Using the term of “teaching to the test” can be confusing. To teach only those items needed to pass a test is the wrong way to educate our students. If you mean the Maryland State High School Assessment (HSA) Tests, the state and county curriculums should be adequate enough for the teachers to cover the necessary information for the students to pass these tests. If the students can’t pass the tests then the BOE needs to determine what is the cause of failure and correct it. This correction should not be a “band-aid” by teaching just to the information on the tests. The students need to know that the world does not always give them a narrow focus of information to get by.

My Response: Requiring students to wear uniforms is an excellent idea. It is not a new idea. Most all private schools have a dress code. All military schools require uniforms. Uniforms are required dress in most all schools in the orient. Uniforms convey a sense of discipline in an organization. Since deputy sheriffs have been assigned to some of our schools, I can only surmise that there are some serious disciplinary problems there. Recently, all the spectators at a football game between two of our high schools were required to leave the stadium due to fights in the crowd. This bespeaks of serious disciplinary problems. Requiring uniforms would be a good start. Uniforms would also resolve immodest dress problems.

Question: What do you think of the idea of requiring teachers to teach exclusively to the Maryland high stakes testing program?

My Response: An outstanding teacher left one of our high schools because of this dictum. He now teaches at an exclusive private school. When he left he said: "I want to teach my students how to write, not how to pass a test that says they can write."

Regarding "teaching to the test:" I absolutely do not believe teachers should teach solely to any test. That surely violates their academic freedom and it is certainly not the best thing for the students, either. I do know that certain course curriculum is aligned with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum. This is to ensure that students cover the material that will be tested on the state assessments (namely, the MSA and the HSA). The Maryland VSC is the standard for all schools in the state. It is considered the appropriate information we want our students to master.

There was a parent at one of our forums, who is an engineer and he expressed a concern that he learned math and wondered why we are not teaching the way he learned.

We need to look back occasionally to what worked and use it.

"Most studies show little relationship between class size and student achievement...In the debate about class size reduction, the issue of teacher quality is often overlooked. To have smaller classes, schools must hire more teachers. Many parents assume that these will all be good teachers. That's not a safe bet. Qualified people aren't always available...Highly effective schools may also have very large classes, as we see in many Asian countries. Catholic schools in the United States also have somewhat larger classes than public schools...yet were generally regarded as providing their pupils with a very good education." "The Educated Child" by Bennett, Finn, and Cribb

Therefore I would not support reducing class sizes.

At all times we as a Board endeavor to keep weeks like that last one from happening, and we will try again. I like the suggestion of eliminating the half-days for conferences, and we will work on that. That could mean adding days somewhere else. I am actually glad you asked this particular question at this particular time. We will be using the many suggestions we have received to make improvements wherever we can. We truly do understand how it disrupts families and day care arrangements, not to mention student learning.

I do not believe budget cuts are the answer. Providing a safe environment and qualified staff for the education of our future requires a large budget and I believe the school system is allocated an appropriate percentage of the county budget. I do however believe that there are areas where the currently allocated funds could be used more wisely. I believe if we take a close line item approach to our budget, we can find ways to save money that will not negatively impact the children.

On the Board, we are now looking at our base budget to find places to cut. We realize there will be some painful consequences, but as Board members, our very important job is to balance the budget. We will find a way for this next fiscal year. This will be the year of the budget cut.

I was a parent of a magnet school student years ago. In fact, I advocated for gifted education back when people in this county were telling us that we didn't have gifted children in Frederick County! My son was a member of the first magnet program and it was excellent. But then, he hit middle school where there was nothing except some acceleration in math.

After years of talking about it, we finally have a credible program designed for the highly able students in our middle schools. It will get better as we are able to add more funding and with that, more staff.

Yes, Renzulli was for all kids. That has changed. These capable teachers are now enrichment specialists and they work to keep our highly able middle school students engaged and challenged. Extended time is now provided for this as the children need it.

If you have not had a chance to visit your child's middle school, please do so and ask your excellent questions. I am sure you will get much better answers this year than last. Our G&T supervisor is Mr. Ted Luck. You can reach him at Ted.luck@fcps.org. He would be happy to answer any further questions you have.

I do not believe that our school system should teach the children that homosexuality is normal and acceptable.

I think that building a new Public School Administration Building, particularly at the downtown location should be cancelled. I think there is adequate space at the Haward Road Complex for school administration offices, if there is a need to move from the current building.

