Give that saved money to teachers to make up for some of what they lost. Then initiate individual teacher evaluation and remove those relatively few that don’t perform. Then talk to me about more money. If you don’t want to do that or can’t do that then I’m not interested in your problems. I sent my children to private school so they would receive a great education in an appropriate environment and still supported HCPS with my state and local tax money.
Cdev and Because, if you think there is no waste then dream on.
My dear Alex you do not subscribe to the prevailing progressive wisdom and I want you in our big tent.
We don’t worry about deficits, taxation or waste since there is little waste in our progressive world in that salaries, pensions and benefits are derivatives of what some might call waste and we do this for the children and society.
Yes progressivism does call on taxpayers to fund more education and government but that’s okay and fits the plan.
So come on aboard with us, you know we are on a winning path. What do you say?
I am sure there is some waste but not the amount you state. Please identify it if you think it is there!
Cdev you and Ryan Burbey understand progressivism and how we can never retreat from growing and providing generous salaries and benefits to teachers and government workers.
Thank you for leading the discussion on progressive growth in society.
No , I understand supply and demand ! I understand that given a choice Cecil And Baltimore County are more attractive to new teachers because they pay more and have honored their contract. I understand a substantial portion of our teachers are close to retiring!
@Hollee…I certainly hope you are not teaching English to our children.
If you reread Hollee’s post, you will notice that there was a mention of boiler training. That particular training, which costs a lot and often is not reimbursed by HCPS, is usually for custodians who want to move up and take on more responsibility. Based on that comment, it would probably be safe to assume that Hollee is not a classroom teacher.
Thank you to Mrs. Reynolds! Those who crush Burbey (and rightly so most of the time) cannot argue simple facts. Those facts are that we are near the bottom in teacher salaries, near the bottom in per pupil funding, and near the top in county wealth. Those numbers simply do not make any sense. Notice how Montgomery County is near the top in all 3? It is time the citizens and leadership realized that without education none of their jobs or lifestyles would exist. Those fundamentals start in our schools which will be crippled by another year of underfunding.
Money Tree
So if we spend more tax money on HCPS what measurable improvement in educational outcomes would you expect?
You have the same teachers. So if you think by paying more we’d get better teachers that must mean we don’t have the best teachers today?
By your accounting Montgomery County must have the best teachers.
Here is what Montgomery County Public Schools says:
What We Believe
“You will be part of something really important—fashioning the future for our students and our community. MCPS’s core values are based on the belief that all students have the right to excellent schools that will (and do) fully prepare them for life beyond 12th grade. When you work with us, you join an exciting and successful team of extraordinary colleagues and have many opportunities for growth and life long learning.”
“You will earn some of the highest salaries in the Washington metro area—and the country—no matter what your job is. MCPS recognizes the value of your contribution to its success, so we compensate you accordingly. “Salary is important to me. If I don’t have to worry about paying the bills, I can focus better on my work,” said one second-year middle school teacher.”
“The Montgomery County community values its great public schools. The community appreciates that hard work deserves to be compensated and that our students are successful because of that hard work. So the salaries in the district are extremely competitive and among the highest in the country for public school employees.”
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/careers/is-mcps-for-you.aspx
What would happen to ” measurable improvement in educational outcomes” if HCPS were ever able to make such a statement? What would happen to home values, business revenues, etc. if Harford County Public Schools was ever afforded the funding necessary to truly compete?
Burbey
If taxpayers give HCPS more money the status quo will be maintained. And you’ll be back again asking for more and teachers & HCPS will be doing the same job they’re doing today.
Curious. . . What do you know about being a teacher?
spy
What do you know about do you know first hand about space travel?
Let’s see when you don’t have an argument look to discredit your opponent.
Nice try.
I am with Burbey on teachers getting more pay and increased pension and health care benefits.
This is a progressive educational arms race where we pit different counties and states against each other to raise teacher compensation. We must point out that the lower paid jurisdictions are inferior and the higher paid ones superior and if we must qualify and justify educational underperforming districts the argument must be get more funding.
