They have the name recognition. So people who don't research are more likely to vote for them then someone else. Plus Siddiqui had a lot of signs out in prominent places. I saw at least three large signs in a 2 mile span on Route 40.

They also were backed by the Ulman machine. Did you notice all the signs on commercial property for Siddiqui? She, and the sitting judges, were clearly the choice of the people with money. No conspiracy...just people voting with their wallets rather than with their heads.

Ulman and the sitting judges are lockstep in their socialist beliefs. They held fundraisers together, run in the same socialist circles. The same for Siddiqui. All of them are convinced that the government must have the primary role in your life. And they believe there are virtually no limits to the "good" government can do for you and to you. To these folks, your property does not belong to you; it belongs to the state, and you only hold it until the state comes to take what rightfully belongs to the collective.

So you're saying that the board was dysfunctional BEFORE Dyer was elected? 99% of the "dysfunction" was centered around Dyer!

We just need to do our part to talk to everyone we know and tell them who NOT to vote for...

Who did you support, Angela?

My wife, Leslie Kornreich, was a candidate for the Board of Education, but she did not make it into the general election this time around. We spent countless days walking around Elkridge talking with residents, and there is near-uniform disapproval of how the current Board of Education treats those of us who live in Elkridge. Unfortunately, although people were free in venting their concerns to us, it was apparent that many of them did not cast ballots in either the early voting or on April 3. Given how low the turnout was countywide and how close the overall votes were -- a heavy voter turnout in Elkridge would have made the difference. They keep putting more and more people in Elkridge, but we have not taken advantage of our numbers.

People feel powerless about making change. Many expressed to us that they are so frustrated with the system that they just don't vote. Unfortunately that reaction perpetuates the county being run for the benefit of Ellicott City and River Hill, and to the detriment of those of us here in Elkridge. But the results of this election were far from the will of the people in Elkridge. But we need to come out and vote in order to change things.

Low turnouts are an indication that people are content with the current conditions, not "powerless" or "frustrated". Most voters have no idea what is going on with the BOE, and as long as they are satisfied with the education that their children are getting they are not going spend a lot time thinking about it. You will see big voter turnouts when there is real "frustration" and discontent with schools and teachers, not just annoyances.

Wow, this has created a real beehive of activity. Doug (who posted in response to EL), I agree with you 100%. Although I respectfully differ with your wife Leslie on a minority of her viewpoints, I have a great amount of respect for her and I did get out and cast a vote for her for two reasons: 1) I have a great amount of respect for Leslie and agree with her on most issues [as stated above] and 2) we need to get Elkridge folks ON THE BOARD. As long as the majority of Elkridge remains silent and inactive, we will be easy targets for all the stuff that is coming our way (e.g. overcrowded schools, overdevelopment to increase the county tax base [tied to the aforementioned], the CSX freight yard...and more). Stand up and be heard or forever hold your peace Elkridge.

We can now watch to see how the BOE gets along with Dyer on his way out. Will he cause more hate and discontent before he is out of there?

Remember, only half of the board was up for re-election.

Paul Lemie,

You should clarify your statement to read that HCEA members are proud of those candidates you mentioned. Not all of the teachers in HCPSS support these candidates nor are they union members.

I wonder how many people know that HCPSS has contracts with over 60 for-profit bus companies who are not saving us money or adequately meeting our system's needs? I wonder if our citizens realize that we can use distance learning to provide the same courses at Mt. Hebron that are taught at Glenelg? Virginia Beach has used distance learning since 1998. Everything is a secret dark secret that is driven by doing well on standardized tests.

During my campaign, I met a number of parents of all races, cultures, and socioeconomic status who have chosen to send their children to private schools due to a like of trust in our public school system. These citizens are borrowing money or doing without because they lack confidence in HCPSS.

Although I will expect Dr. Foose to analyze all programs based on their impact on student achievement, I would especially like to see an independent audit of the Department of Professional Development, the Department of Human Resources, the Gifted and Talented Program and the Office of Special Education.

Something is not right in Kansas...did Dorothy say that?

"I wonder how many people know that HCPSS has contracts with over 60 for-profit bus companies who are not saving us money or adequately meeting our system's needs?"

Their employees are non union, no benefits and if they were the hcpss would not be able to get the children to school. See where I am going with this? No not unoinize their employees. We can actually hire better teachers for less money then the union demands.

