Author Archives: case-admin-user

2018 Spring Legislative Reception

3 Minutes April 2018

At each Baltimore County Board of Education meeting, CASE has three minutes to present information to the board in the interest of our organization. The following is a transcript from one of those meetings.

Members of the Board,

In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. This experience where about everything that could go wrong, did, was characterized in the movie: The Perfect Storm.

I would suggest that the Baltimore County Public School system is in the midst of a confluence of factors which is creating our own “perfect storm”.

  • Recent criminal guilty pleas by high ranking system officials that has eroded both public and school board confidence and has seemingly created distrust of all, as a result of the actions of a few.
  • Collateral damage to our school system as a result of the political war of words between the governor and the county executive
  • Some local politicians taking potshots at the school system leadership to garner votes in this election year
  • No shortage of inaccurate information on posts and blogs
  • A lame duck School Board with clearly apparent divisiveness on many issues
  • An interim superintendent while the Board searches for a permanent superintendent

There are more, but you get the idea…

Tonight, you will discuss and vote on a technology contract. Did you get necessary information in a timely fashion? Do you ignore the open, transparent, and representative process that was used to choose the product and vendor? Do you just flat out distrust the BCPS staff? Only you know the answers to this.

Here is what I know: The online platform is how business is conducted in BCPS today. Grading and reporting, parent communication, and curriculum access all require this technology.

And just as important, this contract is a social justice issue. Students of all socio-economic levels deserve the same access to technology.

Leadership during a perfect storm is difficult at best. Indecisiveness and poor decisions can prove costly, and spoiler alert: The captain of the Andrea Gail made poor decisions that proved disastrous.

The students, parents, teachers, and administrators are looking for leadership from this Board. You are all smart people…figure it out, and please use your remaining tenure to work collaboratively for the entire Baltimore County community.

Thank you.

MASSP Aspiring Leaders Workshop

The Maryland Association of Secondary Public School Principals (MASSP) is offering Aspiring Leaders Workshop on April 28, 2018 from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. Their announcement follows.

We sold out our February workshop.  So back by popular demand, we provide interested individuals a chance to experience this workshop attended by hundreds of Maryland aspiring leaders over the past two years.  This program has received rave reviews from virtually every attendee.  It is a repeat of the Pre-Assessment Center training held earlier this year.

Participants will explore how they might assess and develop their administrative skills as they prepare for a promotion.  Activities will be reflective, hands-on, thought provoking and introduce participants to the various steps used in many District-based Assessment Centers.

Activities for the day will include:

  • In-basket exercise
  • Data analysis exercise
  • Instructional observation and creation of feedback
  • Measured group activity
  • Writing sample (with feedback)
  • Analysis of your resume
  • Strategies/Tips for success
  • Personal interview (with peer feedback)

We will share wisdom from over 80 years of experience interviewing and rating candidates for promotion.

Our goal is to provide aspiring leaders experiences in this workshop typically NOT offered in your local school district leadership development programs.

Registration includes a continental breakfast provided in the morning beginning at 8:30 AM as well as lunch served on site provided by Columbia Chef Caterers.

More Info and Registration

3 Minutes February 2018

At each Baltimore County Board of Education meeting, CASE has three minutes to present information to the board in the interest of our organization. The following is a transcript from one of those meetings.

Chairman Gilliss, Vice Chair Stewart, Superintendent White, and members of the Board.

The Peer Assistance and Review (PAR program) is a highly successful program partnered by TABCO, CASE, and Baltimore County Public School’s HR department.

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Financial Disclosure Statements

This was in the Superintendent’s Bulletin on Friday.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS
In accordance with Board of Education Policy 8364, Financial Disclosure Statements, a person required to file a Financial Disclosure Statement must complete his/her statement and file it with the Board’s Ethics Review Panel on or before April 30 of each year for the previous calendar year (January 1 – December 31). Filers are required to complete their Financial Disclosure Statements electronically. An e-mail will be sent to all filers on Friday, February 9, 2018, with a link to the electronic statement. Filers should read the instructions carefully and are encouraged to review and be familiar with Board Policy 8364.

With the increased publicity surrounding this process, I have received several concerns from members about the completion of the Statement. The Statement is consistent with previous years, and you are reminded to follow the directions carefully. If you have any questions regarding specifics of the Statement, please contact Billy Burke for assistance at wburke@bcps.org.

3 Minutes January 2018

At each Baltimore County Board of Education meeting, CASE has three minutes to present information to the board in the interest of our organization. The following is a transcript from one of those meetings.

Chairman Gilliss, Vice Chair Stewart, Superintendent White, and members of the Board.

Last month I addressed the Board, and quoted a widely recognized belief that leadership matters. Tonight, I would like to add that leadership is learned.

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3 Minutes: December 2017

At each Baltimore County Board of Education meeting, CASE has three minutes to present information to the board in the interest of our organization. The following is a transcript from one of those meetings.

Good evening Chairman Gilliss, Superintendent White, and members of the Board.

I want to remind the Board that CASE represents 577 BCPS employees, including principals, assistant principals, supervisors, coordinators, and pupil personnel workers. They are the public face of the system daily. These are the folks who are in the trenches, and are the level of leadership that is integral to making the system work. I say this because leadership matters.

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Superintendent Survey

Here are the results of our one-question survey.

Survey question: Are you in favor of Verletta White as your next Superintendent?

We are pleased with the level of response to the survey (over 76%). This information was shared at the Baltimore County school board meeting on December 5, 2017. The CASE members overwhelming support Verletta White as our next BCPS Superintendent. Thank you for your participation.