Carl Roberts is a finalist for Harford County Superintendent??!?!?!?!?!?

OK! Now I've seen everything! I cannot believe that Carl Roberts is going to try and destroy all of the good work that Jackie Haas did for Harford County! Dear Lord...PLEASE don't let him get past these people!

Hot off the presses people!

https://www.hcps.org/departments/docs/publicinformation/publications/pressreleases/2009/MABE_HarPressfinalists%20_3_.pdf

Carl Roberts - "a good listener...easy man to work with"????

I know it's been quite awhile since I've been on the ole blog here! I just had to say something about the Carl Roberts story in the Whig. All I must say is this...ARE THEY KIDDING? Look at this nonsense.

I cannot wait for him to run for office so he can find out how many people really don't like his style!

http://www.cecilwhig.com/articles/2009/03/03/news/doc49ac6083d4dfd334219366.txt

"Roberts has learned to deal with people he knows don’t agree with him by simply treating them with respect and providing them with facts...Currie describes Roberts as a "good listener and an easy man to work with." LOL - ROFL

Cecil County Public Schools - Budget

In the past, I haven't really said much about the Cecil County School Board. Mainly because of my personnel connection to the board (my wife is a board member). But I finally figured that it is time to speak up about an issue that is a sore point with most of the tax payers in Cecil County, the annual school budget. For years, we all have screamed that the school board just rubber stamps the budget that is placed in front of them by Dr Roberts, my voice was heard mixed in with the same crowd. I have to say now that my opinion has changed quite a bit.

This is the second year of the budget process for my wife Donna. To most, the board members just meet about the budget 4 or 5 times and vote yes because it is assumed of them. I see a completely different process from my point of view. I can tell that it is budget season because suddenly my workspace in my office becomes cluttered with budget spreadsheets. Through time, this sheets fill up with Donna's scribbles, notes to herself on what questions to ask. Why did this line item go up, this one go down, what impact on not increasing a line item has? Why an increase in FTEs for this department, why a drop in this other department?

Just last night alone, she spent at least 3 hours pouring over details. She shoots off e-mails in attempts to obtain answers before the meetings. This scene gets repeated over and over during the budget process. Some have made comments that she is the quiet one on the board, it is not so, she just doesn't like surprise answers and will try to have her questions answered ahead of time. Donna has a BS in Mathematics/Programming and a BS in Accounting and the numbers speak to her. By the time she gets done, I can assure you, every line has been dissected in detail.

So you won't hear me complaining about the budget being rubber stamped by the board anymore. I can't speak for the other members, but if they spend the same amount of time that Donna does on preparation, you know it is a good budget.

And I am proud of the work that she has done and will continue to do.

Tim

Boys & Girls Club Work Done....why not elsewhere?

Welcome back Tim!

I was reading today's Whig article on IKEA's work at the Boys and Girls Club of North East.
Now before everyone gets all "huffy" on me, just read carefully.

I am completely TICKLED BEYOND BELIEF that the Club recieved this assistance!

That being said, I cannot help but wonder why CCPS doesn't seem to take advantage of these types of offerings to refurbish North East Middle or North East High? Do they even look for these opportunities or do they only work with "official funding" such as federal and state grants? It seems to me that Carl Roberts could have made contact with IKEA (the program is well-known).

The problem is that the district won't allow other groups to do these types of things for them. Instead they reject offers from volunteer-type groups such as the cafeteria furniture that was offered 3 years ago by a parents group (yes, I know that they finally put some new equipment in place this year...could've been free to the district taxpayers and done 3 years ago though) and a more recent offering of painting work.

They had no problem using funds for the new "fingerprint"-style lunchroom scanners though did they?

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 NIV

CCPS Board: New or Old = Same Story

Hi folks...

This posting was inspired by the posting of the Chan Cosans letter to the Whig. It appears that this is the full, original version as compared to this edited version from June 22nd www.cecilwhig.com/articles/2007/06/22/editorial/letters/03.txt - the only difference being the more detailed discussion at the start regarding the North East principal from 20 years ago.

I am pasting my initial thoughts and that of fellow Whig Online writers and then I'll expand.

