Marchione

THE INTRODUCTION of the annual school budget used to be a raucous affair in Baltimore County. School officials would ask for more than they knew government could afford. Education supporters -- their expectations raised to unrealistic levels -- would pack hearings. County officials would resent the implication that anything less than full funding signified heartlessness toward children. In the end, nobody was satisfied, even if schools got a decent increase.The school budget ritual still follows this acrimonious, counterproductive pattern in many places.

BALTIMORE COUNTY Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione's first year in office was dominated by a school maintenance crisis that was not of his making and an overblown controversy over a girl suspended for carrying pepper spray. As a result, his most ambitious and important initiative was largely overlooked: To have all children reading and computing on grade level by the end of second grade, before they advance to higher grades where it becomes more difficult to catch up.Focusing on reading first, Dr. Marchione quietly restructured the curriculum in the early grades, moving away from an overemphasis on the "whole language" method, which uses literature to teach children to read for meaning, to a more balanced approach, including phonics.

In the wake of a scathing audit detailing widespread violations of bidding laws and procurement policies, three managers in the Baltimore County school facilities department are being ousted, superintendent Anthony G. Marchione said yesterday.And more changes are coming, said Marchione, who has already removed the department's executive director.The latest moves will target Robert Klein, maintenance supervisor; William J. Moran Jr., capital projects specialist; and James F. Patton, indoor air and water quality specialist.

Trying to keep veteran teachers, Baltimore County schools Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione proposed yesterday a $681 million spending plan for 1999-2000 that includes substantial pay raises for teachers with more than 15 years' experience.The budget -- which seeks a 5.6 percent increase -- includes a plan to give $3,500 stipends to 100 experienced teachers to work in lower-performing schools that suffer from high staff turnover."The presence of experienced and highly skilled teachers in every classroom is very important to continuous school improvement," Marchione said.

The Baltimore County Chapter of the NAACP opposed the selection of Anthony G. Marchione to head the county schools. The Sun invited the NAACP and Dr. Marchione to comment on the controversy. Dr. Marchione declined. THE BALTIMORE County Branch of the NAACP, in keeping with its purpose to improve the educational status of minority groups, took a position regarding the status of African-American youngsters in the Baltimore County School system.Although African-American students were singled out, the condition of most minority students in the Baltimore County school system is dismal.

After his first choice for Baltimore County's No. 2 post withdrew amid complaints that she had no knowledge of the county or its politics, Executive James T. Smith Jr. nominated yesterday a consummate insider for administrative officer: former schools Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione. The nomination met with universal acclaim in the County Council. All seven members said they know Marchione well and had a good working relationship with him in the past. Several said they expect he will have no problems winning confirmation.

Hoping to sidestep a nationwide teacher shortage, Baltimore County schools Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione proposed yesterday a $743 million spending plan for next year that includes $1,000 signing bonuses for new math and science teachers. The operating budget includes a 2 percent cost-of-living raise for teachers, as well as more money for principals and substitute teachers, moves that Marchione hopes will keep qualified, experienced staffers from seeking more lucrative positions elsewhere.

The search for a new leader of Baltimore County schools appears rigged to favor interim Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione, the education chairman of the Baltimore County NAACP charged yesterday.The short list of leading candidates -- which includes two leaders of small school districts -- offers little competition to Dr. Marchione, said Bernetha George, vice president of the 500-member chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People."Why, if they have a pool of candidates who seem to be better qualified than the ones they put out, why have they not been put on the list?"

With a fresh, four-year mandate to lead the Baltimore County schools, Anthony G. Marchione laid out his plans for the 102,000-student district yesterday -- even as some community leaders criticized the school board for his sudden appointment.Dr. Marchione pledged to work to reduce class size, launch a mentoring program for inexperienced teachers and hire parent liaisons to help close the achievement gap between black and white students. He also said he wants to ensure that all second-graders can meet standards in reading and math.

Baltimore County's school superintendent refused yesterday to intervene in the much-criticized expulsion of an honor student, instead calling for a month-long opinion poll on the district's disciplinary code.Dr. Anthony G. Marchione's comments at a news conference sparked an angry outburst by relatives of Jodie Ulrich, the Chesapeake High School student expelled in March for carrying a can of protective pepper spray."This is just passing the buck," her grandfather, 75-year-old Richard Wright, shouted, interrupting the news conference.