"Sorry, Mike! Only 90%" It seems 90%is the magic number but according to the union rep at Howardpubliced, same guy, the hcea Board of Directors, and Representative Council chose the endorsements, not the teachers of Howard county. A good poll would be to ask the teachers how many towed the union line and how many made an educated choice?

The only thing I expect of Foose if she is hired is regurgitation of who ever is in her ear and her personal quality of life to improve greatly. Behind our back decisions like who the next superintendent is exacty what is wrong with our schools followed by the folks who support them and does nothing for the quality of education our children recieve.
Still we have to give DeLacy credit for being out here because the other 5 candidates lack the morals to face the public.

Paul-
Thanks for helping me to make my point. Not all HCPSS teachers are in favor of these candidates, just the HCEA. If you asked the Howard county resident teachers who they voted for, if they voted, you would find a greater mix. That said, the HCEA machine will certainly work with Ulman and others to get your candidates elected. Congratulations. Whether it will be better for our kids remains to be seen. What can make it better is to ensure that there is a quality teacher in every classroom, and if HCEA was honest, that is not your highest priority.

Mike: "That said, the HCEA machine will certainly work with Ulman and others to get your candidates elected. "

While Ken Ulman is a strong Jackie Scott supporter, he is definitely not assisting me. You are wrong on that one, Mike.

DeLacy,

You left out the majority of the children in the middle

Ann- do you support school vouchers? Shouldn't parents who are concerned with the dysfunctiona board of Ed be able to opt out? Also, there is nothing wrong with earning a profit. Bashing "for profit" bus companies is stupid. No way could lazy government workers do as good a job for the same cost.

i.e., "innovation efforts" = higher taxes. Standby folks, the union is coming for your property, and as just confessed above, the union believes that Delacy, Gertler and Scott will be leading the effort to confiscate your property.

With new board members and a new superintendent, maybe they will clean house at Club 108 and get rid of so many cronies that are just sucking up budget dollars that should be going to the schools. There is way too much bureaucracy in the DOE. To many people with clothing and car allowances in their employment contracts, etc.

Ann,

Sorry, I realize this is an old post but I just saw it. Hopefully you will see my reply.

I have to say I'm very skeptical about distance learning for anyone younger than college aged kids. I see that you mention that Virginia Beach uses it, but just because someone else is doing it, doesn't make it right. This is only my experience from being educated and seeing my kids being educated, but to me it's all about the personal interaction between the teacher and the student. The kid who already likes learning will succeed no matter how a course is taught, but for the rest of the kids who aren't thrilled by school (which, let's face it, is probably the majority) need that teacher there and supportive. That's just not going to happen via distance learning.

Amused,
I'm not going to speak for Ann, but distance learning can involve direct interactions between teachers and students even if they are in different schools; teachers can see the students, students can see the teacher and questions can be asked both ways. The technology is there - just not being used. The beauty of this kind of distance learning is that you could better equalize the educational opportunities among our high schools. For example, if there are not enough students at High School "A" that are qualified/interested in taking a particular GT course then, through distance learning, those interested students at School "A" could be "plugged into" the course being taught in real-time be a teacher at School "B". HCPSS is way behind the curve in this area. And I recall Allen Dyer proposing such a solution when the school inequities issue came up at a Board meeting; but of course the myopic Board Chair at the time failed to pick up on this important point and an opportunity for innovation was lost.

Fred,

Those are good points in terms of interaction at the group level for curriculum related questions. What I was going for was more where a teacher has person-to-person interaction before, after, and during class. Maybe he or she notices that a kid is off for some reason or has something he or she would like to briefly chat on a personal level with the child. Not having the teacher there in person to do that is difficult or impossible. I know with my son it has helped tremendously when a teacher takes even a brief interest in how he's doing.

That said, as I think about your comments, distance learning would be better than not having the class at all, so there is an advantage there. Care would need to be taken to ensure that those who enrolled had a high enough maturity level to handle it.

I was proud to represent the hard working employees of HCPSS and proud to serve as a 33 year teacher at Waterloo MS, Owen Brown MS, and Mt. Hebron HS.

Robert, why should I be ashamed of a career in public service? Why should anyone want to drop a house on me?

Robert, I selected the four departments because they have a great impact on student achievement. Human Resources hires and promotes, Professional Development designs and implements the training, Gifted and Talented ensures that children with unique abilities reach their highest potential, and Special Education (which can include GT) insures that children with specific needs are duly served. These departments have a huge budgetary impact and we really don't know the metrics used to assess their effectiveness.

