In the upcoming primary elections for Harford County School Board, four candidates will be on the ballot in District D, which includes Jarrettsville, Norrisville, Whiteford, Street, Dublin, Darlington, Level and Forest Hill.
The field of four is comprised of incumbent board president Nancy Reynolds, former HCPS teacher Chris Scholz, engineering technology company project manager Mike Simon and university student Tishan D. Weerasooriya. The top two vote-getters in the June primary will face off in the November general election.
The Dagger’s Q & A with school board candidates continues below, with responses from the candidates in District D:
Dagger: School board members often make decisions in areas where they may not have expertise, such as curriculum, facilities or the budget. Briefly describe the experience/skills you would bring to the school board and how you make decisions in areas outside your expertise.
Reynolds: After serving on the Board of Education since 2011 as a member, as the Vice President and currently as the President, I feel that I bring a unique set of skills to the position. Prior to my appointment to the school board, I worked for Harford County Public Schools for 30 plus years in a wide variety of roles from language arts teacher, reading specialist, assistant principal, principal, principal mentor and county-wide service learning facilitator. Among my responsibilities during my tenure in many of these positions were the implementation of curriculum, the operation of a facility and the maintenance of a budget; however, as a principal, I was accustomed to working with a much smaller budget than that of the Board of Education.
In order to educate myself further regarding the budgeting process on a system wide level, I have actively sought input from staff, parents, community members, civic associations, elected officials and fellow board members. In addition, I have closely examined and studied the operating and capital budgets recommended by our previous superintendent and our current superintendent and have sought clarification when necessary.
As a grandmother of two Harford County Public School students, a retired educator, a Board member and a longtime resident of Harford County, I have a vested interest in ensuring that all of our students receive the best possible education and that the budget is fair and equitable in the delivery of this education; therefore, I continue to seeks ways to expand my knowledge regarding the budgeting process as well as best practices in education.
Scholz: I started teaching in technology education in 1984. I have taught a wide variety of classes from computer integrated manufacturing, AutoCAD, construction and drafting in several districts in MD and DE.
I was the east coast sales manager for a company which sold equipment and curriculum to school systems. I conducted presentations at national trade shows to large groups, as well as individual teachers on our product line usage. Outside of teaching, I have a working knowledge of construction trades and business practice.
I have worked on many committees and organizations as chair, co-chair and past president on Tech. Ed. Assn of MD.
With regard to areas outside my expertise I will reach out to other boards of educations as well as input from our constituents. This job requires the decisions to be made with public input.
Simon: After spending the last decade involved in the financial and accounting sector, I bring fiscal conservatism and long term budget management abilities to the table. While economic issues may be my strong suit, I’ve also had experience in facilities management. I spent four years with WaWa acting as the Facilities Maintenance Manager at the Hickory location. I also have experience with multiple curricular formats. I am proud graduate of North Harford High School, but I also spent grades 3rd through 6th as a home-schooled student. I believe that learning through a variety of channels provides me a broader perspective on learning.
When it comes to big time decision making I’ve always found success in studious examination of the subject matter. Learn everything you can about the topic, listen to the concerns and needs of parents and teachers, study case examples, observe opposing views, and examine history to see what lessons we have learned from the past about such matters. With this acquired knowledge it greatly helps in making an educated assessment of the situation, determining the appropriate course of action for moving forward, and providing the students of Harford County with the best education possible.
Weerasooriya:
Bio: Currently a double major in Psychology and Political Science at Towson University with the intent of attending law school. Member of Pre-Law Society, Kappa Sigma Fraternity as well as a Senator in the Student Government Association. Works in the Maryland Senate for State Senator Victor Ramirez and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout in 2008. Previously attended West Virginia University before transferring to Towson University, were I majored in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and played rugby for the school.
Through my work in the Maryland Senate, I have become extremely good and experienced at balancing budgets while protecting and enhancing our most valuable assets (our teachers and students). I realize the delicate game that must be played in order to receive more funding from the state and ease our taxpayers. Through this work, I am developing and perfecting a keen sense of how to effectively cut excessive waste out, while protecting the budgets most valuable assets, which in the Board of Education’s case are always its teachers and students.