Progressives should take every opportunity to make taxpayers feel guilty for not paying enough taxes and not giving more money to schools…remember it’s about the children, say it loud and say it proud.
Progressives can win on emotion especially with women who worry for the children and when confronted will go for higher taxation to benefit their children.
Hurray for Burbey!
HCPS is 22nd in teacher salaries, 18th in cost per pupil, 16th in textbooks/instructional materials, 15th in special ed costs, 24th in student services. Yet the MSA reading and math scores for HCPS exceed the state average by 4%, and SAT mean scores for reading and math exceed both state and federal scores. HCPS is ranked 9th in the state in academics, in a state ranked #1 in academics.
So, let’s say you are right, that HCPS doesn’t have THE BEST teachers in the state. But they do rank 9th in academics, so they must have AT LEAST the 9TH best teachers! So PAY THEM THE 9TH BEST in the state! And for OUR teachers, that would mean a HUGE pay increase!
Pay for performance, right? Well it looks to me like they are performing. NOW PAY THEM!
Exactly, if we could give 1 more dollar to a child, let’s do it. We need take wealth and disperse it to teachers, who are the most important role model to a child. A teacher is way more important than a guardian, let’s pay them so.
Uh… and Ron Leboy Jenkins
You are being perfect progressives this is the rhetoric that works. Unknowing parents will emotionally connect with this style of persuasion and willingly vote to raise taxes.
Hurray for Burbey
Unfortunately teachers, counselors, and administrators are sometimes forced into the role of surrogate guardian because the real ones are either unavailable or fail in their responsibilities.
seriously?
We must put more faith and money into government to help the children.
We must promote the progressive ideal. We cannot trust parents to do the right thing we trained educators to guide adolescent development.
It matters little to me. Right now it’s been 5 years without the steps that belong to me and I don’t care if they raise your taxes one wit – the contracts were signed and the taxpayers are not in compliance. Nothing in the contract says I’m required to perform at all – I just need to show up and breathe and read from the new Obamacore program books and the money rightfully belongs to me. Teachers get tired of all the whining about performance. So what that we spend twice as much on education today as in 1970 per child. So what if the SAT scores have been sliding ever since, this is about my steps that you owe me. By the way I’ll work up to early June and then lay around the pool while you hump your azz to work to pay for my steps that belong to me.
Someone else using the Money Tree moniker?
The great thing is that you DON’T have to “hump your azz to work” while teachers “lay around the pool”. YOU TOO can be a teacher! I looked on the Towson University website earlier today, and guess what? They are STILL offering degrees in education! So, since in your view teachers have it so good, the pay and the benefits, zero accountability for performance, summers off, etc, I think the only question is “why aren’t you a teacher?” I know if I saw a job that was high paying, low pressure, minimal time committment, I would jump at it. Why aren’t you? Plus, you seem to have expertise in the area of what teachers should teach, how they should teach it, etc. I mean, think about it…you could even do the “Teach for America” thing, where you can get a job in a poor performing inner-city school in the middle of a poverty district where great teachers are apparently sorely needed! What are you waiting for? The gravy train is waiting for you to hop on board!
Yeah let’s go back to 1970…..seperate but equal and putting handicap people in special schools really works well!
What a spectacle. Hundreds have to line up and beg the doofus king to throw them a pittance of a pay raise that he has denied them for five years now, by treating the legal contract as nothing more than toilet paper. Craig is done – he will go back to Havre de Grace and eat his free dessert at Bayou and wallow in his proud legacy of destroying what was once an outstanding school system. So, who’s up next…Barry Glassman the BGE sycophant. What’s your position on funding schools, sheep boy? Lay it out now, so the citizens can decide your fate.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Close below capacity schools, fire un needed HCPS workers and contract out to the private sector everything else. The reason teachers don’t get a raise is the rest of the school system is wasting the tax payers money. Heck Burbey spends his day here ranting, doesn’t he have a job to do?
HICKORY JIM! Where have you been, man??? Good to see you!
