Marchione

Saying the nation's recent spate of shootings forces school officials to take threats more seriously, Baltimore County Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione yesterday appointed a committee to examine how the district prevents and responds to violence."

Anthony G. Marchione, who has brought calm to the Baltimore County schools after three years of tumultuous change, has emerged as a strong contender for the superintendency of the 102,000-student system.The low-key interim superintendent is winning endorsements from school and county officials, teachers and many parents, thanks to his ability to dispense with controversies over the past seven months."There's a radically different mood in schools," says Raymond Suarez, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County.

On the day that Baltimore County Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione announced he would retire next summer, county school board members set an ambitious goal to begin a nationwide search and hire a new education chief by early next year."

WHEN BALTIMORE COUNTY school administrators gave up some benefits to help offset a shortfall in the county system's budget, they did so apparently without prodding by the acting superintendent, Anthony Marchione. Yet their gesture fits the spirit of cooperation Dr. Marchione, a human relations specialist, aims to bring to a system that has weathered much controversy the past three years.The amount in forfeited annuity payments, about $375,000, is a pittance compared to the estimated budget shortage of $10 million.

THE APPOINTMENT of Anthony G. Marchione as superintendent of Baltimore County schools should be the crowning achievement of a man who has served the system for four decades. He won the confidence of teachers and administrators, government officials and parents, for maintaining calm while pressing budget and educational reforms as interim leader after the abrupt ouster of his predecessor, Stuart D. Berger.Yet ugly echoes of racism ring in the aftermath of the school board's decision, along with challenging criticism of the integrity of the hasty, secretive selection process.

In a sudden and surprising move, Baltimore County's school board last night named interim Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione to lead the nation's 24th largest school district.After a week of criticism from community groups, residents and politicians about the search, the board emerged from a two-hour closed meeting and voted 9-2 to appoint Dr. Marchione to a four-year term.Board members Dunbar Brooks and Robert F. Dashiell dissented. "Dr. Marchione has earned our respect, our confidence and our support," board member Sanford V. Teplitzky said.

BALTIMORE COUNTY school Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione had a chance to show leadership, and he blew it. There he was, standing before expelled pepper spray carrier Jodie Ulrich, her family and a horde of reporters waiting to relay his every word to an attentive public.He could have been decisive. He wasn't. He could have persuasive. He didn't. He could have demanded a change of the rules or defended them. He did neither.Dr. Marchione could have even won respect without saying what most people seem to believe he should have said: That Jodie's punishment is too harsh considering she never meant to make mischief and that possession of pepper spray should be treated differently than possession of a gun or a knife.

THE RECORD Baltimore County school budget of $623 million proposed by Superintendent Anthony Marchione may appear unrealistic at first glance, but there is a strong grasp on practicality and politics in his method.The total cost of his budget to the county school board represents an 8.4 percent increase over current spending (up $48 million), which is twice the rate of increase proposed in other Baltimore metro area school systems. It even includes raises and position upgrades for teachers, always a political budget flash point.

IT TOOK Circuit Court Judge Alfred L. Brennan Sr. a few minutes to see that Jodie Ulrich's punishment didn't fit her crime, and that some lenience was in order. Why Baltimore County school Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione couldn't see that remains incomprehensible.Yes, Dr. Marchione has been under pressure to create and enforce a tough, consistent discipline code to make schools safe. But the rules must make sense, and the penalties must be fair. This was a case of a student expelled for two terms (later reduced by the school board to one)

THE LESSON we should have learned from recent school shootings across the country is that though these tragedies are anomalies, we cannot take our own schools' safety for granted.Today, for reasons no one fully understands but which probably are rooted in our culture's glorification of violence, access to firearms and the complexities of family life, some young people are moved to hurt and even kill others.Schools need to be alert to signs of trouble and prepared to deal with violence.It's good to see Baltimore County Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione taking an active role.