One grave mistake the current Board of Education, along with President Nancy Reynolds made, was when they decided to skip the funding hearing for our public schools in Annapolis due to inclement weather. Two other members of the delegation braved the conditions however, and was able to testify for additional funding that Harford County Schools desperately needs. How can the entire Board of Education, members whom always state that they need additional funding for our schools, not attend the very hearing that would garner these additional funds they all promised they would get?
Being so young, I realize that there are areas of responsibility that will fall outside my expertise. I will not hide from that. However, I can promise you I will not make decisions on topics regarding our schools and our children which fall outside my expertise without consulting the very people of District D as well as counsel from leading individuals with experience in the particular area. I believe that very people of District D elected me to represent them so it would be foolish and ignorant of me not to consult them on issues regarding them. I plan on holding monthly or bi-monthly town hall meetings where you can voice your concerns to me and together we can go to the Board and get problems resolved. For far too long I have watched to current Board of Education shut out great ideas coming from the very people we represent in order for them to follow their own flawed ideals.
Dagger: Please cite a previous decision by the Harford County Board of Education with which you either strongly agree or disagree, and why.
Reynolds: I strongly agree with the decisions and the process recently implemented by the Board of Education in the selection of a new superintendent. When Dr. Tomback announced his resignation in February, 2013, to be effective June 30, 2013, the Board began the process of hiring a new superintendent. The Board had several purposes: to seek meaningful and extensive community input in order to create a profile of the desired candidate; to ensure a transparent and impartial process; and to hire an individual who had the necessary skill set to move the system forward. We announced in February, 2013, that an interim superintendent would be hired for one year; this would allow us sufficient time to conduct a thorough and intensive superintendent search to begin in the fall of 2013. After interviewing several consulting firms, the Board hired Ray and Associates, a nationally renowned firm, in October, 2013 for Phase 1 of the process. Ray and Associates created an on-line survey, facilitated numerous focus group meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders, compiled the results and presented the information to the Board. The overwhelming consensus from all of the data collected was to offer the interim superintendent, Mrs. Barbara Canavan, a four year contract effective July 1, 2015, rather than extend the process to Phase 2 which would have entailed a nationwide search.
Hiring a superintendent is one of the most important decisions any school board can make; I thoroughly agree with the thoughtful, deliberate process that was created and implemented by this Board that led to the decision to hire our current superintendent.
Scholz: I overwhelmingly support the board decision to hire Ms. Barbara Canavan. I am so glad that we did not let her get away from Harford County as others have.
Simon: An issue that I feel very strongly about is the Common Core curriculum that is being pushed nationwide and is set to be implemented here in Harford County. The new, so called, “standards” are completely substandard and if we allow this type of mindless drudgery to infest our school system we can kiss a generation of great minds good bye. The only reason this new curriculum is finding its ways into our school systems is because of the promise of federal money that schools will receive by agreeing to implement these new standards. Not only do these new standards alienate anyone who may have an opposing view point of a topic, but the overall process of implementation will end up costing the schools more money to meet the needs of the new curriculum than the amount of federal money they would receive for it. Common Core is a lose-lose for Harford County.
Weerasooriya: Last year, the Board of Education, along with the County Executive and County Council, passed a budget, which cut 46 teachers, no increase in teacher salaries and the establishment of Pay for Play for our children. Despite pledges from these elected officials that education was their top priority, the budget was still passed.
This issue prompted my desire to run for the District D seat on the Board of Education. I could no longer sit on the sidelines and watch what was happening within my county. Cutting teachers and freezing their salaries for another year is a disgrace to this county as well as to the county’s students. The fact that Nancy Reynolds, the President of the Harford County Board of Education, supported this along with other Board members is an explanation as to why teacher morale is at an all-time low.