Hey, check your clipboard…maybe Burbey is one of those county dudes that you’ve been stalking at the Wawa! You know, sitting in his car, sipping a Columbian (vanilla cream, two sugars), just typing away on his IPhone! Then again, he isn’t paid by taxpayer money, so I don’t know if he would actually make the cut to make it onto your “Wawa Most Wanted” list.
Hey, just wondering…which schools do you think they should close, which employees do you thing are expendable, and which services do you think they should contract out to the private sector?
According to the HCPS website, there are 2,445 classrooms in 54 schools. Unless a disproportionate amount of the enrollment decrease is located in one school, it probably is not exactly feasible to close a school.
Even if a school is 10 or 15% below capacity, closing it might mean having to bus hundreds of kids from that school to others, which might then put their new school over capacity; distributing 400-600 kids to 2-4 new schools could mean that anywhere from 100-300 kids would now have to be squeezed into new schools and classrooms. Furthermore, if a building is shut down it would still have to be maintained if there was an expectation that it would ever be used again, or demolished, which could be an even more costly problem should enrollment begin to increase and another school was warranted.
At any rate, that declining enrollment is distributed across the county or at least across several schools in a district is probably a more realistic theory than is assuming that the bulk of the enrollment decline has been focused in one school or district, which renders the thought of closing schools impractical.
Along with that…
I keep hearing the old “enrollment is down/costs should be down” argument as well. David Craig pulled this one a few weeks ago.
But here’s the thing: the biggest costs for the system are salaries, maintenance of plant, utilities, special ed, etc. So which of these goes down just because there are less kids? It doesn’t cost less to heat this year just because there are 15 less kids in it. And the 15 kids are spread across at least 3 grade levels (if it’s middle school; more if elementary or high), so if you have a few less in each grade you can’t get rid of a teacher, so your salary costs don’t go down. Special ed, even if enrollment goes down, costs keep going up because we’re talking all special ed kids, including the kids at John Archer who need a lot of medical care as well as educational assistance.
So I don’t really find this argument relevant because the major costs are uneffected by enrollment data.
Sheep
Cost of education never goes down and it should always increase.
We should never economize and never reduce budgets and always reallocate in favor of salary and benefit increases.
We can always find a way to spend more on education and teachers.
Closing schools saves money – fewer salaries, lower maintenance costs. There is ample capacity to handle the students in other schools.
Well, ok then. Let’s close some schools.
Now, which schools should we close, and where should the kids who attend those schools go? Please be specific.
Upton Sinclair,
Which of the costs I listed above do you believe should decrease in proportion to declining enrollment distributed throughout the county school system?
Sheep I assume you either work for the government or for someone else as you lack basic problem solving skills. There is plenty of money available for the teachers it’s just a matter of taking it from those who are wasting it.
Jim give some examples of this waste?
That’s easy…. See those guys out cutting grass at the school? The ones making 40k a year with a healthplan and retirement driving around in a brand new $150,000 dump truck hauling brand new lawnmowers? Subcontract it out and some guy named Jesus will mow that grass all day long for 10 bucks an hour.
See how easy this is?
Jim in Hickory has finally exposed his racist tendencies through his Jesus comment.
Jesus cuts my grass and mulches my bushes. He’s a hard working man doing anything he can to get a head in this world. Racist tendencies? hardly I just can’t afford a fat lazy county worker that would do a half assed job while whining for more money.
I don’t know any custodians who make as much as a starting teacher!
Sheep
We never reduce a budget when we can reallocate it to higher salary and benefits.
It’s always for the children and we will never give back any taxpayer money it’s ours now.
Well CDEV in order to cut grass and drive that dump truck you need a class A CDL do you know how much those guys make ? Cause that’s the discussion.
What dumptruck? Schools are cut on a riding lawn mower by the building custodians!
Darlington has 120 kids. Meadowvale, Dublin and North Harford could easily pick up these kids. Same with Norrisville on the other side of the county with Jarrettsville and North Bend picking them up. Difficult decisions, would result in millions in savings.
Excess school system property would be returned to County government for disposition.
