Neall

THE ONLY good thing about the forthcoming layoffs in the city school system is that they'll be over quickly. It won't be death by a thousand cuts. That much has been made clear in the past week, as schools chief Bonnie S. Copeland and former state Sen. Robert R. Neall have made all the requisite stops to prepare Baltimore for the news that will come as early as Tuesday and will devastate the families of as many as 1,000 people. Yesterday they visited a group of foundations, Marc Steiner's show on WYPR radio and The Sun's editorial board.

Hundreds of Baltimore school system employees will be sent layoff notices Tuesday as the district attempts to pull out of a financial tailspin that would have resulted in bankruptcy by the end of the school year, officials say. If the city schools do not lay off up to 1,000 employees by January, "everyone's paycheck would bounce in May or June," Robert R. Neall, a former state legislator who has analyzed system finances, said yesterday. The school system will be operated on a bare-bones budget in order to meet its legal obligation to educate every child, Neall said.

More than six years ago, a heralded reform of Baltimore's schools promised a new era of high academic standards and crisis-free management that would rid the system of its culture of failure. After four changes in leadership, student test scores have risen drastically, but as many as 1,000 employees may lose their jobs in a financial crisis more severe than any in recent years. As the next wave of reformers pledges yet again a new day of fiscal accountability, two key questions come to mind: Why have repeated attempts to straighten out the finances failed?

Bonnie S. Copeland had just been appointed the interim chief executive of the Baltimore City school system when she bumped into her old friend, former state Sen. Robert R. Neall, who made her an offer: "Whatever I can do to help you, Bonnie, just let me know." Three months later, Copeland handed him the school system's books, labor agreements, personnel data and a stream of other documents in hopes that Neall - known as one of Maryland's top fiscal minds - might help solve an ever-growing budget deficit that has been troubling lawmakers across the state.

A former financial analyst for M&T Bank was named the new interim chief financial officer for Baltimore's public school system last night, replacing Mark Smolarz, who resigned, saying he was "worn out" by the demands of the job. Rose Piedmont -- who oversaw the budgeting, strategic planning and other financial matters of 260 M&T branches in the Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and District of Columbia region -- will begin her new job today. Piedmont's salary will be between $125,000 and $130,000, officials said.

THANK YOU. It must be said now, Robert R. Neall, before you're immersed in what often appears to be a thankless job managing the city school system's budget. Before school commissioners have a chance to scowl and try to hold you accountable for bottom-line problems compounded by their decisions. Before you hear the echo of the first "no" you direct at a spending request. This district's finances, $52 million off target, don't need a babysitter: They need a bulldozer. Dig in. Audits have identified weak links in the planning process that hinder the development of sound financial projections.

Robert R. Neall, a former state legislator and Anne Arundel County executive known for his financial acumen, will be an unpaid consultant to the Baltimore school system, advising the district on money matters. With the resignation last week of the system's chief financial officer, Mark Smolarz, and a $52 million carryover deficit, schools interim Chief Executive Officer Bonnie S. Copeland said she asked Neall to lend a hand. "He is going to help us on an interim basis to review the financial reports and get us rolling on the budget" for next year, she said.

The political career of Sen. Robert R. Neall took a nose dive yesterday, as voters in his conservative Anne Arundel County district handed an upset victory to Del. Janet Greenip, a two-term Republican in many ways dwarfed by Neall's renown. With most returns in, Greenip was holding a comfortable lead over Neall, a former county executive who had spent 15 years in the General Assembly before defecting from the Republican Party in 1999 on ideological grounds. His switch of allegiance startled the GOP, and Greenip capitalized on it in the race in Senate District 33, which he had represented for two terms.