DeLacy,

You left out the majority of the children in the middle. The same majority who leave our schools unprepared.

Perhaps it is the large number of unsuspecting parents who are mislead by the hcpss and move here from Baltimore and other areas trying to buy a public education only to find they must hire tutors which is a subsidy for Howard county's test scores.

@ Adam....I have 2 in elementary school and am constantly on the verge of pulling them out of HCPS. 3rd grade when they start teaching to the test is where the problems (especially math) start to happen. For our family it works to take our kids to Math tutoring. I have also considered a writing tutor for both periodically. If you have a Sophomore in HS, you may want to self test their math skills to see if they can divide, multiply, calculate fractions, percents, and decimals......you may get a surprise...!!! Private schools are expensive, so many parents supplement the public education with Mathnasium, Kumon, Sylvan, Huntington and private tutors. It's the dirty little secret in HoCo. Go to any of these places and they are filled with kids whose parents have figured out the system.

I am a concerned Elkridge resident too. As much as I agree with the spirit of your message, I can't agree that Howard County is a "joke". The pay of the public executives is, in fact, right in line with, or lower than, other counties and agencies that have similar cost of living. Competitive salaries need to be paid to attract quality executives. Would you rather live in PG or Baltimore County where superintendents and executives get paid even more?

@ADAM...both of my children are at the top of their classes in elem. school. Their reading and math scores are above level for their grades and both are in GT classes thanks to my catching what ISN"T being taught in the classroom. I am shocked that they no longer teach division (only the bucket method), multiplication(the trellis method), fractions(1-2 weeks to master the skill?), decimals, and percents. My children don't have too much time to sit in front of the boob tube since I have to cart them around to be schooled outside of the classroom. All the parents sitting around with me are just as astounded at the lack of basics being taught in the classroom in lieu of material that will help these kids "master" the test. It is a sin that 9th and 10th graders taking Algebra wind up in math tutoring because they don't know how to use basic mathematic skills that should have been taught in elementary school.

You may want to back up your stats Jacko. Half need remedial ed to get to college? I think not! As far as the college drop out rate being so high it is because we are pushing all our kids to go to college when many should have gone to a trade school or some vocational tech. They go to college and realize they made the wrong choice so they change there path. The schools do a lousy job of not identifying these kids in High School. This is because the guidance for the teenagers has not been considered as important as learning Shakespeare.

Call the hcpss and ask them how many need remedial ed and not just the ones who go to HCC of which 50% need remedial ed in math but all our graduates in all subjects.

As to vocational or trade, This is not a dumping ground for our poorly educated. These children need skills or we can't teach them either. Same problem colleges are having, they need remedial ed to learn a trade.

@Jack, can you list a resource for your assertion? I know that with my two kids, they were far ahead of others when they were mixed with those from other parts of the country. To say that half need remedial ed is just not true.

As for the 65% dropping out of college, that is no different than anyplace else. I think Howard County Schools does a disservice to the kids in pushing ALL of them to go to a four-year college, rather than community college, vocational schools or the military. Many are not cut out for college or to go away from home yet. HCPSS is more concerned with the schools' ratings with colleges than actually having the kids prepared for the real world. We need plumbers, electricians, mechanics and military people. But Howard County ignores that fact. Our kids have to go to Baltimore or AA counties to get vocational training.

Where are these large number of people subsidizing their kids education? I know of none. If there are it sounds to me some parents might be trying to push their kids up and through the system when in fact they might be average. You need to push your blame game to the Corporations. Yes public education teaches to those but its up to every child to prove they are worthy of an Oxford Education, not their parents.
All children in Howard County have that chance if they want so you can shove that caste of yours right in the basement.

Adam,

All children in Howard county have what chance? To be what they are and their parents supply them with? According to your point the system can blame the child for not learning and they do. I don't believe you understand all the issues in our schools and as a parent of 8 with 20 years here in Howard county, my honest advice is to look further into what is going on and disregard the illusion Howard county touts of how great our school are. I could sit here for weeks and discuss the problems with you. Want to know what is going on go to Howardpubliced, it is a yahoo group. You can join or read the archives and posts. I gaurantee you will be shocked,

I will say, that our son did two years at Atholton and two years at River Hill. There was a huge attitude difference with the teachers. I will attribute this to the different principals. Atholton's was fantastic and RH's left a lot to be desired. Atholton teachers worked hard with kid's having difficulties and RH teachers' attitude was, "get him a tutor".