Hickory elementary is a prime example. It’s at 75% capacity. There are 4 other elementary schools within 3 miles the kids could transfer to. God forbid the little ones would be on a bus for 10 more minutes every day. Flatten the school and sell the property to Toll Brothers for houses. That is easily a 3 million a year savings and the property would easily bring another 3 million. All of which could go toward teacher salaries. And once they are done with Hickory elementary they could start on forest hill elementary.
WOW we are increasing salaries without increasing the budget… How the hell is that happening?
Jim in Hickory, You clearly do not know what you are talking about. As of last year Hickory ES was overcapacity to the extent that the school attendance area has been closed to new development.
Of course there is no development … that’s why richmond american is building 800 houses in kelly glen 1000 yards south of hickory elementary.
Clueless…..
And Jim if you had your facts straight where would we put the kids in the new houses?
Jim in Hickory, Check your math. The HCPS website shows Hickory ES with a capacity of 622 and a current enrollment of 687 students. Where I learned math that equals a capacity of over 100% not the 75% you state.
A quick call to the county planning and zoning office would show you that just over 100 units are planned for Kelly Glen with less than half of the lots having been issued permits. And just because a permit has been issued does not mean construction is imminent. There is some other residential development planned in the Hickory ES district but few permits have been issued.
But lets suppose your numbers were correct. Wouldn’t the explosion of residential development in the area justify keeping the school open?
Lets also put your numbers numbers in perspective. I spoke with a good friend who in is the real estate and home construction business and very familiar with activity in Harford County over many years. He said that at the height of the real estate boom the county was issuing somewhere around 2000-2500 residential building permits a year for the entire county. Since the bubble burst in 2008 the number for the entire county has been reduced to around 500 total permits each year. The growth in the residential building market has not returned. Most of the home purchases in Harford County are now for existing homes not new construction.
While there would be a variety of issues to overcome closing under-capacity schools could be accomplished. Havre de Grace High School is just one example. There would then be no need to replace this building which would save county taxpayers 70-80 million dollars.
Where would you send the kids at Havre de Grace?
There are more than enough empty seats at the other high schools to absorb the population of HHS…just check the enrollment reports… besides, it IS the oldest high school building in the county…just ask Craig how bad it is… Shut down HHS!
It is not as easy as you think. The closest school is Aberdeen this would mean displacing kids to a full Patterson Mill or Edgewood!
Never give back what we’ve grown in assets and teachers. We can cede no ground to those that seek to dismantle educational system.
Taxpayers can always been convinced to pay more for the children.
“It is not as easy as you think. The closest school is Aberdeen this would mean displacing kids to a full Patterson Mill or Edgewood!”
And subsequently more Edgewood students could be transferred to under-capacity JHS.
In theory yes but the reality is you would have kids driving past Edgewood HS to get to Joppatowne. You would probably be better closing Joppatowne and moving kids to an Undercapacity Fallston, than move kids to Bel Air, North Harford and CMW.
Yes he does advocating for teachers….he is paid with union money to do it……he is on here advocating for teachers…..so he is doing his job. Jim what about you?
Thanks for the kind words.
I prefer 7-eleven or Captains Coffee at the Johnson Family Pharmacy, so you probably won’t see be at the lauded Hickory WaWa. It is a shortened, slow day before the holidays. I am multi-tasking while answering phones, emails and preparing future communications.
I think Burbey should run for governor. By the way Jim from Hickory and I are not related if we were I would throw our entire thanksgiving turkey at him.
Thanks for the vote of confidence but I think that is a little out of my pay grade right now. Maybe some day…
No worries, mate! There is one, and I mean, ONLY ONE…HICKORY JIM, and NO ONE can relate! If you haven’t been here before, you’ll know him by the way he tracks down county government employees getting coffee in the morning at the Hickory Wawa and then….well, I’m…not exactly sure what he does after he tracks them down, but rest assured…he’s definitely an excellent tracker (and hey…that’s enough for THIS guy!) with his trusty clipboard and his well-sharpened pencil and his 2004 Mercury Grande Marquis (notice I added an extra “e” on the end of “Grand” as kind of an alliteration to Starbucks…you know Starbucks=coffee, Wawa=coffee…that sort of thing.)
