Associate Superintendent

Sandra Erickson left her old job and office last week.Ms. Erickson, the former Howard County schools staff development coordinator, took down her pictures at her office at the Faulker Ridge Staff Development Center. She finished filling cardboard boxes full of memorabilia, awards and degrees.All the shuffling did not ruffle the 40-year-old educator, who is taking over as the school system's newest associate superintendent.Although it was close to quitting time, she looked fresh, charged, ready to tackle anything -- just like the children she has taught.

Sterling S. "Spence" Keyes, a veteran educator who had served as acting superintendent for Baltimore public schools in the early 1970s and later held positions with the New York State Department of Education, died Nov. 8 of prostate cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The Odenton resident was 78. "Spence was always at the forefront as a person of color who held positions that heretofore had been held by whites. He was a trailblazer during changing times," said James M. Gaughan, mayor of the village of Altamont, N.Y., who had worked with Dr. Keyes at the New York State Department of Education.

Michael N. Riley, associate superintendent for administration and instruction in the Baltimore County school system, is one of three finalists for the superintendency of the Bellevue, Wash., school system, which has about 15,300 students.School board members from Bellevue plan to visit the county in the next two weeks to talk to school system employees and community leaders.Dr. Riley, 45, is competing with two superintendents for the post, which pays about $100,000 a year. He has been associate superintendent since last year and was superintendent of the northwest area from 1993 to 1995.

After hiring and then losing two chief academic officers in as many years, Baltimore County schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston is eliminating the position. The district is returning to the position of associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction services, under whom two new executive directors - one for liberal arts and another for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM - will serve. The change comes after the second chief academic officer, Patricia E. Abernethy, retired in April.

Ever since Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke announced in December that he had lost confidence in Dr. Richard C. Hunter, the city has been searching for a new school superintendent.School board members narrowed the field Apr. 19 to five finalists, whose home districts will be visited by board members. Based on those visits, the list will be narrowed further, and those finalists will undergo a round of interviews including, members say, meetings with community groups, business leaders, parents and unions.

The Citizens Planning and Housing Association of Baltimore has ranked former state school superintendent David W. Hornbeck as its top choice to head the city school system.CPHA, a non-profit group involved with community issues, ranked Lillian Gonzalez, an assistant superintendent in Washington, as its second choice. Representatives from CPHA and other school and community organizations interviewed the five candidates for the superintendent's post on Friday and Saturday.As part of the selection process, the school board asked the groups to submit their recommendations for the new superintendent by yesterday.

After hiring and then losing two chief academic officers in as many years, Baltimore County schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston is eliminating the position. The district is returning to the position of associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction services, under whom two new executive directors - one for liberal arts and another for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM - will serve. The change comes after the second chief academic officer, Patricia E. Abernethy, retired in April.

The search committee looking for a new Baltimore school superintendent could have a list of finalists within two weeks, according to the committee's chairman."

In his first major move since he was named Baltimore County schools superintendent last month, Dr. Anthony G. Marchione last night appointed the first African-American educator to the school system's No. 2 position.As part of a reorganization of his inner circle, Dr. Marchione selected Elfreda W. Massie, 45, to be one of two deputy superintendents.Dr. Massie, who will oversee the school district's buildings, budget and other noninstructional operations, now is associate superintendent for personnel in Montgomery County.

A forum on school funding will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Wilde Lake High School, at River Hill on Route 108 in Clarksville. The forum will focus on balancing school needs and fiscal responsibility. County Executive Charles I. Ecker, school board chairwoman Susan Cook and Superintendent Michael E. Hickey will respond to questions from 9:15 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.Two sessions then will run concurrently, each to be held twice, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. and from 11:35 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The topics will be:* "Education funding and the county budget," featuring Dr. Sydney Cousin, the system's associate superintendent for finance and operations, and Ray Wacks, county budget administrator.

