School Board Members

Anne Arundel County school board members approved $2.7 million for stiffer school security, despite their own concerns about how the money fits into a sweeping $39 million security plan. It is a plan they have been told about for two years, but still have not seen. At a meeting Wednesday, the board approved $1.2 million - on top of $1.5 million given last summer - for improvements such as cameras at schools, fencing and expanded security at athletic events. But school board members said the approval for extra funds put them in an awkward situation of not knowing how their spending this year gels with $39 million of security weaknesses highlighted in a 2005 consultant's report.

As she walks the hallways of Mars Estates Elementary, Principal Linda M. Chapin says she knows about the rusty bathroom stalls, the cracks that crisscross the terrazzo flooring, the missing wall tiles here and there. She also knows all too well that while her office might be baking at 80 degrees, other rooms are quite chilly. But she also sees the sparkling new windows and blinds installed last year that send sunlight streaming into classrooms, the cafeteria and gymnasium of the 57-year-old school.

The Baltimore school system will receive $2.6 million this year to help identify troubled youths and prevent violence at 10 city schools under a grant announced yesterday by President Clinton in his weekly radio address.Rep. Elijah E. Cummings delivered the news yesterday at Lake Clifton Eastern High School during a summit with parents, politicians and educators who gathered to brainstorm plans for making classrooms safer and encouraging parents to become a larger part of their children's education.

Baltimore County Superintendent Anthony G. Marchione is expected to announce today that he will retire at the end of the coming academic year as head of the nation's 25th largest school system.The retirement of the 67-year-old veteran educator would set off a nationwide search for a replacement that could take months. Several of the county's top education administrators could compete with outside candidates for the $128,750-a-year job.School officials and others expect an announcement to come today at an annual meeting of district administrators, ending months of speculation about Marchione, who rose from a Baltimore County math teacher to top administrator.

It would be a school like no other in Howard County, an alternative learning center to serve dozens of the county's most emotionally troubled students, all under one roof.But some Howard County school board members voiced concerns last night that plans for the alternative school might be too large and costly.The board delayed voting on the building's specifications, and the issue will be taken up at a future work session."It's something that sounds wonderful and ideal," said board member Jane B. Schuchardt.

TOWSON -- Children at Stoneleigh Elementary School could be forced to congregate in a cramped and noisy cafeteria for yet another year while Baltimore County officials figure out how to pay for a proposed addition.The 70-year-old school's experience is symbolic of the problems facing many older county schools awaiting money for renovations."It certainly has some strong competition," said Valerie A. Roddy, public schools senior fiscal analyst. "There are some big-ticket items coming up in 2002, including a new high school in [Owings Mills]

Set to receive fewer state and county dollars than expected, the Carroll County Board of Education slashed yesterday about 30 of the 65 teacher positions it planned to add in the fall.The board's decision deals a blow to the school system's efforts to reduce class sizes -- particularly in the county's five high schools, where enrollment is expected to increase by 160 students this fall.Although administrators were hoping to hold average high school class size to about 25 students, that number could rise to 26 or 27 as a result of the cuts, said Gregory Eckles, supervisor of secondary schools.

As one of Howard County's highest-ranking Republicans, state Sen. Marty Madden feels compelled to be involved in the local issue that matters most to his constituents -- public education.He has virtually no direct role in the struggles to guarantee equity and fairness in county schools -- but he knows that won't matter to his constituents.His approach is both local and global. He urges his colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to honor the county's tradition of nonpartisanship in matters of education.

The 12-member Baltimore County Board of Education unanimously approved spending at least $137 million during the next school year for new roofs, wiring, tiles and other repairs at aging schools last night.The county now needs a commitment from the State Department of Education for the state's share of the 2000-2001 proposed capital budget, said Valerie A. Roddy, senior fiscal analyst for the school system.The school system has proposed an eight-year, $530 million school construction and repair program, which officials began last year.

A retired superintendent, two principals and a teacher are among the 15 Baltimore County residents who have applied for a spot on the school board, with up to half of the 12 spots eligible for replacement this summer.The county's school board nominating convention disbanded this year, and the applicants are expected to appear at two forums over the next two weeks as they seek support.Gov. Parris N. Glendening is not obligated to pick school board members from the list of public applicants, which means it's possible that none of the 15 applicants will be on the board.

