Alonso already has "his hands full" with trying to fix this broken system. One of the things I have often said as the member of a school's teaching staff is that I can deal with pushing the kids but cannot do that while battling the grownups. I see a strong connection in this situation and for shame on the Mayor. Dr. Alonso is trying, and he is the first CEO in my memory who has had any real success at this, to actually fix what is wrong with this BCPSS. He has moved to make parent and community involvement real and authentic, he has created new pathways for schools to be created, he has moved the funding away from the inequitable model we have been living with for years (School for the Arts gets more while so many others get less, etc.), he has given a real sense of hope to good and qualified teachers, he has given students a reason to believe that they are important and has also set measurable goals (like high school graduation rates that actually mean something) and tied those his job status.

The Mayor seems poised to open up a distraction because she believes that things are moving to quickly. Maybe she would like to re-open some of the failing schools that Giddings and others have supported for years? Maybe she would like to reinstate those teachers who cannot pass the PRAXIS? Maybe she would like to reinstate principals who have presided over one failing school after another? And finally, maybe she would like to remove the hope that has started to take hold among parents, families, community members, students and teachers - hope that is so needed when the tasks in front of us is so vital and so difficult.

Any support I had for the Mayor is gone. She should be ashamed of herself. I know I am ashamed of her.

Argh! Throwing the brakes on just as the sense of change and progress is building momentum. Who exactly is the mayor trying to make points with? Certainly not parents. Maybe upper muckety-mucks, but I don't think there's a big voting block there.

I suppose there are some who post here that are going to be jumping up and down with joy, but I for one am depressed. Once again I ask myself, what am I doing committing my children's education to a system mired in cronyism. Why don't I join the crowds of those fleeing BCPSS? On a previous post there has been a discussion about the lack of caring and involved parents in the schools. Perhaps caring and involved parents are worn out by the steady stream of CEO's that have passed through North Ave. while in the classroom things stay the same or get worse.

I'm going to urge a wait-and-see approach here. Yes, these are some outspoken critics on the search committee, but I'm unwilling to believe that they don't have the school system's best interest in mind. I'm hoping they approach the search with a rational, calculated view towards the applicants.

Also, "Interesting Observations," I'd recommend that we hold off on the condemnation of the Mayor. I'm very certain that she has the best interest of schools in mind. I'll admit, I'm surprised by the choices, but I'm hopeful that individuals can put their personal feelings aside and do what's best for the students of the City. Last summer, everyone jumped on the Mayor for the different policing styles she was implementing. They said she was throwing the city away. Eleven months later we're seeing the largest drop in violent crime rates in the past 35 years. Similarly, we're seeing the expansion of business opportunities in the City at a rate where growth is occurring faster now than it has for quite awhile in Baltimore (particularly impressive given the current economic climate). Yes, some of these public discussions are a bit jarring, but I think we should stray from making any condeming assertions one way or another until the facts are clear.

This is simply inexplicable to me. There has to be some ulterior motive at work but I cannot figure it out. What special interest group has the Mayor's ear?

Before I wanted Mayor Dixon to survive the political scandals despite her guilt for the sake of practicality and moving the city forward. Now I hope she burns in flames.

Eric White on the panel? Are you kidding me? If she tries to get in Alonso's way I'm ready to start organizing.

OMG. What a horrible panel! Marietta English is a hack and a drag on reform, while not giving the teachers the advocate that they need, either. But at least I can see why she was appointed: she WAS re-elected (in a stacked-deck election that many teachers couldn't participate in because of the logistics...) But Eric White?! He is the reason that the school my child attends has a PTO not a PTA! What is Dixon thinking!?!? I had respected a lot of her appointments to cabinet positions, but this totally erodes that the support that I had for her, even in the face of her corruption. Ack! Get rid of Eric White, and now I'm thinking we should be happy when the FBI helps us get rid of Dixon, too!

Eric White? Gittings? These guys may be active and care for children, however, I find their comments are always unclear, lacking content, and quite misguided. Also, Eric White has lead the Balt PTA into a one-man useless reason for him to speak at board meetings. He's ineffective and finally MD PTA caught up to him.
Alonso is brilliant and wants to do everything he can for these children. He has tons of experience and he's bold enough to fire unnecessary people at North Ave. He's bringing in an unprecedented amount of resources and partners. Most education advocates and parents around town are very pleased with Alonso and any move towards his ouster or the Mayor's school takeover will be adamantly fought.

