Harford's new school superintendent Jeffrey Grotsky: His trick will be to make gains without upsetting a sound system.

"HE DOESN'T suffer fools."

So said a school board member in Grand Rapids, Mich. of Jeffery N. Grotsky, who is leaving that Midwestern city's school system to become superintendent in Harford County.

Where have we heard that before?

Stuart Berger, 1992.

One can only hope that Dr. Grotsky isn't driven to escape out a window from a hostile school board meeting, as Dr. Berger was forced to do not long after his short tenure began in Baltimore County. But there are a few intriguing comparisons between the jurisdictions, beyond the fact that Harford is greatly populated by migrants from Baltimore County.

When the Baltimore County board passed over in-house candidates, including its current superintendent, Anthony G. Marchione, to tap Dr. Berger in 1992, it was acknowledging what few folks seemed willing to recognize: that the county's once-homogenous population was changing rapidly with more minority children, more poor children, more "at risk" children. In turn, the school system had to change.

In some ways, Harford is Baltimore County 25 years ago. Its population is largely stable and middle class, although the picket-fence image obscures the fact that a third of Harford's students are on lunch subsidies or that Aberdeen Proving Ground imports children of many cultures. The school system has been lauded for achieving good results without spending a lot. By passing over inside candidates, however, Harford's board sent a message: It wants to remain ahead of more urban demographics.

Harford's board obviously learned one thing Baltimore County's didn't: To shut up while weighing a new leader. In fact, Dr. Grotsky earlier withdrew from consideration for Baltimore County's top job after leaks and infighting.

Harford can take another cue from Baltimore County: If you're going to make changes, go slowly. Sound schools and affordable housing have transformed Harford into a big bedroom community, with a lot of new business. A solid education system has been a key contributor to that economic success, not a drain. Children -- and the health of the county -- depend on Jeffery Grotsky's ability to manage the system smoothly, without Berger-like bumps, and build on past performance.

Pub Date: 5/28/96