Poring over the proposed operating budget last night for the next fiscal year, Baltimore County school board members zeroed in on the details: Funds allocated for educational programs. Music instruction. Online learning materials. "There's not a lot of money, and we only have a little tiny bit of discretionary" [funds], board member Meg O'Hare said, explaining her in-depth questions on the $1.32 billion proposed spending plan. The board's work session came nearly a week after the governor presented his proposed budget, which would cut almost $70 million in state funding for local schools.

The Harford County superintendent of schools, accompanied by the county executive and a state senator, made her annual bus ride with students to celebrate the opening of the school year. Several schools rolled out a red carpet to welcome students. The faculty at Roye-Williams Elementary in Aberdeen went formal, wearing top hats and white gloves for the morning arrival. And Harford Technical High School added black and yellow balloon arches to its doors. "It is all about making students feel welcome, excited and motivated on the first day of school," said Teri D. Kranefeld, schools spokeswoman.

Communities and schools should take a preventive approach to school violence rather than focus solely on punishing students who have behavior problems, experts said yesterday at a summit on school violence. Students are looking for structure, high academic expectations, and teachers who understand and can communicate with them, said Ivan J. Juzang, a consultant who gave the keynote address at the daylong meeting at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Providing those basics will make schools safer, he said.

Towson needs a new school As concerned parents of a Rodgers Forge Elementary School kindergartener, we would like to express our appreciation for The Sun's coverage of the overcrowding of Towson's schools ("Board decries political pressure," March 30). It is becoming quite clear that County Executive James T. Smith Jr. (a lame-duck county executive) is more concerned with securing his own future as a state politician than with addressing the needs of his current constituents. Rodgers Forge, Hampton, Stoneleigh and Riderwood elementary schools are 451 students over their total collective capacity.

Most school board members will say that, aside from cutting the budget, redrawing school boundaries that can divide communities and uproot students is among the hardest choices decisions they make. Anne Arundel County school board members go through the redistricting drill nearly every year. But this year, explosive growth in West County is forcing the board to wrestle with one of its toughest dilemmas yet involving boundaries and busing. The board is in the middle of a battle between two communities, on the east and west sides of Route 3, over dueling redistricting proposals by Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell and a group of Piney Orchard parents that would free space at Crofton Elementary and fill a new Gambrills elementary school.

The signs of overcrowding are abundant at Rodgers Forge Elementary School, says Alyson Bonavoglia. Lunch starts two hours into the school day. Toilets often overflow from overuse. And seven trailers are scattered about the campus. "And people are still moving into the area," Bonavoglia said. Bonavoglia was among more than 100 Rodgers Forge Elementary parents who pleaded with Baltimore County school board members during a meeting last month to stick with a proposal to build a school in the Mays Chapel area to ease crowding in the Towson area.

Rodgers Forge Elementary parents pleaded with Baltimore County school board members last night to stay the course on plans to build a school in the Mays Chapel area to help alleviate crowding at schools in the Towson area. More than 100 parents, many wearing red school T-shirts, filled the hallway outside a packed meeting room. "We needed this school probably two years ago," said Allyson Bonavoglia, a Rodgers Forge parent. She pointed out that the school is nearly 230 students over its capacity of 408. School officials say a school in Mays Chapel, a community along West Padonia Road near Interstate 83, could help alleviate crowding in the county's central area.

The five-minute scramble between class periods at sprawling Glen Burnie High School leaves little time to socialize or even make a pit stop at lockers or the restroom. And some students have to make this mad dash between as many as six buildings in a day on the 373,000-square-foot campus. "When classes change in our high schools, it's complete chaos, like an airport terminal," said Alex Szachnowicz, facilities director for Anne Arundel County schools. "Students don't have time to talk to their teachers or talk to each other [and]

Hammond High School Principal Sterlind S. Burke Sr.'s hint on attire to the 18 students who lunched with Gov. Martin O'Malley, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and schools Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin in the school's media center yesterday was simple and direct. "My statement to them was, `Dress to impress,'" he said. The students, mostly juniors and seniors, had followed that dictum, and those who asked questions were clearly looking for more guidance from the adults. "What was one thing in your life that stands out as `you'?

THE ISSUE: Amid concerns about rampant cheating at Severna Park High School, Anne Arundel County student government leaders said that the problem is common at their schools, too, and goes unchecked because of defensive parents, weak administrators and a frantic competition to get into top colleges. The discussion with school board members on May 23 came a day after county school system officials stopped three Severna Park High students from retaking the Advanced Placement U.S. history exam after they allegedly got hold of a sealed packet of questions and sneaked into a bathroom to find answers in a review manual.