The Board of Education must not only be charged with protecting and enhancing our education curriculum and our teachers, but also protecting and enhancing our rewarding extracurricular activities. Not only do our kids learn valuable life lessons from these activities, they will also develop lifelong friends and memories. How could the current Board of Education even consider passing such a reform in the mist of such fiscal trouble many families are experiencing across our district and our county?
Dagger: Maryland school boards are charged with certain responsibilities. Among them are: Hiring the superintendent, setting capital and operating budget priorities, determining school attendance boundaries, and formulating school policies. Looking ahead, what issues within the board’s purview are of specific interest or concern to you and why? Please cite two issues.
Reynolds: Two areas that are of intense interest to me as an individual Board member are setting capital and operating budget priorities and formulating policy; both have a profound impact on the quality of education within our school system.
It is vital that the HCPS Board of Education provides an adequate salary and benefits package that will attract and retain highly qualified teachers and staff. Studies have shown that there are numerous factors that contribute to high student achievement; foremost, however, is the parent and then the classroom teacher. In the past few years, our neighboring counties have been able to compensate their teachers at a higher rate than HCPS; regretfully, we are losing and will continue to lose teachers and staff if we are unable to offer competitive wages.
Technology requests are addressed in the capital budget; our needs are great in this area because of the increased demand for the use of technology with the implementation of Common Core and the PARCC assessments as well as the underfunding of technology in previous budget cycles. Every student in every school deserves the opportunity to access technology throughout his/her daily classroom instruction.
Adequate funding for our students and our staff is a top priority; I will continue to advocate on their behalf with our funding authorities and with our community.
Reviewing, revising and creating policy are major components of the job responsibilities of a Board member. I chair the Policy Review Committee which meets regularly and I encourage our community to review and comment on these policies when they are discussed in open meetings and posted on the HCPS web site. These policies drive the operation of our schools.
Scholz: Setting budgets that allow us to maintain our high standard as well as develop a the technical programs for all our students to have a wide variety of options and reasons to stay in school. We need to develop strong funding streams so that we can keep our schools strong.
Simon: Among the top issues facing the board I feel as though I would be best suited to take on the task of setting capital and operating budget priorities and also formulating school policy. I am well versed in budget management and my common sense approach to policy makes my skill sets an excellent match for the Board of Education.
Weerasooriya:
Several Issues:
• Unfreeze teacher salaries and give the raises they deserve and were originally promised
• Include sufficient funds within the budget so teachers will never have to spend their own hard earned money on supplies for their classrooms.
• Place a police officer in every school in order to insure the safety and protection of our children.
• Increase of funding for after school programs in order to ease the schedules of working parents by ensuring that their children has a safe environment to play and complete homework.
• Include a basic financial class in high schools in order to prepare our children on how to budget their earnings, how to file taxes and the basics of stock market and wise investments.
• Research methods and launch pilot programs into incorporating vocational schooling tracks into our high schools.
• Launch a task force into how to intrinsically motivate our middle/high school students and determine the best strategies on implementation of the findings.
Teacher Salaries
The freezing of teacher’s salaries over the last several years is an outrageous act that has been committed by our current Board of Education. Teachers who have signed contracts, which guarantees step raises, have been lied to. I intend to restore the faith and our word that was originally given to our teachers by the current Board of Education. Not only will teacher’s morale steadily rise after they have been at an all-time low, higher teacher salaries will attract the very best teachers from other counties and states and make Harford County Schools the best in the state and the prime example for other counties.
Adequate Funds for Classroom Supplies
When I was a student four years ago, I heard an appalling amount of stories regarding teachers using their own salaries for purchasing markers and other essential supplies for their classrooms so they can effectively educate their students. The current Board of Education, in addition to the state and local government, constantly proclaim how much they support our teachers and then in practice and don’t provide adequate funds for basic items such as markers or chalk. This hypocrisy must end and once I am elected to the Board, I will end it.
