Principal

Haven't paid your city property taxes? Then you're on the city's list of owners whose properties could end up in tax sale this May, along with nearly 27,000 others who (as of last week) were behind on taxes, water bills or other city tabs. That's more than 10 percent of city properties, located in neighborhoods as varied as Poppleton and the Inner Harbor . If previous years are any judge, many owners will pay up quickly and avoid tax sale altogether. Here's an interactive map that shows where all the properties are. You can click on the dots for more details, including the address, who owns and how much the city says they owe. (Keep in mind that some may have paid already -- and at least one is an error .)

Proposed changes to the student behavior policy for Baltimore County schools sparked a lively debate among county Board of Education members at a work session Tuesday night - with some arguing for their immediate passage and others requesting more time to review them. The considered changes would tweak the school system's current policy, namely to allow principals to use their own discretion when considering how to punish a student for committing infractions that currently require the student be expelled or assigned to an alternative academic program.

The former principal of George Washington Elementary School denied Sunday any involvement in test tampering at the school during her tenure, even though she is being held responsible for thousands of answers being changed on student tests two years ago. Susan Burgess, whose professional license was revoked after an 18-month investigation by Baltimore City and state school officials uncovered evidence of cheating at the school, said she was "shocked"...

The Institute of Notre Dame, a 165-year-old private all-girls high school in the city, has selected Gail Donahue as its new principal, according to the school. Donahue is currently the assistant principal of professional development of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney. She replaces Ann Seeley, who is retiring June 30 after 12 years as principal of IND, the school said. Donahue, of Ellicott City, has taught in Catholic schools for 34 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Pennsylvania State University, a master's degree in reading from Trinity University, and is expected to earn a doctorate in educational leadership from Notre Dame of Maryland University — where she is also an associate faculty member — this month, IND said.

In reference to your article about two principals sued for negligence in the alleged bullying of two students ("Jury finds in favor of principals, schools in bullying lawsuit," Dec. 23), I know and worked with Charlotte Williams years ago. She is characterized as a true role model for other principals in the Baltimore City Public School System. She always conducted herself in a very professional manner with her students, staff, and parents. Ms. Williams always followed correct protocol and/or procedures in and every area affecting her school.

Though several public officials have criticized a city principal who recruited Filipino teachers to buy and resell Mary Kay products, Baltimore school board President Neil E. Duke said Monday that the system responded appropriately in its handling of the case and that the board would not investigate any further. "A very thorough investigation was undertaken which resulted in an appropriate response by the administration," Duke said, adding that he would not comment on what that response was because it is a personnel issue.

Richard Holley, a retired city middle school principal who became an advocate for Frederick Douglass High School, died of cancer April 19 at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 74 and lived in Northwest Baltimore. Born in Baltimore and raised in the Sandtown neighborhood of West Baltimore, he attended the Coppin Demonstration School and Booker T. Washington Junior High and was a 1953 graduate of Douglass High School. He earned a degree in Spanish from Morgan State College and his master's degree from Towson University.

Two education articles, "Principal signs up Filipino teachers to buy, sell makeup" (March 14) and "School system defends responses" (March 16) provide lessons in incredulity and in the denial of justice to teachers. The articles describe how a principal during the last school year asked teachers in her school to become salespersons for May Kay and had them purchase thousands of dollars worth of unwanted cosmetics. The principal, as a sales director for the firm, received bonuses and commissions on the teachers' purchases.

Montgomery County police say they are investigating the death of a D.C. school principal as a homicide. Police say a co-worker found 42-year-old Brian Betts dead in his Silver Spring home in the 9300 block of Columbia Boulevard on Thursday evening after he failed to report to work. Police say Betts' SUV is missing. Police say preliminary autopsy results show the cause of Betts' death was homicide and the manner of his death was by gunshot. D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee says Betts joined Shaw Middle School in northwest D.C. in the 2008-09 academic year.

Wilde Lake Middle School Principal Tom Saunders stood with his hand extended, welcoming the 161 eighth-graders to give him a high-five on the final day of their middle school career. Many students slapped his palm with an enthusiastic crack. Others opted for a hug. And there were a number who were so overcome with emotion that they headed to the nearest adult to console them as they cried at the thought of leaving their beloved school. Saunders was joined by the entire staff of the school Wednesday for its annual "clap out" ceremony, in which the adults line the halls leading to the school entrance to give the eighth-graders a final sendoff.