The Truth wrote on Jun 22, 2007 11:34 AM:
"Ms. Cosans...I truly believe you are giving too much credit to our new school board members. While I do believe that Mrs. Kammerer is trying to pick her battles carefully, Mrs. Sopa and Mrs. Zane are not (in my view) acting out of discomfort but rather out of the same bullying nature as Dr. Roberts. Further, Mrs. Koch is supposed to be in charge and lets all of this go on without anything but a snide remark and blank stare throughout. I was in the room for the entire meeting on June 11th and saw how they handled ALL COMERS in a negative and arrogant manner. Although all of the concentration has been on the Sheaffer matter, how does that explain how that poor man from NEMS PTSO was treated? He was an "INVITED" speaker and they ripped him up in front of his family and friends. You didn't see the look in his youngest daughter's eyes! As far as your comment on recommendations goes...it is very clear to me that Dr. Roberts is dictating from his bully pulpit rather than making recommendations. The Truth shall set you free! "

clear perspective wrote on Jun 22, 2007 12:56 PM:
" Ms. Cosans usually has a decent grip on issues, so her naive assessment here is perplexing. Just because someone opts for public education as a career does not elevate them to a higher status than a parent who opts for a different career while still caring about education. Yet the prevailing attitude at the school board has ALWAYS been to treat parents as uninformed, misguided nuisances at best, and compaining troublemakers at worst. The elected board members have done little to nothing to remove this attitude. With that attitude, parents and community members WILL NEVER have meaningful input in their children's public school system. More and more of them will look elsewhere for their children's education. Ms. Cosans and those like her need to be careful to avoid elevating public educators and school board members so high that they can look down with contempt on the community they are supposed to be helping. "

Wake Up in Elkton wrote on Jun 22, 2007 2:55 PM:
" I can't speak about the other public board meetings but I believe that the response that was given by Mrs. Zane was directed toward an irate mother that pointed out the elected members of the board and then threaten not to vote for them in 4 years if they didn't change their minds. The last thing that I want to see from an elected official is that they change their votes based on the rants of one person and not listen to all of their voters. "

The Truth wrote on Jun 22, 2007 3:36 PM:
" Hi again "Wake Up"...Your point that changing a voting opinion over one voice is certainly valid. However, and you did point this out, you are not seeing the entire picture of Mrs. Zane, Mrs. Koch and Mrs. Sopa. They are unwilling to hear ANYONE on these matters...not just the principal ones but ALL of them. For the most part, Koch is a puppet of Dr. Roberts and the other two are far too power-hungry (in my view of course). They may be fantastic people on a personal level...and I'm certain they are...but they are not any better than those who chose to vote for them. Besides, all three of the newbies (including Mrs. Kammerer of course) were elected by folks seeking change and campaigned on that very platform. With the very notable exception of Mrs. Kammerer who certainly seems to be trying to bring some other points of view to the table, we're worse off now than we were before. I hope it's better when Koch and Pinder get dethroned...but it won't be with Carl in place! THE TRUTH will set you free! "

Concerned Parent wrote on Jun 24, 2007 10:06 AM:
" I voted for an elected school board. If you read the article about Mr. Shaeffer's retirement. Dr. Roberts stated that he makes the decisions. It has nothing to do with the school board. If that isn't egotistical what is? I have been to several board meetings this last year and it is not about who is comfortable and who is not. These elected school board members made promises when they ran for office and that is why they were elected. Now that they are in their they also have become puppets of Dr. Roberts and the title of "schoolboard member" seems to have made them forget what they said they would do for the children of CCPS. No where in all this controversy have the students been considered. It has always been an attitude of "I said so! That's why!" and Dr. Roberts ego. "

MY ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:
First of all, I cannot help but wonder if our gracious host on this blog is also "Wake Up" based upon the various comments presented on the Whig Online? Is that you, Tim?

Here's the bottom line in all of this:

• Dr. Roberts is a political bully. He claims to care about our needs as parents, faculty and students but at the end of the day his actions do not match these claims.
• Mrs. Koch is weak and unwilling to jump ahead of the status quo. She is the PRESIDENT of the Board of Education and allows the people that she represents to be pushed around and treated poorly by Dr. Roberts and many in his administration.
• Mrs. Sopa and Mrs. Zane have clearly forgotten who voted for them and, more importantly, WHY! Along with Mrs. Kammerer, they spoke of positive change in our system. That is why most of us voted for them. We aren't asking them to do anything but represent their constituency...not just one of us but ALL of us! Further, Mrs. Sopa and Mrs. Zane are making statements that are rude and inconsiderate here. Not uncertain ones, not ones motiviated by nervousness or the like. An uncertain statement to one person or even a small group under a stressful situation is one thing...not repeated statements to multiple different groups and inviduals.
• It is a whole-hearted shame that, as a former co-president of NEMS PTSO, and an originator of the recently-noted concerns at NEMS, Mrs. Kammerer felt that she had no place to speak in defense of the PTSO when they came under attack at the June 11th meeting. While I'm certain she's trying to watch her steps like all of them and pick her battles, this was a case where decency should have won the day!