Anyway, keep that turkey on the table and move it not unto Hickory Jim, but onto your well-rounded plate and onward to its rightful destination. Have a great Thanksgiving!
@Upton
Are you encouraging me to lie?
Try this on:
1. Special Ed classes exceed 30, not good for the kids
2. Old and out of date books, not good for the kids
3. Pay-to-play, families can’t afford it, not good for the kids
4. New bus schedule, not safe for the kids
5. Inadequate technology, can’t keep up with real world, not good for the kids
6. Teachers unwilling to stay after duty day, not good for the kids
7. Reduced staff, unable to prepare for common core, bad for the children
8. Less instructional support in the, reduced IFs and mentors, not good for the students
9. Limited outlets/clubs to avoid gang participation and affiliation, bad for the students
10. Losing best teachers/mentors to surrounding counties, bad for the students
All
R
True
But so is my desire to get a little raise so I can give as much to my kids as I do to yours! Lying is hard.
Rich Teacher
Never ever lie. We progressives shape the truth. The english language is imprecise and can be used perfectly for rhetoric.
This is about an agenda for the children.
I like that the pay to play is unaffordable to families, but the tax increase to support your raise isn’t.
B
It’s for the children.
Are you against the children?
If you are I can’t stand with you.
As usual, you have a problem with basic math and compassion and regard for the rights of others – or the needs of the community you claim to live in. As long as you get to keep your money, you’re fine with whatever other people have to pay.
Because
Thank you for supporting the progressive way and making it about the children.
Once we get tax dollars we never give them back and budgets must always increase for the children and society.
“1. Special Ed classes exceed 30, not good for the kids”
Agreed, special ed should be segregated from the rest of the school to receive personalized attention without distracting the other students.
“2. Old and out of date books, not good for the kids”
Lincoln still delivered the Gettsyburg Address, 1+1 still equals 2, electricty and water still produces hydrogen and oxygen. What has changed? Oh right, we need new books to dumb down everything so that no student is left behind or feels bad.
“3. Pay-to-play, families can’t afford it, not good for the kids”
FARM do not pay, coaches and sponsors are paid money by HCPS, that money has to come from somewhere.
“4. New bus schedule, not safe for the kids”
Students won’t have door-to-door transportation their entire lives, they should learn road safety.
“5. Inadequate technology, can’t keep up with real world, not good for the kids”
Kids should learn the basics with a pencil before graduating to a calculator or computer. If you cannot write it by hand, or do long division, why should you move ahead to typing or using a calculator?
“6. Teachers unwilling to stay after duty day, not good for the kids”
Agreed, the duty day should be extended one hour after school each day so every teacher is available for tutoring, additional assistance, club sponsorship, etc. Require each teacher to co-sponsor a club (meeting at least once a week) or coach a sport.
“7. Reduced staff, unable to prepare for common core, bad for the children”
Maybe teachers should work with those at other schools to prepare lesson plans, instead of doing so internally, or even worse, individually?
“8. Less instructional support in the, reduced IFs and mentors, not good for the students”
Strange, everyone calls for less IFs and mentors, saying they’re ineffective.
“9. Limited outlets/clubs to avoid gang participation and affiliation, bad for the students”
See above, HCPS should mandate teachers sponsor clubs after school.
“10. Losing best teachers/mentors to surrounding counties, bad for the students”
Maybe we should fix the curriculm and standards before we worry about teacher retention. We already have a troubling number of students taking remedial classes at HCC (and how many more have to take remedial classes at a 4-year college with higher standards? Or how many can’t get into their school of choice?), a high school diploma should mean something and require actual effort to earn other than walking to the bus stop ~170 times per year for 13 years.
Taxpayers should feel ashamed, its your fault the children are suffering extremely poor in their education. Property tax should be raised enough to give each teacher a 50,000 dollar raise.
