Reforms

A cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang enjoyed nearly free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, federal authorities allege, smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail and having sexual relationships that left four guards pregnant. An indictment unsealed Tuesday names 25 people - including 13 women working as corrections officers - who face racketeering and drug charges. Twenty of the accused also face money-laundering charges.

I have one very simple question for the ultra partisan, liberal Sun. Will you and the disingenuous Democrats still be demanding filibuster reform if the Republicans take control of the House and Senate in 2014 ("Tom Perez and the 'nuclear option,'" May 20). I doubt it, but I'm just askin'. Gail Householder, Marriottsville

AS RUSSIA becomes embroiled in ever-more-contentious disputes with its neighbors, subdued discussion and articles in the Russian press marked a monumental date this month - the 20th anniversary of perestroika. In March 1985, Mikhail S. Gorbachev assumed the post of general secretary of the Communist Party, and he soon initiated a set of incremental political and economic reforms. These policies unleashed a process that brought about the disintegration of the Soviet Union and a new chapter of world history.

Just when Washington looked like it was completely preoccupied with the scandals, real and imaginary, swirling around the White House, a group of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate managed the unexpected (and, these days, extraordinary): They agreed on something. The vote Tuesday night in the Senate Judiciary Committee to forward to the floor a massive overhaul of the nation's immigration system was, to be sure, a small step and doesn't guarantee success in the full Senate, much less the House of Representatives.

Networks should pay Coley Harvey Orlando Sentinel With the reforms announced last week, at least we can finally say the NCAA is no longer crawling around aimlessly on its hands and knees. The big boy diapers may remain, but at least the association has taken its first baby step. Applause for the proposed move to pay student-athletes a $2,000 stipend, and further applause for the multiyear scholarships they can now sign. The only problem is this: Who will fund it all?

The article by Liz F. Kay regarding water bills ("City to Overhaul Water Billing," May 11) was helpful but only told part of the story. The well-known clerical errors, long waits to reach city water bureaucrats, frequent huge overcharges for water and so on, unfortunately, are well-known. One hopes Ms. Kay's report comes true and badly needed overhauling is done. However, we are still faced with the fact that water bills are always in the names of landlords, not tenants. Hence, no matter what arrangements may exist, if the tenant skips out, is evicted or simply does not have the money, landlords must absorb the bills, sometimes for $500 or much more.

The federal government is correct to tie federal education dollars to meaningful school reforms ("Not No. 1 in reform," Dec. 22). Otherwise, huge amounts of money get spent and nothing changes. I saw this repeatedly in my 40 years in Maryland public education as a teacher, principal and central office executive director. Gov. Martin O'Malley has, in state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, arguably the greatest educator in the country. She has led the climb of Maryland public schools to the top. She and the feds are right on target regarding two key changes the governor should be supporting.

Newspapers and TV should analyze the reforms needed to modernize the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Here are five reforms they should look at: A constitutional amendment requiring term limits for members of Congress; a constitutional amendment limiting presidents to a single six-year term; and a rule requiring members of Congress, presidents, vice presidents, cabinet secretaries, federal judges and top policymakers to...

Even though I disagree with Susan Reimer on almost every word she writes, I was with her on her "Why there won't be real gun reform" column (Dec. 18) until the paragraph, "There are some differences, of course. My reproductive choices do not affect bodily harm on you or the ones you love, by accident or intent. " How easily she dismisses 3,000 babies destroyed each day by abortion in the United States (over 1 million a year). Compare that to 3,100 deaths due to firearms a year!

IT MIGHT have been an awkward moment for the secretary of state with the Egyptian foreign minister at her side. But Condoleezza Rice didn't show it, when asked about Cairo's jailing of an Egyptian opposition leader. And she certainly didn't duck the question. Her strong sentiments about Egypt's unacceptable detention of Ayman Noor were appropriate. The diplomat, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, kept his thoughts to himself. What could he say? But Ms. Rice's "very strong concerns" about the fate of Mr. Noor can't be the last words on Cairo's harsh treatment of reformers.