I am gearing up on this folks! I hope some of you will join me in this battle for our children and their teachers! We deserve better!

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 NIV

side note: I see a comment from "anonymous" on the Joyce Hongersermeier matter. The public records of Baltimore County Schools indicate that she was dismissed for what I'll call similar reasons...nothing charged or legal...just asked to leave. So...NEMS got not only a lousy music teacher (did you hear those kids struggling to save face those nights?) but an abusive one as well! Way to go hiring team! NOT!

Letter to the Editor from Chan Cosans, Principal Sheaffer

Letter to the Editor

No doubt Principal Sheaffer is well-loved and respected. Quoting Supt. Roberts, "Sheaffer thought he would end his career at Bo (Manor)." Though dedicated, would anyone leave a school called "home", final year, and go to a stressful new school restructuring, and leave in a year? To supporters, and school board, here's a 20 year old story. North East Elementary - equally dedicated principal was to be transferred; infuriated that he'd been moved before from Rising Sun to North East where he had established great rapport with students, parents, faculty with successful learning, communication, good will throughout the community - both schools - huge time and effort. In a private moment, unrevealed till now, faced with moving he said the only reason he was still in North East was because he loved the people - students, parents, faculty, overall. He'd had a position for years that w as quite lucrative with a company in Pennsylvania, and this move would compromise his retirement funds and job, because of the new distance to be travelled, plus new school stress.. He, too, waited for the announcement, and then retired one year earlier than expected.

So, nothing new! There are new school board members, learning, and do not want to rock a boat they are not yet comfortable in, and sometimes uncertainty comes off as arrogance or rudeness. And yes the entire goal for an elected school board was that people would have a say, and we as voters will have a say. The school board is the final say on school policies. The superintendent gives recommendations, though it does not always seem to work that way. I believe ultimately that the decisions were made because of money/budget, and certain actions were expected - by some. Just a thought!

Sincerely,

Chan Cosans And here is the rest of it.

Inaugural Post by "The Truth About CCPS"

First and foremost, a tip of the cap to Mr. Zane for inviting me onto this blog. We have agreed to disagree when necessary but that discussion is good for all! Thanks Tim!

CECIL SUPERINTENDENT/SOME MEMBERS

OF BOARD OF ED. FAILING STUDENTS & COMMUNITY

Superintendent Mismanages District, Uses “Bully” Tactics,

Condescends to Students, Faculty, Community

The Superintendent of CCPS, Dr. Carl D. Roberts Ed. D., is making multiple questionable decisions. He refuses to listen to concerns that are directed in a proper manner (let alone those brought in anger). We are frustrated because we do not see any way to handle these issues other than once again bringing them to an unresponsive and very rude Superintendent. Many of these concerns are not new and have been percolating over a minimum of 3-5 years. Some of the more urgent concerns are as follows:

Student Safety and Health at North East Middle School: The spokesperson for the North East Middle School P.T.S.O. recently took a tour of the school with Dr. Roberts, Principal Kevin Dougherty and the man’s father (30+ years of construction experience). Despite requests from parents and students for remedy, some dating back 2-3 years, fire extinguishers are still not maintained properly (one was even empty), soap dispensers are unavailable to students in the bathrooms and the building itself is in severe disrepair. In addition, according to the district’s records, there is approximately 80% asbestos tile remaining throughout the school. The district maintains that the asbestos is properly maintained but biannual inspections as well as overall concerns about proper maintenance of the school (if they can’t provide soap, how can we be certain that they can maintain asbestos?) show that a problem may still exist. Further, the school’s denial regarding the carpet covering most of the asbestos and how it does not properly encapsulate the asbestos is uneducated at best. The P.T.S.O. even offered to pay for proper air quality testing but that offer was rejected. Why the school district won’t simply allow for a full inspection…even if it’s just to say “we told you so!”… is beyond me?!

• Of note: The P.T.S.O. made a presentation last October seeking renovation of N.E.M.S. They were told that the request came too late for that budget year and were asked to return in June to review the concerns at the beginning of the budget process. After the aforementioned tour, Dr. Roberts thought they were all done and when he found out otherwise, he sent an e-mail (the morning of the presentation) to the presenter that could best be characterized as an attempt to strong-arm him. So, although they were invited to make this presentation, Dr. Roberts, Board President Koch and Board V.P. Sopa treated this man with total disdain and rudeness. His children were in tears after seeing their Dad hacked up by these people (He kept his cool thank goodness).