Carl Roberts, Cecil County's schools superintendent, will never know why he was chosen or how many people he competed against, but he said he feels honored after being named the 2004-2005 Maryland Superintendent of the Year. On Oct. 28, Roberts and several other Maryland superintendents attended a banquet in Ocean City, where he received the award from the Public Schools Superintendents Association of Maryland. The honor highlights Roberts' career, which began in 1968 as a teacher and coach in Cecil County.

The Howard County Board of Education has asked for state permission to extend interim Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin's four-month contract by one year - through June 30, 2005 - while members continue a national search to fill the job on a permanent basis. "Staff morale has increased in the three weeks he's been here, and the climate has improved in the school system," said Courtney Watson, the school board chairman, who announced the extension request yesterday. "We would like to continue that over the next 15 months."

Anne Arundel school officials say they've passed the first test of the new school year: They've hired almost enough teachers to fill the classrooms. Usually, August means a rush to find new teachers. But, thanks to aggressive recruiting and a low number of retiring teachers, the county had just 130 teacher vacancies as of yesterday. Although there's still a need for science, math and special-education teachers, many other positions have been filled. At this time last year, there were 228 vacancies.

A 20-year veteran of the Montgomery County school system was appointed last night to the position Howard County School Superintendent John R. O'Rourke called one of the most important in the district - associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Kimberly Statham, who is community superintendent for 29 schools in Silver Spring and Olney, has a master's degree in early childhood education and a doctorate in psychology from Howard University. Statham fills the position left vacant by Sandra J. Erickson, who was reassigned for personal reasons.

Superintendent John R. O'Rourke announced plans yesterday to streamline the management of the Howard County school system to make it run more like a business, with departments more logically aligned and fewer managers reporting directly to him. Nearly 80 managers now report directly to O'Rourke. These include three associate superintendents, 67 principals, a director each of elementary, middle and high schools, a public information officer, a human resources director, a general counsel and two special assistants.

Howard County's schools are about to undergo a revolution. More than 12,000 students will be moved next year from one school to another, and, for the first time, community members rather than board members will get the first shot at deciding how it's done. The changes aim to take advantage of the opening of the district's 11th high school, Reservoir High, in Fulton, to minimize crowding across the system. But the real revolution goes far beyond that school shuffle, large as it is. Stung by charges of being unresponsive and cliquish, the five-member Board of Education has created a committee of eager community members with the power to draw proposed lines for the redistricting.

Twenty-four county high school teachers face the possibility of reassignment or layoff in the next school year due to low enrollment in some practical arts and vocational courses.Notices to teachers whomay have to transfer to other subjects or, in the worst case, lose their jobs, were sent out April 10 by James R. McGowan, associate superintendent for administration and instruction."This is not a formal indication that you won't have a job," McGowan stated"It's just that we are looking at this (enrollment)

Lillian Gonzalez, the District of Columbia assistant superintendent who became a finalist in the job for Baltimore schools superintendent last month, said yesterday that she has accepted the position of deputy superintendent.Dr. Gonzalez's acceptance was the missing piece in the three-member management team put together by the city school board last month. She made the decision this week after meeting with Walter G. Amprey, who takes over Aug. 1 as superintendent of schools.The meeting went "extremely well," Dr. Gonzalez said.

In a surprising move, Howard County Schools Superintendent John R. O'Rourke added a position to his Cabinet of advisers last night, appointing Wilde Lake High School Principal Roger Plunkett assistant superintendent for school administration. In that position, Plunkett, 45, will be responsible for the daily operation of all the county's 67 schools, including school organization and management and the implementation of instructional programs. He also will supervise and evaluate all the school building administrators in the county.

One challenger, two incumbents win in Columbia After a second year of bitter Columbia Council politics, voters elected new leadership April 21 for a town that's supposed to stand for social harmony. Only one of the three incumbents who sought re-election lost. In Kings Contrivance, challenger Steven Pine beat Kirk Halpin 263-121. In Oakland Mills, incumbent Barbara Russell defeated Earl Jones, who lost to her by seven votes last year, and Patti Boyd. In Hickory Ridge, incumbent Miles Coffman easily beat Robert E. O'Brien, 332-54.