Ron Leboy Jenkins
As devout progressive I recommend giving raises in salary and we should be able to incrementally get to a 6 figure salary for teachers, but let us not forget about concealing compensation in pension, health care and other benefits.
If we raise salary we also raise the pension benefit, but if we also raise the percentage calculation for pensions we can exponentially get more money for teachers and the public will not notice.
People do not pick up tax and financial details so why not hide teacher compensation where people could look but won’t?
Hide in plain sight, promote progressivism never use the “S” ism or “C” ism.
Hurray for Burbey!
President Reynolds says “…We Can No Longer Maintain Our Current Level of Services with the Funding Provided”
No, not true. Teachers will continue offering their services despite their broken contract. They will still give away the farm. Things will continue. Nothing will change.
As the old Latin says, plutaris matundum.
Dear Heavenly Father (Oh, wait. That’s me.)
I want to thank you for my glory and magnificence. My patiences, which has now reached a superior level, allowed me to refrain from pulling out my arsenal and eliminating those who were unworthy of my attention during a four hour public hearing. Please bless them on this day with the knowledge that I have already spoken on this subject, made them aware that their cause is fruitless, and accepting taxpayer input us just grandstanding. Through your power (Geez, why do I keep forgetting to give myself credit? Through my power) I shall entrance them to accept less, work more and make personal sacrifices without questioning my supreme gospel. No money, no money, no money.
Bless me!
I Guess Hickory Jim is on patrol again I will move to another hide out wawa offers me many spots gotta love my wawa! I hope I get my step increase so I can start getting a larger coffee !
Yet another fine county worker on the run.
I can’t wait until it snows then I can get my free meal tickets and go shopping you gotta love Harford county come on step raises ! Somebody’s gotta take that money even the contractors for snow removal get meal tickets, hickory Jim you should get a truck and plow with us!
What the 175 or 250 or 500 people in attendance at Monday’s meeting should be as equally concerned with is the latest greatest curriculum du jour – Common Core. Now that’s a REAL problem. Ask Baltimore County teachers…..
Baltimore counties issues are with implementation and not the actual standards!
Inaccurate CDEV…..content is the issue. In Baltimore County, Harford County, et al.
That is not the issue with Tabco. That said what specific standards do you take issue with ?
No, TABCO is very specifically grieving not being given materials and time to prepare in advance. CCSS is not a change in content.
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Ryan Burbey, are teachers in Harford County or the HCEA being provided with the proper materials and enough time to plan in advance?
I for one would like to know how the HCPS is working with the teachers in this regard, the same teachers who are responsible for presenting this new instruction to our kids. I get the impression that many teachers are not happy and frustrated with recent demands. I could be wrong.
Teachers are frustrated. This is a difficult transition. Due to poor funding, HCPS has a shortage of materials and professional development leading into this transition has been lacking. Between the CCSS, PARC test and evaluations, it is just too much change at once. Add in financial stress brought on by not receiving even minimal contractual steps for 4 out of 5 years, our teachers are being pushed to the max.
Ryan
You are doing yeoman’s work in promoting increased salaries, pensions and health care benefits for teachers.
People will give the money to the school system if you keep saying it’s for the children. Parents and especially mothers fear for their children and you should make that fear more real to them and they will gladly cave in.
How about we just honor the current salary scale, healthcare package and pensions. That would be a great start.
Come on Ryan you are pulling the 16 year old daughter that Daddy gave the credit card to before he lost his job.
Exactly, it’s a great start, but there can be no stop. Full speed ahead, let’s work to get a first year educator’s starting salary at $89,000-$93,000 dollars.
Why stop at all? The children are important, and extremely well paid employees of the system must be there to justify the importance.
Big Johnsons Tomato Sauce
Do not mock Ryan Burbey and the progressive movement. Teachers should make a great deal more and $93K per year or more to start why not?
The children would appreciate and benefit from it. We can never pay enough for good education.
Ryan Burbey
We have a stranglehold on education in Harford County and when you have this you should squeeze and squeeze hard.