Republicans accuse Thomas E. Perez, President Barack Obama's nominee for labor secretary, of twisting the legal process in three cases in St. Paul, Minn., to suit his political purposes. But it is they who are twisting the Senate's role to "advise and consent" on presidential nominees for their own political ends, and in so doing they have smeared the reputation of a talented public servant and damaged the institution in which they serve. Mr. Perez made it out of committee on a party-line vote Thursday, but Republicans are still suggesting they may try to block his nomination on the Senate floor.

In their commentary ("Six steps for post-Alonso school reform," May 14), Thomas Wilcox, Diane Bell-McKoy and Laura Gamble use many lofty and idealistic sounding words to promote their vision. However, it bears noting that education "reformers" are well-versed in using terms that have an appeal, yet bear little substance. It's part of the script to sell the public on a model for education that actually requires a deeper analysis and understanding. Words like "choice" and "accountability" have done for the corporate-model of education reform what buzz words like "whole grain" and "real fruit juice" have done for the food processing industry.

Years ago it was unthinkable that smart, ambitious and college-educated young people would have trouble finding entry level work ("Slow start," May 12). Today, this youthful demographic has been simultaneously dumped on a shrinking employment market and also burdened with horrendous student loans. To me, it's just another example of our country's war on the middle class. Considering this glut of a highly trained, highly motivated generation, why is there a need to add immigration reform to the mix as it will only increase competition?

While Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso deserves thanks for six game-changing years in Baltimore, the transformation he presided over owes as much to the vision and resolve of a city school board that insisted on fostering choice and accountability while also investing more in the schools. The board must now stay the course on institutional reform and move forward with an even sharper focus on academic achievement. First, it should maintain a strict focus on the core principles of our turnaround: school choice and the "fair student funding" that undergirds this market-oriented approach to opening and closing schools.

With city schools CEO Andrés Alonso's announcement last week that he is stepping down at the end of this school year, Baltimore finds itself in the market for a new leader who can continue and expand upon the reforms he instituted. Whoever succeeds Mr. Alonso will have a hard act to follow, and finding a replacement who possesses the right combination of leadership, management and interpersonal skills won't be easy. That's why the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners must insist on conducting a thorough, nationwide search for the city's next schools CEO and resist pressures from some city leaders to short-circuit the process by rushing to name a successor.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso's resignation at the end of this academic year is a major blow to a city whose trajectory he helped change. There can be little doubt that the energetic and rapid reforms he implemented in the city's long-struggling school system have set the stage for broader renewal and growth in Baltimore. But city leaders also need to look on his departure as a tremendous opportunity, a chance to bring in a new superintendent who will build on Mr. Alonso's successes.

The Baltimore County Council Tuesday night approved the weaker of two pension reform bills, adopting a measure that is unlikely to satisfy critics of the current system that greatly exceeds benefits to most working families. The panel voted 6-to-1 to cap pensions of elected officials at 60 percent of the annual salary, which is currently $54,000. The law, drafted by Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, takes effect Feb. 1. It applies to anyone who joins the council after that date, but not current members.

Maryland education officials laid out a broad vision Tuesday for improving the state's schools and teaching corps, pledging to put the best educators in struggling classrooms while making them more accountable for performance and boosting emphasis on science, math and technoglogy courses. The promises came in a 257-page application that Maryland plans to submit to the U.S. Department of Education this year in a bid for a $250 million slice of $4 billion in federal school reform money known as Race to the Top funding.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso tearfully announced his resignation Monday, ending a six-year tenure marked by bold yet often divisive reforms and casting uncertainty on the future of the long-troubled school system. Under Alonso's leadership, city schools saw growth in test scores, graduation rates and enrollment, but his administration was dogged by fiscal problems and cheating scandals. "I have enjoyed being the superintendent of the school system in ways that are so astonishing," Alonso said, choking back tears.

Maryland tapped the nonprofit Seedco to help implement health care reform despite a $1.7 million settlement the agency agreed to in December to resolve a federal fraud suit. The U.S. government sued the agency, saying it defrauded a federal employment program by falsely saying it found jobs for hundreds of New Yorkers. As part of the agreement, Seedco admitted to the false reporting. Maryland health officials announced last week that Seedco, headquartered in New York but with operations in Maryland, was one of six agencies chosen to educate people about reform and help enroll them in health insurance plans.