@Jack, you have quite a reputation for outrageous remarks on Howardpubliced. You seem to always have a criticism and an answer to everything. Maybe YOU should have run for board since you have all the answers.

How can any American anywhere support Scott with her silence on appointed vs. ellected? Was she Ullman's choice to be appointed to the BOE? She does not deserve a single vote anywhere and the hcea shgould be ashamed of her candidacy.

Gertler? I don't hear him out here either. I f a candidate can not speak for themselves then they are not worthy of our consideration.

That leaves the seperation of the Union and The Democratic Party? This is odd.

All of this does absolutely nothing for all our children

Paul, do you have any data to support your assertion that "teacher quality is the most critical variable in student achievement"?

Jack,

They are "out here." They attended every single forum, and they make themselves very available to the public. If you had attended even one of the forums, you would have had the opportunity to ask these questions. They will answer every question you give them.

Maybe your version of "out here" is ranting on the comment section of blogs and Howardpubliced. Board candidates have no obligation to comment on blog comment sections. I doubt she has even seen your question of "appointed vs elected."

If you really care, you could have given them a phone call. Their numbers are public info. You could have also emailed them.

They're not my choice for candidates, but I will not allow you to attack them as though they are ignoring you.

Paul,
You are correct, researchers tend to agree that the quality of the teacher in the classroom is the most critical element impacting student learning, but that was not on the list of items you were hoping to change (above). When was the last time that HCEA was helpful in removing a poor teacher from the classroom? Are data available to show that you are moving in a manner similar to MCPS? If Ms. Delacey and others you supported came out in favor of this, they would be guaranteed election to the Board or any other office they sought. Might they be so bold?

Mike,

Want a good look at what goes on in Montgomery county and what they are really doing? Go to Parents_Coalition of Montgomery county and ask what they are doing to remove poor teachers. Since we are all Maryland state schools we have very similar problems.

"Teacher quality" is a union dog whistle for higher education spending. Accountability and metrics are the key to better education, not more spending. The union will ceaselessly present the "teacher quality" strawman as if it were a given. But hiring "average" teachers and holding them accountable is likely to produce the same or better results, and cost a lot less.

Personally, I think getting rid of tenure would do more to increase teacher quality than just about anything else. Human nature is human nature. If you know you can't be fired (without and act of congress) its only natural to not bust your butt all the time. Nowhere else do workers have tenure. It you don't perform, its adios amigos!

Silence means silence as in none of these people have been out here, anywhere speaking out for the children. Including you there are but a few months between you of publicly speaking for the children.

The issue of appointed vs. ellected and Scotts silence are very serious. Siddiqui was appointed to the BOE. Scotts silence durring this speaks volumesand her support by Ullman speaks volumes. Your support is an insult.

Education has nothing to do with leadership

We could easily replace our bottom 10% and desperately need our best to attempt to retrain and salvage the rest . The real problem is the system, all of it was paid for inferior work and silent while they performed it. Our curriculum is so wattered down at this point and the system chose to teach to the test to the point we could replace all of our teachers with college graduates for far less and put teams of 2 in each class room.

Jack, great point. Quality education has very little to do with money and a lot to do with meaningful metrics and accountability. But the union and its surrogates will never accept those truths. Why? Because doing so would cede power, and in their minds, that's simply unacceptable. As seen on this board, the discussion from the union and its supporters point to a need for higher education spending. And yet, the Howard County already massively spends on education, particularly non-classroom overhead. And frankly, there's little that can be done in the short term to change that situation as the politicians in power are supported by the union and those same politicians support the union.

Then how, Paul, do we get rid of an ineffective teacher? How, when the principal does not (or says he/she does not) have the power to fire a teacher that has stacked up a file full of complaints? I think that HCEA should be at the forefront of this, and finding a solution for it. The ineffective teacher should not go back into the teaching pool to be inflicted on some other unsuspecting school -- he or she should be let go because he or she is not teaching students effectively. How do we make that happen here?

Leslie, Peer Assistance And Review (PAR) has been used to evaluate teachers, administrator, and support staff for decades in Columbus, Ohio and for more than a decade in Montgomery County, Maryland. Google it.