It has to always be about the children and the parents especially mothers will be with the progressives. Scare the moms by telling them that their children will fail and all good things will follow.
Read my good friend Alinsky’s book and you shall prevail.
A progressive utopia is inevitable.
@big tomatoe sauce and upton
Your comments are a bit insane and exaggerated. A pay raise increasing salaries to the level you describe ($89,000-$93,000) would double my pay. Teachers aren’t looking for a huge, burdensome increase in salary, just a fair living wage. Craig should make history and fully fund the BOE budget for the third time in history.
Rich Teacher
You need to think bigger, always reference the children, pull at the heart strings of mothers and squeeze tight.
These are the rules of the rhetorical game and the stealth progressive way.
We need you to fully support Ryan Burbey as he champions the cause of teachers and progressivism.
I hope you step on a dirty heroine needle in Fallston HIgh’s parking lot, get HIV and die!
Harford County Mom
It’s unfortunate that you and your children are not benefiting as they should from the public educational system.
I want you to join me in supporting Ryan Burbey’s sophisticated and progressive approach to funding our schools to make it better for your children. After all this fight is for the children.
I only care about fighting for my children. Not your’s or Burbey’s. Until my taxes are $0, I will have paid too much.
Rich Teacher. There is nothing exaggerated with paying a teacher a salary over $100,000 dollars for their important service.
This is the children we’re talking about, there SHOULD BE NO monetary limit that bounds them to their educational limits. Are you insane? Indefinite budget of increasing infinite amount of money should be given to the schools.
All this talk of increasing public school teacher’s salaries is ridiculous. My children will be just fine in private school as long as we cut education spending by 3/4 by paying teachers only minimum wage which is what they deserve to provide nothing but daycare and then send the taxes back to the taxpayers. Cut my taxes to $0, otherwise I’m paying too much to keep the kids that don’t have a dad and have a mom with no job alive and reproducing. I’ve said this before, this is about my kids. I don’t care about anyone else’s kids. As long as those on route 40 stay on their side of route 40, my kids will be just fine.
Squasage Roll
Yes you have it right. Progressives like Ryan Burbey have the courage to use the “it’s about the children” mantra to threaten mothers across Harford County.
Parents will gladly pay more taxes to save their children.
I can be blunt about this since I know it works.
Progressives will inevitably win this political debate. It’s certain victory.
Harford County Mom
I extend the olive branch to you and you should join us in helping the children. Remember the children are our future.
Only some children are worth helping. Those children would be mine. Those parents that can’t pay for their kids to go to school shouldn’t be able to have others pay for them. While I pay for my kids to have the best teachers, the poor shouldn’t have any. Taxes for education are ridiculous, especially for those that don’t have children in public school. Why should I bother to help someone else’s kids when they aren’t helping mine?
I think Harford County should explore an avenue to which students regardless of where they live in the county, may choose which school they want to attend. This has proven to be a small success for “Magnet” programs, let’s make this an option for all the students.
Several hundred more employees, and school buses will need to be employed, and purchased to fulfill the demands of each, and every student.
Let’s make this happen. No longer will students be bound to schools in their zip codes.
Are you kidding? Keep the trash where it is. We need less teachers and buses, not more. We need to make the public school system as unsuccessful as possible so it fails completely. This way our taxes go down as we no longer have to fund public schools, we then can send our kids to private schools, and because they’re private, the poor kids won’t be able to attend them and my kids will get a better education. Remember, it’s about the kids allright, my kids. It’s also about my pocketbook.
Nope, not at all a joke. We must transform into a new environment, where no student will run into a situation with an unequal opportunity.
We must teach that everyone wins, and gets what they want, regardless of their status in life.
Squasage Roll
We will always promote the progressive ideology and never utter the “S” ism or “C” ism words.
Progressive victory is assured.
It’s for the children.
Burbey is our leader, hurray for Burbey.
You need a Class A CDL to operate a riding lawnmower?
