The Harford County Board of Education reversed a budgeted salary cut of nearly 2% for all school system employees planned for next year, by approving a series of budget amendments at a special board meeting held Thursday in Bel Air. The school board’s action came in response to news earlier in the week that Harford […]
No Furloughs, Layoffs in FY11 Harford Budget; Extra $2.7M May Help Offset School Salary Cuts
The fiscal year 2011 budget which Harford County David Craig will submit Wednesday is set to decrease spending by 5 percent over last year’s plan and will include no furloughs and no layoffs for county employees, Craig said today. The proposed budget will also include $2.7 million above the school board’s budget request “to be […]
Required High School Course Can Be Waived by Harford Schools, Changes Planned for Living In A Contemporary World
Four years ago, Harford County Public Schools introduced a required, ninth-grade class called Living In A Contemporary World, also known as LICW. The idea behind LICW was to help high school freshmen adjust to high school expectations and plan for the future. But the class was widely seen as an irrelevant time-waster. Now, there’s some […]
Teacher’s Facebook Postings About Drama Therapy Raise Thorny Questions
Should teachers use Facebook to air their disagreements with parents? When does a teacher’s right to free speech cross the line? The growing use of social networking sites by teachers, parents and students raises some thorny questions. A case in point is the slugfest going on in Havre de Grace over the controversial drama production […]
Maryland Education Department Defers to Harford Schools on Drama Therapy
In the following letter to Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick, a former educator requests an independent investigation into Drama Therapy, the controversial drama production shown to students at Havre de Grace High School at a school-wide assembly held in early December, 2009. The letter to Dr. Grasmick generated a response of sorts. More […]
Wave of School-Related Legislation Focuses On Teacher Tenure and Transfers, Labor Relations, Student Athletes
Legislative Updates on the education bills under consideration in the Maryland General Assembly are coming fast and furious now. A second set of updates was presented to the Harford County Board of Education by the schools’ governmental liaison Kathy Carmello, at a business meeting held Monday, February 22 in Bel Air. This time around, Harford […]
Disabled E-Mail Account Restored, Harford Education Association Drops Grievance (UPDATED)
The Harford County Education Association has dropped a grievance that was filed with Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Tomback over the Association’s use of the schools’ e-mail system. Responding to an inquiry from The Dagger, HCEA President Randy Cerveny said that his HCPS e-mail account was restored on Monday, February 22, 2010 and that […]
School-Related Legislation Focuses On Pupil Expenditures, Attendance, Charter School Funding, Labor Relations
The 2010 Maryland General Assembly session is just about to the mid-point, and well over a hundred bills relating to schools and their employees have been filed for legislators to consider. Of course, not every bill portends big changes to the state of education in the State, but some do. And they’re worth noting while […]
