New Superintendent

Editor: I cannot tell you the relief that I feel that Dr. Tomback has decided to leave the Harford County School System at the end of this school year. This has been a reign of terror and discontent and I am very hopeful that the current Board of Education can do Harford County proud and locate a new Superintendent that is committed to Harford County Public Schools and its success. I  can only hope that Dr. Tomback takes some of his Baltimore County cronies with him. These people and a few others have tried to destroy the spirit of the Harford County School System, but Harford County will prevail!

Editor: I cannot tell you the relief that I feel that Dr. Tomback has decided to leave the Harford County School System at the end of this school year. This has been a reign of terror and discontent and I am very hopeful that the current Board of Education can do Harford County proud and locate a new Superintendent that is committed to Harford County Public Schools and its success. I  can only hope that Dr. Tomback takes some of his Baltimore County cronies with him. These people and a few others have tried to destroy the spirit of the Harford County School System, but Harford County will prevail!

Want to know what's on the mind of the new superintendent of Baltimore County's public schools? Just follow his tweets, or his blogs, or, if you are an insider, his text messages. The open communication's style of Dallas Dance has been out there for everyone to read in his first month. He's already tweeted about everything fromU.S. Department of Educationgrants for Advanced Placement, to the teachers union and education articles he's found interesting. He's already tweeting about twice a day, and the school year hasn't begun.

When Dr. Robert Tomback became superintendent of Harford County Public Schools in 2009, he was not only an unknown from Baltimore County, but also it was unknown how he might perform. The direction of the school system's leadership structure was another great unknown. The county was making the transition from a board of education wholly appointed by the governor to a board with a majority of its members elected by the people of Harford County. The Tomback era in the school system also came about amid a time of tumult resulting from the unexpected death of the previous superintendent, Jacqueline Haas, who succumbed at 59 to an asthma attack in late 2008 during the Christmas break.

The revelation that former Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Joe Hairston supposedly protected two administrative employees who recently have been transferred to other positions raises several huge red flags ("Hairston gave employment contracts to two top aides before retiring," July 13). These alleged "contracts" ignore the fact that all school personnel, including the superintendent, are employed by the Board of Education, not by an individual. Donald Peccia was appointed assistant superintendent of human resources in 2004; Phyllis Reese was hired as chief of communications in 2009.

When Dr. Robert Tomback became superintendent of Harford County Public Schools in 2009, he was not only an unknown from Baltimore County, but also it was unknown how he might perform. The direction of the school system's leadership structure was another great unknown. The county was making the transition from a board of education wholly appointed by the governor to a board with a majority of its members elected by the people of Harford County. The Tomback era in the school system also came about amid a time of tumult resulting from the unexpected death of the previous superintendent, Jacqueline Haas, who succumbed at 59 to an asthma attack in late 2008 during the Christmas break.

The Maryland State Board of Education announced Friday that it will soon hire a search firm to begin looking for a replacement for state school Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. Grasmick, who has held the job for nearly 20 years, has said she will retire June 30. The board said it will do a national search for a new superintendent, but it has not said how long it expects the process to take. liz.bowie@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

,TC There should have been a national search for a new superintendent in Anne Arundel County. Contrary to the school board president's strange assertion that the board had to keep the selection process secret because the law says it can, there should have been an open exchange of information with parents. But there was not, and now there won't be.There also comes a point where it is time to stop talking about what should have been and start concentrating on what will be. It is that time.Carol S. Parham is the new superintendent, and we join every other supporter of public education in hoping that she will succeed where the last three superintendents in the county failed; each of the prior three quit or was forced out before his contract was up. The system desperately needs leadership and stability.

The U.S. Naval Academy's new superintendent wants his campus to become a center for cybersecurity education, with a $100 million building and a slate of new classes devoted to the emerging discipline, he said Friday in his first interview since taking the job in August. "It's an important part of my tenure here to get that project going forward," said Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller during a session with reporters at the academy's on-campus museum. Miller said an introductory cybersecurity class would replace another required course in the curriculum for the Class of 2015, and he eventually expects the academy to produce graduates who specialize in cyberwarfare.