New one on me.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
Jimmy from hickory needs to find a hobby other then being a self proclaimed watch dog. Get a life jumbo jimbo
Look, There is a lot of waste in the school system. There is a lot of Waste and lazy lazy people who work for the maintenance department, A lot of sitting around during tax payer events.
Schools should personally consider removing the term, “Parent/Guardian” and reform schools into raising children solely without biological, or non biological parental assistance. Children shall then only be referred to as retiring to their respective “guest households” at end of school day.
This idea is for the greater good, and moving forward is progressive progress.
Big Johnsons Tomato Sauce
There are many ways we can play with language and messaging to ensure the promulgation of progressivism in our school systems and society.
The more we can convince people that all we are doing is for the children they will let us do everything.
Upton,
You silly progressive, we don’t need to fund public schools. They spend too much of our time and money preaching about English, science, history, math….you know….all that stuff that has caused the planet to become so hot and gay. Let’s, at the very least, close down half of the public schools, so teachers have to spend more time letting their students share seats and less time indoctrinating them into democrats. This will keep more money in our pockets so we can send our children to private schools, where they will learn about how to become God-fearing conservatives that know how to keep the poor poor and the rich rich. The thought of my kids having to go to public schools is already making feel a bit gay. Stop trying to gain support for them or we won’t have any grandchildren!
If the school system **wanted** to reduce costs, they could. It’s quite simple, really. Close buildings. Forest Lakes and Forest Hill Could merge into one school. Level the land and sell it. Next would be HDGHS. Send those students to Aberdeen High School OR make HDGMS a combined building like PMMHS. Close Norrisville and send those kids to NHES and JVES. Close Darlington and send those kids to Churchville, Dublin or Meadowvale.
Also, to stop all of this damn whining about who is at wawa’s and who isn’t…have the facilites workers actually be accountable for their time and location (novel idea, eh?).
Lastly, reduce human resources! They are the ones who are really living fat. Their department has something like 35-38 people in it? What in gods name do those snot-faced people do besides become a laughing stock???
These are good suggestions, Yme?
There are others things that could be done, such as:
1. Have the Technical School seniors take over all facilities maintenance. Assign credit, put no pay, for their work.
2. Reassign the 6th grade level back to elementary school. 7th and 8th can be absorbed by local high schools.
3. End all cafeteria services and go to brown bag model.
4. Only teach subjects that have grant money for passing scores attached to their respective state mandated tests.
It’s about the education. Budget in schools can never go down, its a fact that the more people pay to the schools the better education and the children will be.
We all just need to accept the fact that we are going to have to pay out of our own pockets a lot more, but the good is that the children receive the very best. Without children, who in the future will protect the Chesapeake bay?
I welcome new tax with open arms.
Students are not receiving a good enough education, the only solution is to give more money. More money equals better.
Tell me something, if you were paid a lot more money, wouldnt you do your job better?
John F. Dudlewiser
If our schools had the resources we could pay teachers more for the great work and social good they already do. And we can add more social engineering to the curriculum.
In a progressive ideology you promise things will get worse for the children if taxpayers don’t pay more in taxes to schools. Parents will get scared and mothers will fear their children will be hurt.
Watch and listen to Ryan Burbey he understands this and is getting better at Alinsky rhetoric.
Numerous schools have recommended that Instructional Facilitators be eliminated. The IFs are not pleased with this cost cutting strategy. Well, today I observed an IF spend 6 hours of the school day on-line shopping and calling her children. Good use of school money????? No observations, no new teacher training, nothing school related at all. I think the schools are correct, eliminate this waste of IFs.
I’m telling you all right now an easy way to save money in the Harford school program. It is this:
Only offer classes that have a monetary return in the form of grant money for successfully passing a state test.
Think about it, we can put all of our manpower into teaching these classes (2 on the elementary/middle level, 3 on the high school level). We could have teachers, inclusion helpers, cafeteria workers, room moms, facilities management, admin, and human resources all focusing on teaching math, reading, and science. It would be a win-win for everyone.
Yo bro, who can I talk to about getting Christmas banned in schools? Religion, and I think its a holiday that children shouldnt have to worry about anymore.