Baltimore City
Public schools
System pays two who alleged bias
The Baltimore school system has paid $123,000 to two former employees who had alleged racial discrimination, according to the Baltimore Community Relations Commission.
The former employees are James Kidd Jr. and Adrienne Brown, said Susan P. Randall, a spokeswoman for the commission.
Kidd and Brown, who are African-American, alleged that the school system discriminated against them and then laid them off in retaliation after they complained internally about their treatment, according to a news release.
A hearing examiner for the commission found the school system to be in default initially for failing to cooperate with the panel's investigation, according to the release. At a later hearing on the merits of the complaint, a hearing examiner recommended an award of $123,000 for the former employees. The commission adopted the recommendation.
According to news reports, Kidd and Brown were budget analysts who joined a discrimination complaint filed in 2003 by other black co-workers, alleging they had been denied promotions. In January 2004, the positions of Kidd and Brown were eliminated during a financial crisis for the school system. Kidd said he later learned that district officials planned to hire someone for his old position.
Liz F. Kay
Baltimore County
: Towson
Geographic data to be forum focus
The 21st annual Geographic Information Sciences Conference will be held tomorrow and Tuesday at Towson University.
The theme of this year's conference is "Democratizing GIS: New Tools for Meeting the Public Demand for Geospatial Information."
Scheduled presenters include Michael Jones, chief technology officer of Google Earth, and Mark Reichardt, president of Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. Rep. John Sarbanes will give opening remarks.
Information: 410-704-2964.
Education
Advisory councils schedule hearings
The county's Area Educational Advisory Councils are holding a series of public hearings on building-related items in the school system's capital budget for fiscal year 2010.
The Northeast Area council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Pine Grove Middle School, 9200 Old Harford Road, Parkville.
Information: 410-887-6111.