Question: Do you believe our school system should teach our children that homosexuality is normal and acceptable?
My Response: Absolutely not. I believe that teaching children about any kind of sex,or sex abuse, (which has been approved by the current BOE, to include even 4year olds, with Leslie Mansfield and Donna Crook dissenting) is a parental responsibility. Abrogating parental responsibilities is bad policy. In addition, it is a fact that our country is a Christian country which has been teaching children since its founding that sodomy is an abomination. It appears that a goal of homosexual activists is to change or redefine that Biblical dictum. The education establishment should not be doing anything to assist these activists in achieving that goal. Interestingly, Islam teaches its adherents similarly, as our founders, and with vehement enthusiasm.

Question: Because of the financial meltdown in our country, do you favor delaying or even cancelling plans to construct the Public School Administration Building?
My response: That plan should be cancelled.

2. I do not believe the topic of sexuality should be a focus in our schools. I believe this is a family value issue and a topic that should be addressed at home.

3. I am in favor of delaying the construction of the administration building if it would be a cost savings to the system.

2. Homosexuality is not taught in Frederick County Public Schools. If asked by a student, teachers are to give a simple definition of it. That is all. If a student asks further questions, the teacher will direct that student to his or her parent for further information.

3. At this time, FCPS is going ahead with the plans to build a new consolidated administration building downtown. In planning for the future, it is more expensive and less efficient to operate several aging administrative facilities than to have one location in a modern building. Our estimate is that we could save $215,000 in annual operating expenses (utilities, custodial support, mileage, general maintenance) if we eliminate multiple locations and consolidate in one location. If we had made the decision to stay in our existing buildings, we would be anticipating substantial and costly repairs to bring them up to code and keep them in a reasonable, safe working condition for the staff. Although with a new building, we would have to pay a lease for a time, but that would be offset by the cost to repair and renovate our existing buildings.

Frederick Education Reform, a group of parents who care about substantive issues in education, have met with FCPS officials and written to the Superintendent of Schools voicing their objections about TERC, but to no avail. Parents interested in more details about TERC can contact them at www,frederickeducationreform.com. There is an article about the group in the October 22nd issue of the Frederick News-Post.

As for questions concerning the results of pilot programs, I believe that would be best answered by current board members.

FCPS math curriculum specialists note that the Investigatioins textbook series aligns well with the FCPS math curriculum, aligns with the Maryland VSC (the Voluntary State Curriculum upon which the state testing program is based), and with recommendations of both the NCTM and the National Math Panel. Professional development continues with FCPS staff, and the series is scheduled to be fully implemented in K-6 in the 2009-2010 school year.

St. Mary's County, Maryland, also uses this textbook series.

I have personally observed the Investigations materials being used in some 4th grade classrooms in our county. I observed the interest and the engagement of the students as they were guided through their lessons. I observed the students learning to master math facts (in this case, multiplication tables), and then I observed the follow up activities which included some real-life examples. I do support the use of the Investigations textbook series as a math resource for our K-6 students.

Elementary Math Curriculum Specialist, Mr. Nelson Palmer, is always happy to discuss this series and any other questions, and he may be contacted through FCPS.

--Qualified teachers who truly understand their subject and have the ability to convey that knowledge to their students.

--Parents, who are obligated to send a motivated child to school..

An undisciplined student is a parental problem. For the quality of the community that we have in Frederick county, it is a disgrace that sheriff's deputies are posted, daily, at some of our schools. As a first step, disciplinary problems should be laid at parents' doorstep.

A recent topic in a Walter Walter Williams column was a 1976 study by Thomas Sowell (Both are African Americans) of student performance at Dunbar H.S. in Washington D.C. and Douglass H.S. in Baltimore during the first half of the 20th Century when both schools were segregated. "Among the graduates of Douglass were 'Thurgood Marshall and Cab Calloway, as well as several judges, congressmen, and civil rights leaders. Douglass H.S. was second in the nation in black Ph.D.s among its alumni. Dunbar High's distinguioshed alum included U.S. Senator Ed Brooke and physician Charles Drew. During WWII, Dunbar alumni in the Army included nearly a score of majors, nine colonels and lieutenant colonels, and a brigadier general.'"

"Sowell interviewed former teachers and alumni at both schools, who 'said that the most basic characteristic of their school was law and order. Respect was the term most used to describe the attitudes of students and parents toward the schools. 'The teacher was always right' was a frequently used phrase." That attitude needs to be conveyed to the parents, both black and white, of school disciplinary problems in Frederick County.

Discipline is a serious concern in the public school system, and as a teacher in a public school, I know there are disciplinary issues that are swept under the rug or not handled properly due to the pressures associated with school statistics. This is a disservice to all of the children and staff at our schools. I want to ensure that our schools do not feel the pressure from administration to meet certain requirements regarding suspensions, detentions, and expulsions. I wholeheartedly believe if a student commits an infraction, that student must face the consequences. By continuing on the path of ignorance, we are only going to make the problem worse. This means we need to be ready to handle the fact that our school statistics will look worse before they get better, but at least we will be doing something to take care of the problem instead of continually ignoring the problem.