Police Officers in Every School
The issue of school safety has become an essential issue following the horrific events at Sandy Hook and other schools around the country. By placing a police officer in every school, it will help ensure public confidence in the safety of the children. Additionally, these officers can work in order to promote a safe and healthy school environment by ensuring a drug free environment as well as an atmosphere of reduced violence. If schools within the city can supply their public schools with police officers for student protection, then there is no reason why Harford County should not adopt this concept as well.
Afterschool Programs
Since a student finishes his or her day before their parent(s) complete their workday, afterschool programs have become essential. However, inadequate funds have been appropriated to these programs, which makes it harder for the program to achieve its full potential. With more funds flowing into afterschool programs, more students will have the opportunity to participate, allowing them to safely play on school grounds and complete their homework and giving their parents peace of mind that their child is in a safe environment.
Financial Classes
Another concept that I have been researching and would like to implement is a basic financial class designed to teach our high school students the importance of budgeting their money and financially planning ahead. A complete understanding of the concept of credit will be taught and the importance of maintaining a good score is. Other topics will include step-by-step procedures on how to file taxes, as well as how to fill out a FAFSA form. An understanding of the stock market and how to wisely invest and research stocks and other ventures will be included in this class as well.
Schools should not only teach our children the concepts of math, science, reading and writing, but should prepare them for other aspects of life. One of these aspects should be understanding the financial system and how to properly budget thusly protecting them from falling into debt and the stress of having financial problems.
Vocational Schooling Track
Vocational schools greatly enhance an individual’s prospects of finding employment right out of high school. It is worth researching into various methods of incorporating vocational schools within our high schools. This would mean a student will have the opportunity to continue down their respective academic track, or they can switch tracks into the vocational classes.
Before people start to criticize my comments here, I just want to say that I am a voter and parent in Harford County and am making an opinion on reading the comments. Everyone is free to vote for whomever they want and please respect the process of democracy. Many, Many, Many people have died to defend our right to vote for our representation. We are a first rate country and deserve a first rate school system. I have read all the answers and feel that Nancy Reynolds has a good grasp of the complex issues of being on the school board. She has over thirty years experience and has worked in the school system to better the education for the children. But one thing that doesn’t come through, when asking candidates, is their ability to connect with average citizens who see “elected” officials as distant from the average voter. Nancy has been an approachable person and is willing to listen to any problems. She has volunteered in the community and has met people that most citizens would not even cross the street to shake their hand. She brings the compassion of a mother and grandmother and treats every child/parent as an extension of her family. When I first met her, I thought this is another educated person who will not give myself or my family the time of day and just sugarcoat our situation. She surprised me and gave her whole heart to the situation and followed up with us and showed a real concern for our issues. This translates into the school board. She takes every issue and delves into the facts of the case and comes to a conclusion. She follows up and makes sure everyone has had a say in the process and always remembers that there are two sides to an issue. She never forgets that the people are the most important part of HCPS and that is what counts. I have written this comment without making the other guy look bad. There is enough negativity in society and it’s always easy to tear someone down instead of taking the time to get to know that person.
Very good Nancy
As a parent that has had my son’s life placed in danger by a group of people that call themselves educators, that lied to the police about the amount of times this occurred and that they didn’t know it was illegal, I feel overwhelmingly qualified to comment. My suggestion, clear out the entire BOE. We need people who will look at the atrocities that are going on in our schools and be proactive in changing the way the administration, teachers and staff are treating our children. There are wonderful people within HCPS, but sadly, it’s the bad ones that are bringing the entire system down. The BOE is equally as appalling and their refusal to make any changes that hold those bad employees accountable is apprehensible. Weerasooriya was the only one to comment on the fact that the current BOE declined to go to Annapolis to fight for funding. This, in it’s self, sums up the entire thinking of our BOE, our children aren’t worth their time of day. Our educational system is quite good at talking the talk but their actions speak louder than words. They continue to mismanage the budget, neglect the children, and squash good teachers working in hostile environments.
What he and you fail to realize is giving the weather they called Annapolis before hand and made sure there lack of presence was not going to hurt us and that they had their presentation in ahead of time!!!!
