Please God let him leave July 1, 2010!!! If he leaves I will go back. Maybe this time Baltimore will find a CEO who has actually been a teacher. Shouldn't that be required to be a School CEO...You must have actual experience teaching in a k-12 CLASSROOM so that you may actually know what you are talking about?? Or is that too much like right?

Comment from Liz:
In fact, Alonso was a classroom teacher.

I, for one, hope he stays. Alonso isn't perfect, but I think he is at least pushing things in the right direction. The fact that he'll be setting some kind of record for making it 3 years is pretty indicative of the problems he has inherited. He's already shaken things up, I hope he stays long enough to at least make sure things are moving on the right track

I don't agree with everything Alonso has done. I didn't like the way he negotiated the health insurance part of the teacher contract his first year. But, I agree with Bmore Teacher (and I am one too) that he has pushed a lot of things in the right direction and has raised the bar for North Avenue's and schools' performance. And by the way, he taught for 11 years in Newark, a factoid easily obtained from his bio on the City Schools website.

So much misinformation. Alonso taught special education for 11 years in Newark.

The other one that persists is that the School Board Members get paid (they don't) and/or that the CEO appoints the board, when in fact, the governor and the mayor jointly appoint the board members.

Maybe next to the link to education jargon in Baltimore Sun coverage, you could add some basics about the school system and its leadership?

@ExBmore Teacher: We're okay with you not returning. That's an awfully strong opinion based on bad information that you could have corrected with a 3 second google search.
Regardless, Dr. Alonso has made a lot of positive changes. Although he's not perfect, he is a competent, smart, and tremendously dedicated person. And that's pretty much all I could ask for in a colleague or administrator.

Yes, Liz, he was a teacher but for how long and at what level. Teaching expertise is never learned in a graduate program but our CEOs seem to think so. He will stay for the same reason others have--money and the opportunity to make a name for himself. Yipee!

@ Liz Bowie

Can't you do better than write about this low hanging fruit junk!

Although I do not agree with all of the mandates that come out of North Ave, I hope Dr. Alonso stays at the helm of BCPSS. I think he has been doing a wonderful job of ridding the system of the nepotism that has been rampant in the system for years.

As a former student of the school system and employee I can honestly say Alonso has done more than the last three CEO's combined.

He ruffles feathers and yes, he can be a bully, but maybe that is what is needed to shake the school system out of years of neglect and complacency.

At the end of the day its about the chlidren of Baltimore and what is best for them.

I hope he stays. Its been forever since someone has shown so much dedication to turning around city schools and he's doing a great job. But there's much more to be done.

Over two years, 16 pt gains in both ES math and reading, Across the board increases in every NCLB sub-group
Increases in Stanford 10 and SAT, More HSs meeting AYP, System out of NCLB Corrective Action for first time, Increase in enrollment for two consecutive years , Increase in MS and HS attendance, Increase in graduation rates, Decrease in suspensions.

Let's kick the bum out. And go back to the goodl old days of the downward sprial.

It is imperative for Alonso to stay. He has started the job by boldly dismantling what he saw as failing, he has put a new team in place, he has created a much more energetic profile for the schools in the public eye, he has put in place some new ways of doing tings and new accountabilities, and he has set high expectations for each and every child, parent, teacher and principal. All along, we have all said: the "proof" is not only in what he has torn down but in what he builds in its place. For him to leave now would be a travesty - we would never be able to find out if he has been right or wrong, and the children and staff would suffer another 2-3 years of transition, disruption, and uncertainty. Only a 5-6-year commitment, which is what he promised when he arrived - will give us the ability to judge that. He owes the children the time he promised them - and we owe him the patience and support he needs.

@veteran teacher
I think you've made an erroneous assumption about Alonso and graduate degrees. He's has actually made it clear that he doesn't value graduate education. From what I understand, the city's tuition reimbursement policy is up for negotiation for this next contract.

He likes to cite the research that finds basically no difference in student achievement between someone who has a graduate degree and someone who doesn't. While this is one aspect and should be considered once methodology of studies are dissected, the other is that advanced degrees are needed to, well, advance.

You need a masters to get your APC and to get your admin credential, so if he is able to scale back or get rid of the tuition benefit, he is shooting the system in the foot long term as 5-10 years out, there will be a lack of people with the credentials needed to be the next round of leaders in the system unless they've paid for the coursework themselves, and if they have, they won't be obligated to stay in Baltimore City.

Crack down on the service commitment and make people pay back tuition if they don't stay, or even increase the service commitment to 5 years, but to dismiss all graduate education seems short-sighted. There great programs out there and we should encourage our teachers to be life-long learners and continue to perfect their craft.

Alonso staying is great news. And I don't agree with some of what he has done. But anyone that argues with the results is arguing without any concept of reality.

Unfortunately, given the incredible ignorance of some people on this page, a concept of reality is not a prerequisite to posting here.

Hey vetern teacher, try reading the responses of others before asking ignorant questions.

I hope that, in your profession, you actually look up facts before teaching our children factually incorrect information.

He's just been too busy working on the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Blue Ribbon Committee. You know the committee that shut down 13 Catholic Schools last week. Then the Chicago Tribune reported yesterday that City Councilman Nick D'Adamo proposed that BCPS should rent the closed schools from the Archdiocese for $1 per year to open new charter schools. Thanks Dr. Alonso, I appreciate you sacrificing my child's school to further your pathetic, failing school system.

Why did Alonso replace Mary Minter? No chief academic officer with 40 years in the system leaves prior to testing. Alonso fire her and is on his way out. Why did Mary Minter's job not go up for bid? How and why did Mary Minter's replacement get approved by the board? The school board knows he is leaving and covered it up. Why can't reporters ask the real questions?