The Mayoral Candidate needs to be one that is willing to take on Dr. Alonso and all his buddies. The candidate needs to do a full scale investigation on all the people Alonso has appointed. What are the qualifications of all his buddies? They are getting paid big bucks and the students are in overcrowded non-air conditioned classrooms. It is totally unfair and it seems like no one cares. We now see a push on Science. The poor students can't even pass MSA. So what is the plan: why not hire intervention teachers, afterschool programs, SMALLER CLASS SIZE! No one is touching these key points! The person who gets the job as Mayor has to be one that cares for the children of Baltimore City. Let us all vote for the person who is willing to state they will take on Dr. Alonso!

@ B S Paper candidates campaign promise for City Mayor to spend more resources on schools may possibly be a false/positive when the time comes for being held accountable after election day.

I think Conaway's right on this one: $304 million for a hotel and the minimum allowed by law for schools? Embarrassing.

Why shouldn't 100% of the slots money go to facilities?

@Wake Up:
A quick point. There's very little research that shows smaller class sizes improve achievement (as long as class sizes are within a reasonable limit, which most BCPS classes are). A shame, really, because it would make a great magic bullet.

If I were to rank them on this issue, it would be Harding, Rolley, Pugh, Rawlings-Blake, Landers and Conaway.

Ms. Harding has been fiercely consistent in her "fire Alonso" stance. Although I don't necessarily agree with her but she gets points for sticking to her issue. She can't win but I hope she will be given the opportunity to voice her out-of-the-norm positions. Remember she is the parent who uncovered cheating at George Washington.

Mr. Rolley must not know that Thornton was not fully funded and continues to be a political hot potato in every state budget cycle. In his proclaimed Live, Earn, Learn and Play master plan update, he abdicated to the Facilities Solution scenario that was develop by an out-of- state consultant for BCPSS. They were the ones who first bring forth the sell-rent back scheme that is being used in other parts of the country.

Ms. Pugh is in the middle because I think she likes it there. In between O'Malley and Dixon, O'Malley and Rawlings Blake, between to "O'Malley and Miller. She is the consummate middle (wo)man. Even with her proclaimed fashion school, she is in between the Seawall Development Corp and MICA.

Ms. Blake is the defender of good enough. Her stance on MOE attempts to hide the fact that the original "Effort" was lacking. Her defunding of the Community schools initiative and other "optional" efforts such as the crossing guards is in fact a funding reduction.

Mr. Landers is clueless. Schools in closed business parks just don't work for long. Children need open space.

Mr. Conaway would be at the bottom of any list I make. He is just in it to be in it.

Candidate Rolley - you are more specific on education so that's good,but do you know that all baltimore cit students can right now choose a middle school? Do you know that there might not be 5 middle schools left - 6-8 graders are in k-8 schools and 6-12 schools mostly. just a few facts

I find it fascinating that Mr Rolley is pushing for a voucher system. There are good schools in Baltimore City and most have open enrollment. The issue is that mass transit in the city is so bad that kids can't get to the good schools without spending hours on the bus. Didn't Mr. Rolley run a quasi-governmental organization dedicated to improving mass transit? Vouchers are a cop out.

@Campbell:
"There's very little research that shows smaller class sizes improve achievement..."

So, why aren't the folks paying $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 a year in private tuition clamoring for larger classes?

Over the Top
The only viable candidate to take on SRB is Otis Rolley. The Facts is that he has to battle the crazy bunch of nuts who have their own personal agendas. They DON'T care about the people of Baltimore City. Harding is a NUT CASE ! Who can't let go of her grudge against Alonso. She's been kicked out of school board meetings for threatening the mans life. Pugh is just a blocker to votes that could go to Rolley. She's always out of town and is not involved in our lives. The same is true for Landers. Conway, well everybody knows he has issues. Otis Rolley is the true competition for SRB. I hope the campaign funding requirement shuts down some of the NUTS ! So we can get focussed on changing the current leadership.

@ The Facts - I agree with you and hope that Rolley is not lost in the mud of the craziness. I would look forward to a true debate between the front-runners but there is no formal declaration of who they are. Pugh and Landers have their machines at work and it looks like they are more visible than viable. I also agree Pugh is just a blocker. She loses nothing by entering this race.

If my video memory is correct, Ms Harding was banned for using profanity at the Board meeting and it was Chairman Duke would put her out. She has constantly threatened a lawsuit but I do not remember her threatening bodily harm. I still stand by my ranking on the education issue because the only candidates who have articulated a real plan are Harding and Rolley. Harding's plan is overly simplistic but has support in some circle. Rolley's is straight out the reformers guidebook and he needs to develop one that is tailored to Baltimore.

@ Magic

Turns out, it's not the small class sizes that make those expensive private schools good schools. That's why people do research studies on the effect of class size instead of just guessing that that's the cause.

@ Simon

So, why, pray tell, do those private school parents continue insisting on small classes, and why on earth do the expensive private academies keep passing smaller classes off as a benefit?

Yes, people do indeed conduct research studies on the effects of class size on student achievement. Dozens of them, in fact. Some of those studies maintain that class size doesn't matter, while most have found that it does, to varying degrees, across differing grade levels, subjects and populations.