While Nancy Reynolds has a long resume of being involved in the school system and certainly has plenty of accomplishments as an educator, being a consensus builder is not enough unless the candidate has a prescription for improving the system and the opportunities for our young people. As a nurse I work in the Maryland prison system and deal with the “rejects” of society. We already have way too many people who are detained by the correctional system. These people represent lost productivity, broken lives and damaged families who are deprived by the loss of fathers and breadwinners because they are being held for long times by the criminal justice system not that some of them should not be where they are.. At the same time these people are being held at an enormous expense to the taxpayers. Shouldn’t we be doing some things differently? I think so. Just having a long history in the school system at various levels should not be sufficient unless the person who is proposing to lead the Board of Education doers not have a road map to improve the system. I didn’t see that in her comments.
Teachers are among the most important people in our children’s lives. Without good teachers many, many people could be lost. I am sure you have heard stories about various teachers being very important positive influences in the lives of various young people. There are many youths who have grown up in less-than-perfect environments, Many probably wanted to change their lives for the better but might not have done it were it not for the influence of a teacher. This has a payoff in the long run. An educated population is a powerful public asset. Not only citizens who are productive, but wars that are avoided and understandings that are built between peoples of different cultures are the long-term benefits We can imagine that youth who are saved by teachers and by themselves will cost the public much less than the benign neglect that we are currently seeing in Harford County,.
For this reason I am supporting and endorsing Mr.Tishan Weerasooriya for the Board of Education. In his comments above he has presented a comprehensive program for improvements to our school system.and some well thought out proposals for positive changes. I haven’t seen any thoughtful proposals presented by any of the other candidates. I hope that voters will consider the quality of his ideas and not be dissuaded by the fact that he has an unfamililar name and comes from another culture. He is showing himself to be a wonderful asset to Harford County and I am hopeful he will be put to work as an unpaid volunteer for our citizens and youth. I think all of his suggestions are worthy of deep consideration and I urge voters to vote for him.
Christopher Boardman, Candidate for Harford County Council President
I like his many ideas but I worry they are going to be expensive, Chris if elected will you vote to fund them? All of his items cost alot of money!!!!!
Tishan, almost as good as Nancy’s
apparently you have not sat down with Mrs Reynolds and talked to her about her experience in the classroom and in the community. You would be surprised. She does a lot more then just on the board.
There’s an apparent disconnect with our county budget process that makes me wonder if any candidate other than Mrs. Reynolds is familiar with the food chain. Released from reality, I’m sure it would be no challenge to put together a shopping list that sounds great. I would invite the candidates to elaborate on comments of how strong revenue channels would be developed or at least explain to the rest of us how funding will work for their suggestions.
Transportation fees, higher pay to play fees, summer school fees, course retake fees, advanced course and material fees.
These may not be popular but they are availible means!
To CDEV: I support the teacher step raises that the county promised teachers but did not deliver. I understand that people don’t want to pay more taxes, but the costs paid by the public can be either on the front end or the back end. When we train teachers for so many years and then lose them to another school system that is paying a lot better, we have lost that investment and have to hire less experienced teachers. Then I have mentioned the costs of incarceration of these people that the public already paid to have educated. Does a child remember the building that a student attended classes in or is the positive influence a teacher had amount to a bigger contribution in that person’s life? Of course, ,teachers are the greatest investment a school system makes in its students.
The only proposal that Mr. Weerasooriya made that concerns me is the cost of a police officer in every school; we need to look into what is the best way to have the protection students deserve without exorbitant costs. None of these changes should be made without proper scrutiny, but we do need to reorganize our priorities without breaking the bank. I believe that can be done. One thing I would leave out would be port barrel spending represented by the kinds of gross spending achieved by Mr. Slutzky. .
There’s an easy way to increase the salaries of deserving teachers…dump the union and pay people based on performance. You can take the same pie and slice it up in a way that rewards those that deserve it.