Isn't it time we expanded the conversation of accountability to supervisors, Directors and superintendents? How are they evaluated and who decides that a Depty Superintendent should receive a nearly $700 per month auto stipend?

Leslie, as a former teacher, you are aware of the lack of influence teachers and support staff have in the decision-making process. It wasn't the teachers who decided to take reading as a stand alone subject out of the middle school curriculum.

Paul, thanks for the reference; however, it does not provide one piece of evidence to support your earlier assertion that "teacher quality is the most critical variable in student achievement". It does provide economic data on the cost of poor teachers and I support that analysis. Based on years of research directly relevant to this issue, it is likely that parents/home environment is the most critical variable in student achievement. This was/is the premise for Head Start-like programs and early intervention to prepare children to learn in school. The problem is that these programs cannot sustain the early gains they demonstrate because, like it or not, children go home to the same parents and the same home environment. And if , for whatever reason, these parents are unable to provide the educationally supportive environment that many/most affluent homes enjoy, then these gains are lost. What many affluent (i.e. educated) parents do is reinforce what was learned in school or, in many instances, teach their children what an incompetent teacher was unable to teach. When this is high school, that means teaching your children algebra, geometry, trig, chemistry, etc., subjects that many uneducated parents are unlikely to be able to provide this level of support.

Fred: "Based on years of research directly relevant to this issue, it is likely that parents/home environment is the most critical variable in student achievement. This was/is the premise for Head Start-like programs and early intervention to prepare children to learn in school."

I agree with you, Fred. The entire "reform" theories based on the teacher being the most crucial factor in a student's life has lead to wrong-headed initiatives such as Race-to-the-Top, Teach for America and head-scratching to compute the value-added component of having a particular teacher.

Universal pre-kindergarten for all children, irrespective of income, will do more to ensure that all children are ready by five than Head Start-like programs. My granddaughter, Lilly, was able to participate in such a program in Charles County and benefited by being in a stable, safe, learning-rich environment filled with nurturing adults. As a result, my daughter was able to work additional hours and become actively involved in the Parent Teacher Organization (different from the PTA).

Parents not wishing to have their children participate could always opt-out. Age three would be, in my opinion, a good time to begin pre-kindergarten.

Paul & Ann, can you talk about the obstacles to bringing a Peer Assistance & Review system to HCPSS?

Lisa, the major obstruction I encountered in even discussing PAR in HCPSS was Dr. Sydney Cousin. We are fortunate that Dr. Foose, having spent years in Montgomery County, is a strong proponent of PAR. It is expensive program but we could easily repurpose (a Leslie K. word) our staff and resources to make it happen. HCPSS has been resistant to change beyond the status quo and has been reluctant to involve stakeholder groups in real decision-making.

If I am elected to the BOE, I will add my extensive education expertise to a group who unfortunately lacks the background knowledge.

In response to the question about David Gertler's public appearances, I wanted to note that he was at the Greater Elkridge Community Association's candidate forum on March 28. See video of candidates who are moving on to the general election here: http://youtu.be/nZPV4kaYSgU Gertler is featured at the 1:50 mark.

I mentioned Gertler because you made the following blanket statement:

"Gertler? I don't hear him out here either. I f a candidate can not speak for themselves then they are not worthy of our consideration."

That statement was made in the same post where you discussed Scott and appeared to equate the two because of their "silence". Gertler ~has~ spoken for himself and has been heard "out there". The only place I don't see him talk are the two opinion websites you seem to frequent, which there's nothing wrong with. If I were running for anything I'd have little to do with the comments section of a blog site and a YahooGroup.

Brook,

Since I can be found at many, many sites and see Gertler virtually nowhere perhaps you can post all the places he is and what he has said. The only thing I see out here is the hcea union rep making a case for him.

Howardpubliced, the yahoo group you refer to has among its members more then half the current BOE members and candidates for BOE as well as many people in the system and community. Thousands of people read it and is used as a source throughout the country.

Most people running are everywhere they can posibly be trying to get their message out unless their message is party or group endorsed.

Jack,

Board candidates do not scour the internet looking for comments. Public means in person. If you want to talk to him, take the effort to call him. You could have taken the effort to come out to one of the forums. You did not.

Stop acting as though he is ignoring you because he is not commenting on the Patch or at Howardpubliced. You keep saying "they are not out here." They ARE "out here." They are at public forums, they door-knock, and they take phone calls and emails. You assume that because they are not a member of Howardpubliced, they are ignoring you. Going to a now obscure yahoogroup is not "coming out here" to comment.

