Baltimore City Schools

The Baltimore City schools are considering how to put in place a new curriculum that stresses the contributions made by people of color, an area traditional schooling has ignored. The move toward "multicultural" or "Afrocentric" schooling can be a positive development if it helps motivate students who are alienated from the educational system. But it is no panacea.The present school curriculum is outdated in more ways than just how it deals with minorities. The last comprehensive overhaul occurred more than 20 years ago. The world has changed quite a bit since then; there have been scientific discoveries, political upheavals, cultural transformations.

A recently released independent evaluation of two dozen Baltimore City schools conducted in 2011 suggests that even though the system has introduced important reforms in recent years, too many schools are still struggling to find effective ways to educate children. Yet educators should take heart from two bright spots in the report. Both the Mount Royal Elementary School and the Baltimore School for the Arts got positive ratings for effective teaching, and their example strongly suggests that with the right leadership, instructional methods and support structure, all kids have the potential to excel.

When Baltimore County school officials would not let the track team at the all-black Sollers Point High School in Dundalk run time trials at the all-white school up the road, their coach decided to make his own track. J. Bruce Turner hitched a metal bedspring to the rear fender of his old Plymouth. He piled cinder blocks - and a few students - on top. And he drove his car around the oval pattern that he and the school's math teacher had plotted until the dirt was flat enough and smooth enough to serve as a makeshift track.

Crabtown Project Sculptures auction to raise school funds The Crabtown Project will auction Saturday the 60 decorative crabs that have been on display throughout the city since May. The auction is open to the public, and all proceeds will go toward physical repairs, such as restroom renovations and carpet replacement, in Baltimore city schools. The event, sponsored by Legg Mason, begins at 6:30 p.m. at Maryland Institute College of Art's Brown Center, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave. Admission to the auction is $125, and tickets can be purchased by calling 410-332-4172, ext. 160. A reception will feature crab-themed food and beverages and live music.

With the Baltimore City Schools continually operating in the red, I find it outrageous that CEO Andrés Alonso's chauffeur managed to make $154,000 last year, $78,000 of it in overtime! First of all, if our former state schools superintendent, Nancy Grasmick, didn't have a driver, why does Mr. Alonso require one? This chauffeur has the best deal going, but let's face it, his compensation package needs to be re-negotiated. The fact that the city schools allowed this to go on and City Hall claims to not know about it shows how rampant the corruption is in these two systems.

Virtually every analysis of effective education stresses that parent participation is a crucial factor in successful schools. Here in Baltimore, plenty of parents are ready -- even eager -- to play their part in bringing back some measure of excellence to city schools. Why, then, are they too often relegated to the sidelines when big decisions are afoot?Baltimore city schools have a history of top-dowdecision-making, a style of governance that too often treats parents' opinions as an afterthought.

Here's information you'll need if you have a child enrolled in Baltimore City Schools:First day of school: Sept. 1Winter vacation: Dec. 23-31Spring break: April 1-8L Report cards distributed: Nov. 15, Feb. 1, March 25, June 15Last day of school: June 8Lunch prices: $1Immunizations required: By kindergarten, five doses of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), three to four doses of polio, one to two doses of measles, mumps and rubella. Information on free and low-cost immunizations: 396-HELP.

A former Baltimore County teacher sentenced to a year and a half in jail for a sex offense against a 13-year-old student now faces federal child pornography charges, according to U.S. District Court documents. Timothy N. Gounaris, 52, of the first block of Cardor Court in Perry Hall, is scheduled for a detention hearing Monday. Gounaris was arrested Friday after the FBI found evidence that he was sharing image and video files of "minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct" on the Internet, court documents said.

A Senate committee approved legislation Wednesday that would launch a $2.4 billion plan to rebuild aging Baltimore city schools, putting the measure on an apparent fast track toward final passage. The Budget & Taxation Committee cast a bipartisan 13-0 vote to approve the House-passed bill, which would provide the first $1.1 billion for the plan, with no substantive amendments. That means that if it passes without further changes on the Senate floor, the measure would likely avoid a conference committee and quickly land on  Gov. Martin O'Malley's desk.

A former city schools employee pleaded guilty yesterday in Baltimore Circuit Court to stealing more than $200,000 from the cash-strapped system, three months after he pleaded to similar charges in federal court stemming from the same scheme. Lewis E. Williams, 61, pleaded guilty yesterday to one charge of felony theft in connection with a 16-month spree in which he took school money and deposited it into his personal account. He spent money on luxury cars, credit card bills, and tuition so his daughter could attend a private school in Baltimore County, according to prosecutors.