You people do know that the reason a union even exists is because teachers weren’t being taken care of in the first place, right? So let’s say we all go through with the Money Tree’s idea, and we have ONE pie, and it’s time to slice that sucker up. What happens if you don’t have enough pie for all of the awesome work? Do you tell a teacher that in spite of their awesome reviews, they won’t get what they’re entitled to, because awesome has become the new normal? Do we now have to create a bell curve in which we have to find ways to call teachers failures in order to justify calling other teachers successful? Will there be separate rules for elementary school teachers vs high school teachers? What about gym teachers? How will their job stack up to an English CC teacher who has students with Asperger’s Syndrome, severe dyslexia, or just a crappy home life and therefore doesn’t give a squat about school?
Now, on the flip side, what if you have more than enough pie, but you decide to feed the teachers scraps because you know they’ll accept it, because it’s better than starving? And let’s say instead of feeding the teachers the pie that they deserve, you give it to someone else, who is already pretty full on pie, but what the heck, another slice won’t kill them…
Simply put, your solution sucks.
I know the union wants us all to believe performance based pay is impossible and they typically use the Rube Goldberg machine litany as you predictably espouse. Pure nonsense – everybody has a boss that knows what they’re doing. It’s their job to review performance and recommend pay grade increases. Dump the union and I guarantee you the entire system improves.
That doesn’t answer my question. I asked you a very specific question. Are you willing to fully fund the BOE budget in order to make those things happen. Otherwise your endorsed candidates ideas mean nothing. You want election to the body which has consistently along with the county executive failed to actually fund the budget. I want to know as a voter will you fund the budget from the BOE to make these things happen. It is a simple question! Lots of people claim to be for education but don’t want to pay for it.
Cdev,
You are the most consistent hack in these threads, getting all the thumbs up from the government employees who haunt here on the taxpayer’s dime. Like the auto unions of yore who broke one company and then used that as an example to break the others, you try to compare counties, then schools and then – worst of all – use that weasel wealth formula.
Maybe other folks would give your posts more credence if you explained how all the additional money spent on teachers in Allegany County has benefited that community. After all, Allegany County is your gold standard of teacher pay – or are you now running away from Burbey’s pitch like a bunch of scalded dogs. You are also diving under rocks instead of honestly telling us what additional taxes you want in order to pay for the government raises. All you can do is point at the 30k schmucks still living here and tell them they are wealthy.
How about you elect a Bill de Blasio type executive to replace Craig? You wouldn’t have to try and insult our intelligence in this forum. Just get a big kiss from BOE and then a bigger one from the CE. Then, like Allegany County, the folks can line the streets in their rags and watch the teachers ride to school in their sedan chairs.
There are no load baring walls in Maryland’s house of cards, so eventually all the tax money will dry up and the teachers can join everyone else in a Dickens novel – of course, government employees are better prepared for picking pockets.
For the second time. Alleghany County is one model. Baltimore COunty is another model. They honor their contract. This not honoring the contract is a problem we seem to have.
More weasel (kind of like more cowbell). Teachers do not have a contract. A contract is a binding agreement. If you had a contract you would be in court.
Again, what is Allegany County getting as a result of the high teacher pay – your representative used it as the gold standard. And, again, what taxes do you want raised to pay for the pay increase. This is simple stuff. Apparently all you can do is kick up dust.
Lagmeister I grew up in AC, and I will tell you what the people get a dedicated group of teachers that are out to make the community a better place to live. What we have here is a worn out, and beaten down group who are struggling. Moral is low, and it is going to get worse.
I am tired of hearing about how rough the private sector has it, the private sector caused the economic down turn, yet their excuse is that teachers make too much money?
It is ok to offer CEO’s millions, but don’t you dare offer a 1st year teacher a salary more than the poverty level.
If you don’t like Maryland or the USA move, we don’t need you. Apparently there a people waiting to fill your position.
I cannot understand why some people would post who they endorse, is that suppose to sway the vote, like who cares who you favor. Are you that into yourself that you think stating your most favored will make that happen?