Two real questions emerge:

[1] Is reducing class size worth it, given the varying degrees of improved achievement? Most stakeholders in public and private education think so, even those who can't always afford it.

[2] How would you prefer to have your kids spend their years in school, in classes of less than 20, or in classes of more than 35? Everybody knows the answer to that one.

@ Simon & Magic
Have there ever been any studies that look into class size in relationship to the diverse populations that we know exist in City Schools? It seems intuitive to me (as a non-teacher, so maybe I have it all wrong) that a classroom that requires a lot of differentiation needs to be smaller than a class where everyone is on a very similar level. When you talk inclusion, which in my opinion leads to much better outcomes for everyone involved, you need to do a lot of work thinking about and tailoring to individuals. I can't see this happening in a class of 35 students. On the other hand, if we fully include special needs students, can't we use some of the savings from eliminating segregated classrooms to help fund smaller classrooms? Seems like everyone would be happier in that situation, but maybe I'm overly optimistic.

Class size isn't important if the kids are only there to learn. In many urban schools, the children are lacking in many areas: social, emotional, as well as intellectual.
I am more to my students than just a teacher and that is nearly impossible to do with 35 middle school students in one class.
I don't care what anybody's research says.

Class size isn't important if the kids are only there to learn. In many urban schools, the children are lacking in many areas: social, emotional, as well as intellectual.
I am more to my students than just a teacher and that is nearly impossible to do with 35 middle school students in one class.
I don't care what anybody's research says.

Please don't comment about the importance of class size unless you have been a teacher. Teachers rarely discount the benefits of smaller classes - research THAT. Children who care about learning and safe classrooms also appreciate smaller class sizes. Ask them.

The Center for Public Education looked at 19 studies from the past 20 years:

Smaller classes in the early grades (K-3) can boost student academic achievement;

A class size of no more than 18 students per teacher is required to produce the greatest benefits;

A program spanning grades K-3 will produce more benefits than a program that reaches students in only one or two of the primary grades;

Minority and low-income students show even greater gains when placed in small classes in the primary grades;

The experience and preparation of teachers is a critical factor in the success or failure of class size reduction programs;

Reducing class size will have little effect without enough classrooms and well-qualified teachers; and

Supports, such as professional development for teachers and a rigorous curriculum, enhance the effect of reduced class size on academic achievement.

Read the full report here:

http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-a-school/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance/Class-size-and-student-achievement-Research-review.html

@Campbell and Simon,
where did you get your facts? There is actually a huge amount of compelling research that says that class size matters. Check out this website before you go on spouting what budget-cutters everywhere would like to be true:

http://www.classsizematters.org/research-and-links-2/

Also, this article on the Answer Sheet is a quick and dirty on the subject if you don't feel like wading through all that reading:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/class-size/7-class-size-myths----and-the.html

Anyone who has ever taught also knows that whether or not class size matters in terms of in-class instruction, it definitely matters in terms of teacher workload. Grading 175 research papers (the equivalent of 35 kids in five classes) is a lot more work than grading 125. (25 kids in a class) If you give each paper 10 minutes, you spend almost 30 hours grading, rather than 21. Even the most powerful teacher He-man can't do too many 30-hour grading stints, meaning the assignments for a 35-kid class are not going to be the same indepth assignments as those given a 25-kid class.

@Campbell
I'm with you 100% in your post that
"I think Conaway's right on this one: $304 million for a hotel and the minimum allowed by law for schools? Embarrassing.

Why shouldn't 100% of the slots money go to facilities?"

I was shocked that Rawlings-Blake plans the absolute least amount allowable funding from slots to go to schools-- wasn't school funding part of the reason this won?--

why is she not getting more blow- back on that?

And I'm pretty suspicious that ALL of the candidates seem so hell-bent to cut property taxes. Don't the majority of these cuts benefit developers and large property owners, (not the overwhelming majority of poor people who live in our city) and aren't schools directly funded by property taxes?

I think Steph's got it. Absolutely no one is out here creating, enrolling in, or teaching larger classes vs smaller ones as a matter of preference, so it doesn't really matter much what the research says. It's all flawed in some form or fashion anyway.

The radio debate shed light, to me, on a notion that SRB does not listen to or care about the common folk in Baltimore city.
When the conversation turned to schools, she stated that she has been working with the School Board and the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance to make the school better. The DBFA is a fairly new organization made of "new" Baltimoreans and their efforts are focused solely on "downtown". What SRB did not mention are PCAB, SECAC, the Presidents Roundtable, the Baltimore Education Coalition nor any other group that advocates for the entire city.
The Mayor, the CEO and his staff meet with the DBFA on a regular basis but cannot show similar interaction with any other civic groups. Maybe it's because these are his neighbors and a like-minded group of self serving individuals.
The DBFA can now boast three Board members from their ranks. It is any wonder, with this type of gerrymandering, that the more fringe candidates stick to their fire the CEO stance. SRB moves one notch down in my opinion and that is only because Conway will always be at the bottom.