• Also, of note: The district has policies regarding the timing of such presentations and what materials will be made available to the Board prior to them. We found it interesting that both the Math presentation in May and my June presentation were placed in the 4:45 p.m. timeframe which is in violation of the Board’s policy (and also when working parents cannot easily attend…I even had to use vacation time for it.). Dr. Roberts also demands that all materials be provided ahead of the presentation rather than following the Board’s own policy that all materials must be presented to the President of the Board of Education immediately prior to the presentation. In the case of the P.T.S.O., Dr. Roberts sat down with the Board prior to the meeting and (according to a reliable source from inside the meeting room) set them up for the hostility.


• Of note: During the 2005-06 school year, the school’s choral director (Dr. Joyce E. Hongsermeier) allegedly assaulted a child. At about the same time, multiple parents expressed complaints to the Principal regarding her behavior as well as how poorly prepared the students were for their Winter concert. Now I do not have the exact facts in hand but I can tell you that she remained in place until after the Spring concert in May. Soon thereafter, she allegedly assaulted another child and was subsequently arrested and charged with the assault. I’m not certain as to the final resolution of this matter but she eventually resigned her post. The public was surprised to find out about all of this 8 months later. The district was hiding the issue rather than being in front of it.

Math Curriculum: This issue is one that I do not truly have a lot of personal information on. I can tell you from the experiences of my daughters that the current math program is inadequate. A group of parents has been fighting with the Board and Dr. Roberts for at least 3 years now on this topic. The greatest concern to me is that of all the CCPS students who move on to Cecil Community College, nearly 80% of them need to take remedial math. A great deal more information can be found at this group’s website, www.ccpsmath.org.

• Of note: As you will see on this website, teachers are in fear of speaking up and were only willing to make comments in this anonymous forum. Dr. Roberts denies that he bullies these teachers but when more than 2 or 3 teachers agree I tend to believe the teachers. His actions in a Board of Education meeting even caused Kirsten M. Kammerer (District 5 Member) to get into a heated discussion over how he simply refuses to hear the other side of this argument. Mrs. Kammerer is one of the few people we can count on in these areas…she’s just one of five though.


• Of note: Dr. Roberts recommended to the Board (and they accepted) that a study be done through UMBC regarding the math curriculum. While this is certainly not a bad step, there is so much information on the Integrated/Everyday Math curriculum available (most sharing the same concerns as the CCPSMath folks) that a study is really a waste of time and money.

Annual Principal Rotation/Poor Planning: Superintendent Roberts rotates principals around the district with no rhyme nor reason. According to educational experts principal rotation should take place not less than 7-8 years barring any specific needs such as retirements or dismissals. An article by Dr. Paul J. Hagerty found in the American Association of School Administrators’ The School Administrator (“Basing Principal Rotation on System Needs”, November 1998) shares his belief that “Less rather than more; later rather than sooner” is the way to go.

• Of note: On average, approx. 30% of Cecil County Public School principals and assistants are rotated on a yearly basis (since 2000). According to the Cecil Whig (“Principals now know the schools they’ll lead”, June 7, 2007), this latest set added up to 23 moves.


• Of note: Due to an opening in the CCPS administration, Elkton H.S. Principal Vincent Cariello was promoted even though Elkton H.S. is in the middle of a multi-million dollar renovation. This void was to be filled by Randy Sheaffer of Bohemia Manor H.S. Mr. Sheaffer was one year away from retiring and was much beloved by his students, parents and faculty. When the students and parents went before the Superintendent and Board of Education to express their frustration with the move (admittedly some polite and some not so polite) they were all treated like they were uneducated (“These decisions are not made by throwing out a bunch of marbles”, Dr. Roberts. Donna Zane, meanwhile, responded to demands that the elected board members listen to the will of the public by saying she does not make decisions based on whether it will win her votes. “My decisions are based on what’s best for 17,000 students, and if that means I’m not here in four years then so be it,” she said.)

Non-Transparency in Hiring Practices and Budget Presentation: Although you’d have to investigate this further, there surely seems to be some insider dealing happening at CCPS. For example, when the district’s Public Information Officer, Karen L. Emery moved on to a new position elsewhere, she was replaced without any public search (or interior as I understand) and essentially at the direction of Dr. Roberts, by a recent college graduate with no work experience (22 year-old Kelly Keeton). Her starting salary? $53,000! This type of transaction seems to be the norm as is the lack of public notice and knowledge of the budget process. Most districts (to my knowledge) publish the entire budget online and/or in the local newspaper. Not this one!

• Of note: More than a few high-level administrators have left for other positions in the past year. While sometimes this happens, I cannot help but wonder if some were due to the stress of working with Dr. Roberts.

All I can say at this point is this:

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 NIV