Weerasooriya mentions vocational schools. Wake Up HCPS not everyone goes college. It is very difficult to be accepted into Harford Tech. It would be nice to see a vocational school in the North end of Harford Coutny. It would also be nice to see young men and women of this county have the option to receive a vocational education without college grades! Isn’t that what vocational school was for to begin with? Also, just a thought, do we want to vote more of the same in?
The have one at North Harford it is called the Ag program!
Actually the Ag Magnet Program is designed for college-bound students to move on and study things like Agro-Sciences, Veterinary, Agronomy, Ag Econ, etc.
More of the same is pathetic..Top 40 MD High schools list just came out, not 1 HC school…pathetic!
Which list are you refering to? The Ap Challenge Index?
Here is the list – not a single HC school made the list:
http://www.wbal.com/article/106858/3/us-news-releases-top-ranked-maryland-high-schools
Yes that is the challenge index and all it really measures is how many AP tests a school gave! That is it. That is not a good overall assessment of the school. Also Darius makes a valid point. If this county is going to fund teachers salaries like Walmart prices than you better get used to unstable faculties.
Maybe because all of the great teachers went to surrounding counties. You can’t expect caviar results when you pay a baloney salary to those you expect to get you into the top 40.
so you want to vote for a fairly new candidate and look the other way about have experience. Don’t get me wrong, but this is the BOE and not student government. WE need someone who is going to hit the ground running. In this time of shrinking monies and not having experienced people to champion our cause in government circles. Harford County already has a school policing program that works and this is not the city. I just want to make one more comment about your response. How come you think people are racist? You make the comment about not voting for him because of his name? Maybe you should have used a better choice of words. Your whole premise just went out the door because you think people are not going to vote for him because of his name. I read his answers and didn’t see anything that would make me vote for him. Not everyone in Harford County is white and lives in a good neighborhood. We have absent parents and low income people who care about their children just as much. You are running for Board President and you make comments like that? I think you need to apologize to every citizen of Harford County. Another point, you need to look at what the other candidates do with other parts of their life. I for one will not be supporting a narrow minded person who assumes everyone needs a diversity class.
You are entitled to your own views and your own vote. I simply pointed out that Mr. Weerasooryia has some ideas how to improve the school system whereas the other candidates did not offer any plans. That should not offend you. As for CDEV;, I did answer the most important question directly, namely that I support the step increases for teachers. Teaching is a very hard, demanding job and it deserves decent compensation. Don’t you want to retain the good teachers who are responsible for our children’s education?
I am entitled to my opinion and I strongly disagree with your comment. You want to be an elected official and make disparaging remarks to the voters about because he has a different name and from a different culture. You should be ashamed of yourself. Also, I have read his responses and find them in sharp contrast to the other candidates and very limited in his ability to represent the voters to the best of his ability. We need people who are able to hit the ground running and not get OJT in this time of limited monies. Why would I want my children to get representation from someone who has never served on the board, when there are qualified people who could give 100% from the first minute of being elected. You need to realize that we are a nation of different cultures and Harford County has many different people who are married, related, or friends with people who have strange sounding names. You assume that we are going to dislike him because we don’t know him. I for one think that you need to stop making stupid comments about culture and blow it off by saying that I am entitled to my opinion and my vote. THAT is a callous statement and why would I want you as president.
To be fair, everybody on the BoE, whether you like them or not, has at some point in time been “someone who has never served on the board” until they were either elected in their respective districts or appointed by the Governor.
You support them. Will you pay for them?
Still Waiting for an answer. Many people say they are in favor of paying teachers more but act very different. Both David Craig and Slutzky have publiclly said they want to pay teachers more. They do not fund the very budget in full to make that happen. Would you vote to fund the BOE budget in full?
Honey Badger doesn’t care who wins. Honey Badger gonna walk up to the voting machine, close his eyes, do the hokey pokie and then press a button.
you forgot to say turn around and then press the button. LOL
When I looked over these candidates, I was beyond shocked to see Mike Simon on the list. This guy stole money from his partner in a company named North Harford Capital, settled out of court when he was sued. He also stole again from another partner for a clothing line called TMF rockstar. He’s passionate about money alright, stealing it. It’s unbelievable that people like him can even apply for this position. He does not even have a degree
Heather- If this is true then Mr. Simon should withdraw his name from the ballot. You better hope it is true because if not you are going to be facing one hell of a defamation of character lawsuit. With all of that said if it is true then thank you for bringing this information to light.
