It doesn't need to go through the process? One person, given unchecked power by the superintendent, is able to spend millions of dollars without blinking????This is absolutely outrageous! As a taxpayer, I am disgusted that the county would categorize this as a "mistake." A three hundred thousand dollar mistake? This on top of millions of dollars spent on the say so of one person who has already drained the county's resources to promote her misguided AIM. When will this woman answer for the havoc she has stirred in Baltimore County? American Reading Company, Language Design Workgroup salaries, Linguistics Activities (Has anyone actually read these..now considered BCPS curriculum?), 1983 grammar materials....on and on. This one woman is taking BCPS back to 1970's with the approval of the superintendent and the absolute paralysis of the board to do anything to correct this insanity. Stop giving my considerable taxes to finance the unchecked power of this one woman who has assumed the role of assistant superintendent at the "request of Joe Hairston." Jim Smith, you have failed to take action because curriculum is not in your purview...how about gross mismanagement of taxpayers' money? Is this in your purview? How about you County Council? Can you do something now? Tell Joe Hairston "NO" on his budget which takes away needed resources and finances the nonsense of his friend and assistant. PLEASE...someone stop this!!!!!!!

When will the board wake up and do their job?
When will Barbara Dezmon be held accountable for the mess she has created in BCPS?
When will Joe Hairston leave and let the county begin to heal from the divisive and tyrannical leadership that he imposes on the system?
When will ethical decision making become the norm once again?
When will the County Executive and the County Council stand up for the citizens of Baltimore County (particularly, our school-age citizens)?
When will sanity be restored to this once exemplary system?
The county is tumbling fast and until this madness stops, recovery will be a long process that our children cannot afford.

OMG! Is Dr Dez at the heart of another BCPS embarrassment??!! Hey teachers - think we could get away with this stuff? I could swear we were in Chicago...red flag anyone?

The county schools could have added instructional staff or technology to needy schools with that $300,000. What a waste of money, and how can members of the school board in good conscience, approve such a purchase after the fact? As those of us within the system have believed for quite some time, there need to be some changes made. We need an independent board which considers programs and purchases on merit rather than simply doing whatever the superintendent wants. I hope that the Sun is looking at this and other issues which involve Dr. Hairston's right hand woman who is bringing disgrace and scandal to this system. Taxpayers should be outraged!

Liz, there is more. Keep digging.

I just finished watching the BCPS Board Report on the Education Channel and I feel physically ill to have watched central office personnel mislead the board as it did at the March 10th meeting. It was clear that those answering board member's questions regarding purchases in excess of a million dollars simply did not tell the truth. The lack of integrity on the part of those that stood before the board is most disappointing. I am saddened that fellow educators would allow themselves to be used in such a way. I am aware that fear is a great motivator, but, I would hope that the school board would seek the truth and protect their employees from the pervasive climate of fear and vindictive behavior that leads leaders in the system to compromise their personal integrity. We should all weep for what is happening in Baltimore County Public Schools. I know that I am.

I was one of the lucky ones to receive this fine piece of literature. I actually use it, for high school English. I think the real issue is once again we have a flagrant violation of county policy and safeguards. Thank you Sunpapers for continuing to dig.I wonder what you would find if you looked into Assesstrax and all the computers the county purchased. Did I tell you that several years ago, the county said we were to use a new Biology book but did not give us the funds to purchase it.

It is so sad to watch what is happening in Baltimore County...I feel so helpless and hopeless. My heart is breaking. Thank you, Liz. I appreciate your efforts to seek the truth. It is difficult when it is clear that people who would act with integrity are gone and those left behind simply are too afraid to expose the lies. How sad for the children of Baltimore County. They are the ones who will bear the cost for the actions of the board, superintendent, and the unappointed superintendent for curriculum. How shameful!

I am very worried about Baltimore County teachers, students and parents with a Superintendent and Assistant like Dr. Dezmon. When reading the article in todays paper about the $300,000 mistake with grammar books, and seeing Dr. Dezmon's name AGAIN,I immediately sat down to voice my concern. Please keep investigating this pair of "leaders" who are supposed to be running our school system. If more is found, please recomend that they resign their positions or legal action will have to take place.