Really Bill? You want me to hold off on the Mayor for appointing 3 of those who I hold personally responsible for the sad state of affairs we now see this system in. I give credit to the school board for making a good choice in Dr. Alonso and for then having the spine to back him even when what he proposed wasn't the most popular. I gave (notice past tense) to the Mayor for the positive comments she gave to Dr. Alonso again, when some of those power players were complaining about the fast pace of progress, yes, I said it, PROGRESS. Now I plan to give her full shame for appointing people who have actively stood in the way of meaningful reform - Giddings who has protected sub par school leaders, English who has done likewise for sub par teachers and sub par professional practices (let's not forget her blowing a gasket over one 45 minute team planning period, a practice that is actually good for teachers) and Eric White? Wasn't this guy just exposed for running a one man office and using his "position" as a platform for his own personal views?

No I say, NO again! I will not allow the progress of Dr. Alonso to be stopped without calling out those who seem hell bent on returning to the days of not so old. No, I will not admit that those 3 people have the best interest of the students in mind when their track record says otherwise. No, I will not let this affront to the hard work of kids, parents, teachers and school and community leaders to go unanswered. For too long we have let the good work of those fine people go to waste. For shame I say again!

Interesting Observations, the truth drips from your keyboard like honey.

Are you serious Bill? Seriously? You're going to back these appointments and defend it? I know you work for Dr. Alonso and certainly seem to be his blog defender. Most of Dr. Alonso's policies are good, but the system is a mess right now, a complete mess. People don't know what's going on, the schools are hanging right now by hacks that Doc for some reason trusts.

The Mayor, wow, I can't believe you would even address it. She's a mess but I guess you'll continue to support her just like you did when you were on her re-election staff.

Corey:

Thanks. Sometimes the honey just has to flow.

Let's see...a committee that has been appointed to vet school board candidates including Eric White, who is so incomprehensible and incompetent that he he could'nt figure
out that he is supposed to have a Treasurer and a Secretary as part of the Balto Council of PTA's - and was decertified by the state PTA. Yeah Sheila, good call! Next is Marietta English, who is so out of touch with what is actually going on in the classroom that she should be impeached, and then there is Mr. Gittings, merely a union mouthpiece. This talented troika VS. the reform movement led by Dr. Alonso. Hmmm, call me crazy but my money is on Dr. Alonso!

I know, I know. I'm hoping for the best in a potentially dicey situation. I'm looking for the silver lining.

Ultimately, other than the symbolic nature of the seach committee, I don't think there's much to it's composition. There are a set number of applicants (I think), and it's a matter of vetting the group. The Mayor/Gov have their own say. I don't think the committee has full approval power. Further, the process is political enough such that picking someone on one extreme would be (hopefully) impossible.

On a different note, there's a part of me that's willing to accept a board member that's not 100% on the ship. Sometimes skepticism forces everyone to work at their highest level (not that they aren't already, but just in case). Conflict breeds compromise. Thus, good government, often, is conflicted & contested government. While I may not like what some of these search committee members propose, it's important that they propose it. At the very least it gets the opinion on the table. If we just ignore the opposing voice we risk overseeing issues and finding ourselves stuck in the mud. Trust me, though, I completely understand where you all (above) are coming from, I just think the end result can be positive, so we (I) should encourage it to be so.

On a different note, I'm a huge Dixon supporter, and I'll embrace it. She is a driven woman, and she has a vision for the City that's broader than short-term fixes that allow her to move forward to a higher office. She is passionate about Baltimore's future, and she staffs her office with individuals that have the capability to work within the political system to stimulate meaningful change.

Yes, things have appeared dicey recently. People often make mistakes on many levels. Her mistakes, because of the public nature, are amplified. There's no excuse for mistakes on that level, and Mayors know the nature of the game when they run for office. However, that being said, it's easy to decry someone when the chips are down. As they say in Washington, politicians are never late for a funeral. I think you have a whole bunch of factors involved where at this point the State Prosecutor is just doing anything to save face and/or justify his own department's existence. Balanced over the aggregate, Mayor Dixon's influence in this City is positive. I think the public record of development and progress speaks for itself.

Eric White is an inappropriate choice. His response to the media after his selection demonstrates his poor social interaction skills. This is who she wants to represent parents and the mayor's office?