Im sure court documents will back up the claim. Also, why not ask the candidate and see how he answers the question. There has to be a paper trail and I for one would not be voting for someone like that…..IF IT’S TRUE OF COURSE….or my name is not Johnny on the spot!
Looked into this. Seems like the whole thing was a disagreement between old friends/ business partners. This “Heather” sounds like she has a personal grudge against the candidate. As far as I can tell he has committed no wrong doings, and that was proven.
Not saying your claim is not true but where can the rest of us find official documentation this was simply a disagreement? Can you provide a link to court records to substantiate your fact check? And court records are full of cases where old friends and business partners have swindled one-another.
Voters should also be aware that Mr. Simon is associated with the Campaign for Liberty group. C4L has put candidates in other school board races – Mr. Fleckenstein in District F and Mr. Johnson in District B. All three are also running for seats on the Harford County Republican Central Committee as well as Mr. Macko who is listed as a school board candidate in District E. Mr. Weerasooriya, a school board candidate in District D is also running for the Harford County Democratic Central Committee. Please make up your mind and run for one or the other. The respective Central Committees are made up of those with the strongest of political beliefs. I for one do not want political ideologues from either party running the school system. If you are in favor of partisan politics becoming a factor in the decisions made by the school board then vote for these people. If not then choose from the other candidates.
That is why I did not favor an elected board!
As much as I hope the public will pay close attention to the candidates, and keep political extremists out, having an elected members is still better than having no say at all about who sits on the school board.
She sounds like someone with a personal grudge.
Heather I believe you have been miss informed about canidate Mike Simon. You sound like you are talking from one side of an argument/ disagreement. What proof do you have before you go around throwing out accusations like those? As far as the C4L comment, I know he wanted to run as an independent but that is not a recognized party in MD. How is independent one party fringe or the other?
Mr. Simon need not be affiliated with any political party to run for the BOE seat. So which is more important to him, Central Committee or BOE? My bet is on the CC. He should choose one or the other.
Fact Check, I can personally say that you can’t look into anything regarding this matter because it was settled out of court. I know this as a “FACT” but I will not get into anymore discussion about this because it is a closed matter, that no one can research. What you should do is, ask Mr. Simon about this matter, how it was settled & any of his other companies that he started with “old friends”.
There is only one choice! That is Nancy Reynolds. She was instrumental in her work to hire the new Superintendent, Barbara Canavan. They work so well together, and that is important. Nancy is not a politician and doesn’t need the notoriety. She does the job because she greatly cares about education in Harford County and the students in each of our schools.
As a former teacher and administrator at Havre de Grace, Aberdeen, Edgewood, Southampton, and Bel Air Middle, she has the credibility and knowledge of many communities in Harford County. Don’t be fooled by other candidates’ political rhetoric. Nancy Reynolds is the best person for the job.
Harford County needs her.
Mr. Weerasooriya, You are asking the voters of Harford County to put you in post of significant responsibility. BOE is not a fraternity or social club on which you can cut your teeth for higher office and more complete mismanagement of tax payer dollars. When appealing to people for their votes, it is wise to carefully proofread the written responses you provide. The quality of your submitted responses reflect either your poor command of written communication or a total lack of seriousness related to the position you seek. May I ask if you are a graduate of HCPS? Are you aware that your ambition to pursue a career in law may be hampered by this shortcoming? Perhaps Mr Ramirez can find a tutor to bring you up to speed.
formeracstudent,
First of all, I am one of the few who is looking out for the teachers. I want them all to still have a job 5 years down the road. Basic fact: more money made, more jobs lost. It is simple economics of which you have an abysmal poverty of knowledge.