Jack prefers to sit behind his computer monitor and attack those that are really out there trying to make a difference, union or not. He doesn't have the stones to physically show up at a meeting present his opinions.

Enjoy your day and don't give any consideration to what you have been told. Don't even question what is going on.

Owen,

I am glad to see enjoying your day included joining Howardpubliced. Now instead of trying to attack me for an incident years ago where the hcpss endangered the life of one of my children you can join the discussion which is currently inovations in the school system and how to improve it started by the hcea rep or you can start a discussion of your own. If you really have an interest I will give you a list of education groups all over the country who are discussing the same issues,

Jack, keep up the fight and don't get discouraged. When lefties/statists start disparaging you, then you know you're hitting close to the truth. Keep exposing them.

Bob Ballinger will not be an independent voice on the BOE. He will be a Republican voice. So while he may be independent of Howard County's Democratic Party, he absolutely has loyalties to another group. If the strings attached to candidates matter to you, be clear about which candidates have which strings. Your comfort with a candidate's strings doesn't make them independent. The candidate's actions make them independent.

Loyalty to a group isn't necessarily a liability or problem, either. The idea of an "independent" candidate or elected official is really dependent on the context. Independent of whom or what? Bob Ballinger has a distinct vision for Howard County schools. That vision is, in part, shaped by his Republican philosophy and work in the Republican Party. I am not quibbling with Bob, but I am quibbling with the label of "independent".

LisaBMrsS,

A "Republican voice"? Is he not allowed to participate in the political process with a political party and still be independent? Do you consider Janet Siddiqui, Frank Aquino, or Sandra French independent? Those three all have participated in the Howard County Democratic Party. Almost everyone in the race had SOME connections to a group (HCEA, Democratic Party, Republican Party, PTA, county government, Ken Ulman, the current Board, community organizations, etc.) that has an interest in the BOE. If you've participated in the political process in Howard County, you will most likely have connections to one of these groups. Of the remaining candidates, Bob would be, by far, the most independent.

Great points Corey. And to add to that, the implication is that only the Dems can truly care about education, while conservatives, Repubs and their supporters can't possibly have the best interest of our children at heart. A double standard.

LisaBMrsS, I am sorry you felt the need to bring party politics into the conversation about a non partisan elected office. However, since you did I feel the need to point out that you missed the part of Mr. Ballinger's resume where he worked at the department of the environment under the O'Malley administration.

By independent I simply meant Mr. Ballinger was not connected to the union or the Ulman administration unlike all of the other candidates. I would hope people vote for candidates because they are concerned parents of children in our school system and the best qualified to hold a position on the BOE. Not blinded by political party affiliation or loyalty to the union.

I have nothing against the union but I do not believe you can be an unbiased member of the BOE if you have even the slightest connection or loyalty to the HCEA, the Ulman adminstration, or even the county council. Mr Ballinger is the only candidate for BOE that fits that bill and is therefore by my assessment an independent voice on the BOE as a representative of ALL concerned parents that simply want what is best for their children and the ALL of students of Howard County Public Schools.

JustABill, thanks for explaining the context and meaning of "independent" as you applied it to Bob Ballinger. I agree with that use of it. I'm sorry I upset you with my introduction of political party names in the discussion. I misunderstood your original meaning. I hope that everyone who votes decides what they want in a Board member, and their does their research into each candidate and chooses accordingly.

I think the commenter's main point with regard to Ballinger's independence is that he will be independent of the HCEA and it's associated supporters and power structure. It may be that he is affiliated with the Repub. Party, but that matters less than the fact that he is not involved with the union mess that's been foisted upon us with the BOE elections.

No LisaB you simply felt the need to point out his political party affiliation as if it was a crime to be both a concerned parent of students in Howard County and also a Republican and have the gall to run for a non partisan elected office. If it was not that big of a deal to you then why bother to not only restate the obvious but to list some of Mr. Ballinger's past jobs. As I said in my post above, he also worked under the O'Malley administration. To me that demonstrates Mr. Ballinger's ability to work across party lines for what he believes in and not just toe the line as most Democrats do in the county and throughout the state.

From Parents_Coalition of Montgomery county

Look here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/development/resources/projover/docs/PARteacher.pdf

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/development/documents/sspgs/1869_06Growthbooklet.pdf

Lyda