Experts, not board of education, should make key decisions
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes that no one was anticipating. By no fault of their own, the Board of Education was never meant to handle such an emergency. The Carroll County Public Schools BOE is overstepping their authority and making decisions beyond their expertise. There is nothing stated in BOE policy, COMAR, nor any direction from the state mandating the board alone have this power, and in fact, some counties have delegated this responsibility to their superintendent of schools. Now that CCPS has returned to hybrid instruction, it is time for the BOE to step aside, relinquish their authority, and delegate all educational decision-making to the superintendent.
The board has demonstrated as a governing body, it is unable to make decisions in a timely and logical manner. In 5-hour meetings, we have seen them make demands the school infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle. We have seen them entertain illogical arguments. We have seen them dismiss teachers who explain to them the difficulty in teaching virtually and hybrid, and overlook the unique staffing ratio needs of special education programs. We have watched them disregard the input of Heath Officer Ed Singer. Rather than support the schools, we have seen them waste time imagining “what it” scenarios, and compare an entire county system to a single, tuition-based private school with significantly less enrollment.
To return our students to school, we need solid leadership. We need our superintendent, our educators with advanced degrees in their specialty, their supervisors, human resources, and the health department to collaborate without wasting time in these minimally productive meetings. All these decisions should be made by those with “boots on the ground.” Central Office best knows the curriculum, staffing, building layouts, IT capability, and capacity. Principals know the physical layout and challenges of their own schools. Teachers know their own needs, their classrooms and their students best. Let them make the decisions.
It’s time to stop the argument about whether students should be in schools, but figure out how to make it work — safely — for everyone. It is OK to admit the way we have been problem-solving is failing and needs to be examined from a different perspective. This constant fighting is not doing our students, teachers, parents and employees any good. We must tap into our best resources, the educators, to meet the needs of everyone, without the interference of the BOE.
Christina McGann
Finksburg
Presidential exploits, insights for students to learn about
After reading which programs the schools enacted to celebrate Martin Luther King Day as reported in the Times, I wanted to give teachers some ideas about American presidents and keeping their dreams alive. Two books I consulted and referenced are “American Presidents” by D. Whitney and “The Wilderness Warrior” by D. Brinkley.
For the environment, Teddy Roosevelt, our naturalist president, created or enlarged 150 national forests, 51 bird reservations, and 6 national parks including Mesa Verde, Co.
For courage, George Washington, and his surprise attach on Hessian troops at Trenton 1776 and his quelling domestic riots in Pennsylvania in 1794.
For the value of education, Andrew Jackson, who could read at age 5, at age 9 read aloud to the older farmers of Waxhaw, South Carolina the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as they had yet to hear its words.
For unity, Abraham Lincoln, who said in 1858, “a house divided against itself cannot stand ... government cannot endure half slave and half free” and in 1865 “with malice toward none, with charity for all ... let us bind up the nation’s wounds.”
For equality, John F. Kennedy, who insisted on federal aid to education for both parochial and public schools as representative of Massachusetts.
For disregard of self and to serve the greater good, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Donald Trump, one who returned as a senator from Tennessee after a failed impeachment, one who ran for president after a defeat and one who suffered persecution while standing for American values especially for all life and all families.
For persecution, all great spiritual leaders, for cleansing the “temple swamp,” for engaging the “Pharisee establishment,” for knowing “if the world hates you, realize that it hated me first ... if they persucted me, they will also persecute you,” John 15, and still moving forward. Future presidents will need a moral compass and a strong character to lead as JFK and MLK.
Robert McDowell
Eldersburg