Major changes are expected in the Anne Arundel County public schools in the coming months. The biggest one looming over the 74,000-student school system is the selection of a new superintendent. The Board of Education has narrowed the field to three candidates, who are in the process of interviewing with the board, parents and community members. "The new superintendent will have interesting tasks ahead of him ... keeping our progress on track and building on that," said Tricia Johnson, vice president of the county school board.

New Baltimore County Superintendent Dallas Dance will be the guest at the next Sun Newsmaker Forum this Thursday, when he will answer questions from the public about his plans for the school system and the decisions he has already made. Mr. Dance's appointment caused a stir in Baltimore County; he is just 31 years old, has never been a superintendent before and has no experience in Maryland schools. The state had to provide the county a waiver to hire him because he lacks the three years of classroom teaching Maryland law requires.

While visiting classes on the first day of school, new Howard County Superintendent Renee Foose had a pedometer strapped to her waist as part of a systemwide program for employees that emphasizes health. By midmorning, she had already logged tens of thousand of steps, canvassing hallways, classrooms, weight rooms, media centers and cafeterias of the system she took over in July. "This is like a kid waking up on Christmas morning. That's exciting," said Foose, who joined other local, state and elected officials in ushering in the first day of the academic calendar year for many jurisdictions.

Dallas Dance knew a little of what the Perry Hall High School students were going through Monday after a student was critically wounded in the cafeteria by another student. His senior year at Armstrong High School in Richmond, Va., a 14-year-old student had opened fire with a pistol in a hallway, wounding two adults as students took exams. No one prepares superintendents for first days like this, but Baltimore County's new superintendent said school systems always prepare for such acts of violence.

I was sorry to read of Mamie Perkins' retirement from the Howard County Public Schools. She proved her ability when she was deputy superintendent during the absence of Sydney Cousin. I heard no complaints about her leadership, ability or loyalty to the educational system of Howard County. In reading the article ("Deputy superintendent retires from school system," Aug. 9), I was amazed that a person with her experience (39 years) was not promoted to the position of superintendent and feel that Howard County lost an extremely qualified leader.

Baltimore County school leaders have paid a total of $150,989 in a settlement with two high-ranking employees who signed contracts with the former superintendent, even though the school system and new superintendent contend that the contracts were not legal. The two employees, who left voluntarily, had signed contracts with former Superintendent Joe A. Hairston before he retired that would have triggered payments of nearly a half-million dollars if his successor fired them. The county school administrators union criticized the agreements, and some experts questioned whether they were valid.

Want to know what's on the mind of the new superintendent of Baltimore County's public schools? Just follow his tweets, or his blogs, or, if you are an insider, his text messages. The open communication's style of Dallas Dance has been out there for everyone to read in his first month. He's already tweeted about everything fromU.S. Department of Educationgrants for Advanced Placement, to the teachers union and education articles he's found interesting. He's already tweeting about twice a day, and the school year hasn't begun.

New Howard County schools Superintendent Renee Foose recently inked a four-year, $250,000 deal that includes a provision that allows her to be reimbursed for up to $25,000 in relocation costs. Foose will be moving from the neighboring Frederick County to Howard, where she must reside as superintendent. According to the state's Department of Assessments and Taxation website, she currently lives in a 1,531-square-foot, single-family home on .27 acres in New Market . The house is two stories and has a basement, according to the site.

The revelation that former Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Joe Hairston supposedly protected two administrative employees who recently have been transferred to other positions raises several huge red flags ("Hairston gave employment contracts to two top aides before retiring," July 13). These alleged "contracts" ignore the fact that all school personnel, including the superintendent, are employed by the Board of Education, not by an individual. Donald Peccia was appointed assistant superintendent of human resources in 2004; Phyllis Reese was hired as chief of communications in 2009.

Kevin Hobbs, a top administrator in the Wake County, N.C., public schools, appeared on the verge of becoming the new deputy superintendent in Baltimore County schools Tuesday night before the school board voted 6-6 against the appointment because of a certification issue. Hobbs, who is new superintendent Dallas Dance's pick for the job, is expected to get the appointment July 10 when the board next meets. But board members said they wanted to wait until Hobbs has completed a six-week course.