Internal Fannie Mae documents show the mortgage financier was about to launch a principal reduction program in 2010 after determining that it would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, a Baltimore congressman says -- contradicting claims by Fannie's regulator that such a move would be costly. U.S. Reps. Elijah E. Cummings of Baltimore and John F. Tierney of Massachusetts, Democrats who sit on the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, sent a joint letter Tuesday to regulator Edward DeMarco demanding more information about why the program was "mysteriously terminated" in July 2010.

An Anne Arundel County elementary school principal has asked for a transfer to another school after district officials began investigating concerns that she did not respond to complaints about a student before he ended up threatening a teacher. In a letter to the school community this week, Crofton Elementary School principal Shauna Kauffman said Superintendent Kevin Maxwell had approved her request for a transfer to another school. She will be moved at the end of the school year.

Gov. Martin O'Malley made a rare appearance at the state school board meeting Tuesday to welcome the new state school superintendent, Lillian M. Lowery, and encourage the members to work harder on preparing principals and providing vocational training to students. The state board voted unanimously to hire Lowery, who is Delaware's secretary of education. She will begin July 1. Lowery attended the board meeting, sitting next to the interim state school superintendent, Bernard Sadusky, but did not participate in the discussion, which centered on several key issues, including the adjustment to new set of high school exams in the coming years.

Kimberly Dolch, principal of North Carroll High School, has been named the Maryland High School Principal of the Year by the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals. Dolch, who has been principal at North Carroll since 2005, began her career in Carroll County Public Schools in 1998. The awards materials notes that during her tenure at North Carroll, Dolch's motto for the school has been "Whatever It Takes. " "The relationships she builds with students cause them to feel a sense of security and trust," said Sherri-Le Bream, director of high schools for CCPS.

Maryland homeowner advocates met with Wells Fargo Monday to urge officials not to wait to make changes called for by the national robo-signing settlement , including reducing borrowers' principal. Thoug the settlement was announced in early February, it was just filed in court and must be approved by a judge before it could go into effect . The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition , which helped organize the meeting, brought a petition signed by about 2,800 people "calling on the banks to do more for Maryland families.

The Very Rev. Matthew J. O'Rourke, a Josephite priest and former superior general of his Roman Catholic religious order, died of congestive heart failure March 9 at St. Joseph Manor in North Baltimore. He was 93. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree at Manhattan College and a master's degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. He was ordained a priest in 1947. In 1951, he helped found New Orleans' St. Augustine High School, a predominantly African-American institution.

On her last day at St. John's Lane Elementary, Principal Yvonne Harrison had planned to say goodbye to her students, faculty and staff just as she had for the past nine years: quietly and without fuss.But she got a big surprise Friday, when more than 750 students, staff, parents and former colleagues presented her with songs, gifts and 1,000 carnations and roses."This was incredible," Ms. Harrison said later in her office. "Today was my day to go in and out of the classrooms and quietly say goodbye.

WESTMINSTER - Students at the Carroll County Education Center are having to get used to Robin L. Farinholt in her new position.A special needs teacher at the school, the 36-year-old has accepted the job of interim principal at the school, following former principal Harry T.Fogle's appointment to assistant supervisor of special education.Although she has applied for the principal position, Farinholt said she would need to take courses in group dynamics and curriculum design from Western Maryland College to meet the job's requirements.

The principal of Federal Hill Preparatory Elementary/Middle School told the Baltimore city school board Tuesday that she strongly supported the district's recommendation to drop the school's struggling middle grades program. Since the system rolled out it's fourth-year-recommendations to close or discontinue struggling programming in schools, we hadn't heard as much from the Federal Hill community as we had from other schools impacted by the proposals. You can read about the distric'ts recommendations, here.

An assistant principal at a Howard County high school is on paid administrative leave after she was charged with stealing credit cards from colleagues and admitted using one of them to buy Christmas presents for her family, according to charging documents. Patricia Kelly Murray, 40, is facing more than a dozen counts, according court papers in three separate cases. All three people identified as victims also work for the county's public schools. Murray's attorney, Todd A. Mohink, declined to comment on the charges.