Parents of Baltimore County:
Let your voices be heard. Your children will reap the inept actions of the board, the unethical practices of the administration, and the continued loss of those who have taken this county to successful heights. There is NO leadership in BCPS. How do these people dare show their faces in the community and schools, knowing that they continue to protect Greenwood's self-serving and tyrannical rule? How sad for our community! How awful for our children. It seems the only way to stop this mess is to have an elected school board. These people need to be held accountable. They are not serving the community...they are not acting in the best interest of the children...WHY? WHY? Please do the right thing for the sake of children you care about.

UNBELIEVABLE!! What will it take for the Board of Ed, County Executive, and County Council to stand up and scream ENOUGH!!

But wait.....the BCPS Board doesn't get involved or look at ethical issues: it's not on their "radar".....and they only hire and review Hairston....

And.....Teachers who wrote letters of concern to County Executive Smith about the scary things going on at Greenwood found their letters WITH THEIR IDENTITIES, passed along to Hairston. They received reprimands from Hairston through their principals!!

How much more do we need to see? County Council, can you rescue us? At least create the uproar that such egregious behavior warrants!!

Why does everyone think Barbara Dezmon is Dr. Hairston's assistant??? Check out the organizational chart on bcps.org and you will see he has one but no one even knows her name. Isn't that interesting!!!!!!!!!!! Barbara Dezmon is not second in command. She is in charge of Equity and Assurance which deals with minority issues. So why is her nose in all these other things?

The school board did not even address the important issue of Dezmon having spent the money prior to it being an exhibit on their agenda...four months after spending the money? In NO way was this Rick Gay's fault. Once again, Dezmon is the source of this questionable behavior. Whenever she is exposed, someone is assigned to take the fall. Is it any wonder that many hope for an elected school board? We need the board to work for the citizens of Baltimore County and their children. This board will not do its job. A gift card purchase of an X-Box is nothing compared to the questionable expenditures in Baltimore County. What about Science Weekly...American Reading Company...Dezmon Instructional Strategies, LLC (AIM)...over a million spent on a 1983 text that is out of print...etc. My school cannot afford paper or ink, but the friends of the superintendent are awarded millions? If the County Executive thinks an elected board is a bad idea, please have him explain how this apathetic board can be motivated to do the right thing by the students of Balt. Co. Citizens, think about how your taxes are being spent in Baltimore County and demand that either delegates push for an elected board or the County Executive and anyone running for that office explain how they will insist that a selected board do the job. It is time for a vote of No Confidence. It is the only way to purge the system of the unethical and thoughtless way they do business.

Liz, I hope that you do not stop probing into the management of BCPS as it is currently being run by the Hairston-Dezmon team. Follow the money- Follow the contracts- There is much to be discovered. The community is hoping that you continue to pursue the truth. The current administration is hopeful that you will give up and they may continue to dismantle what was an excellent system. Baltimore County needs an elected board because the current board is too beholding to the man they selected. It is ironic that board members are worried that special interests groups would affect an elected board, while they only support the interests of a self-absorbed superintendent and his equally self-promoting assistant. NO CONFIDENCE!

Is anyone surprised, really? The shame is that those who could put an end to the insanity do nothing, while the taxpayers foot the bill, the stake holders are ignored, and the children must live with the results of adults making their own deals at the expense of their education.

I was pleased to see that the proposal to have elected members of the BC board of education is still alive. Perhaps then we might have a group to oversee the administration at Greenwood instead of a group who rubber stamps anything that Hairston does. I hope that maybe the board's infatuation with Hairston may be coming to an end.

BCPS is crumbling before our eyes. Hairston and Dezmon are tyrrants who rule through fear. The latest example of what happens to those who dare speak out is Bill Lawrence.

For the sake of the children of Baltimore County, this must end!

My school is falling a part and we were told that facilties didn't have the money to replace broken windows and clogged toilets and now I guess I know why.

Liz - while you are digging into the issue of misappropriated tax $$, can you look into the whole ISO quality management scene. Apparently, BCPS is paying huge bucks to a third party for the purpose of "quality management." Looks like Dr. H needs another feather in his cap.

I have been part of the audit process and this is a complete and joke. ISO is assessing whether BCPS has standardized business procedures and makes no connections to outcomes such as student performance or classroom practice. Is this really necessary at a time when $$ is so tight??

Once again, folks in the central offices who could be out in schools working with teachers are scrambling to put together documents for review by the third party. I would love to know how much BCPS is paying for yet another unnecessary expenditure and who on the inside is cashing in.