I believe teaching requires more than just content knowledge. I would only support an alternative program that requires prior training in the classroom to help interested individuals understand the dynamics of classroom management and discipline.

Safety and age...Under state law we are currently required to provide a public education to anyone under the age of 21. I have serious concerns about this as I have witnessed situations where having older students in the classroom has negatively impacted learning for the other students. I believe students who have received their allotted time in school should only be offered the option of a GED unless there are special needs that have caused their delay in completing high school. I also believe any student convicted of a crime after the age of 18 should not be allowed back in a school building for the safety of the other students in the building. Again, it is more than fair to offer these students the option of a GED.

Federal law requires public schools in the United States to enroll any child that comes through the door. In 1992, the Supreme Court (Plyler v.Doe, 457 U.S. 202) held that the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution guarantees all children (even those who cannot document their legal presence in this country) access to a "free, appropriate public education." In the United States of America, we educate all our children. That is the law.

As a retired teacher I have seen many areas in the school system where we can save money and I plan to expose these areas of waste to reduce costs in the school system.

Every response to the first question is conjecture. Parents, teachers, and students are the three ingredients to be considered.

In the case of home schools, the parents deserve all the credit if they are successful, and all the blame if they are not. In the case of private schools (and public schools as well) parents primary responsibility is to ensure that the student is motivated. With the exception of elite private schools (Choate, Groton, St. Albans, etc.) most of the nation's 28,000 private schools (21,000 church affiliated) draw students, including minority and poor, and teachers from populations similar to those of public schools. The education establishment might not agree with that, but there is ample evidence to substantiate those facts. I think it is reasonable to say that a parent who is paying thousands of dollars for something that is essentially free has an additional incentive to motivate their children to achieve excellence in education. Martin Gross, in his 1999 book, The Conspiracy of Ignorance, reports that "Catholic School teachers get paid considerably less, closer to $25,000 a year than $40,000(public school teacher), which is partially explained by their being 'called' to the work." Another fact reported by Gross is that "most private schools simply will not countenance poor behavior or, generally, excessively lazy students. They simply ask students to leave, a solution not available to public schools." Most public schools are beholden to large bureaucracies and most teachers belong to unions which protect bad teachers from being terminated. Principals and headmasters in private schools usually have only a pastor or a Board to report to; generally speaking they truly run the school over which they preside, and have the authority to hire and fire. Put all these factors together and it helps understand why private schools get better results. And that is my conjecture.

As a first step to lower the cost of public education I started last March 24th by asking the other four candidates to take the following pledge:"I pledge, if elected, to limit the growth of the school budget, using inflation and enrollment as guides. Any resultant savings should be redirected to increased salaries for new teachers until parity is achieved with salaries of nearby school districts." Only Donna Crook responded and would sgree to take that pledge.

In responding to a similar question from the PTA Council I said: "The board of Education Needs to change their outlook on the disclosure and allocation of funds, especially now in these very difficult financial times. In some school districts, the expenditures for each school are released every month so that taxpayers can see what the schools are doing with our money. The Frederick County BOE refuses to disclose their expenditures this way."

The Board recently approved an expenditure of $1.2 million for a math curriculum(TERC) that was tested and failed in Utah and Washington. I would ask that this decision be reviewed.

The Board also approved the construction of a new Administration building in downtown Frederick. It appears this will now cost in excess of $20 million, up from the original estimate of $16 milliom. Construction has not yet started. I would ask that this decision also be reviewed.

I have continuously voted against the New Administrative Central Office building, which is being funded out of the operating budget. This is the same budget that funds all classroom needs, pays for the utilities, and covers the teachers raises!

  Reducing class size in our public schools would be a great idea, but it costs money.  According to our latest FCPS figures, it would cost $4.4 million to decrease class size across the system in our county by one student. 

It is my desire to reduce expenditures to insure that all students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities without paying a fee to do so.

Some students and their parents are intimidated because of these fees and therefore the student possibly will not have the opportunity to participate.

I am not sure but I believe the booster club at Walkersville High School is pushing for the stadium renovation. I am pretty sure that the Urbana High School Booster club paid for the lights at their stadium. Recently the parents/booster club at Middletown High School paid for new artificial turf at their school. New schools are being built with low maintenance facilities which will hopefully save money in the long run. I would hope that we will be able to fund upgrades for the older schools if the population growth and shifts provide the possibility to stop building new schools.

In a recent questionnaire I was asked" What current educational programs/areas should be the systems highest priority...? Please explain your answeer.I responded: "The highest priority should be for teachers with hard-to-find/hire expertise. There is a mountain of testimony about the importance of teachers in the educational process, and another mountain that notes that buildings and stadiums are of much lesser importance...we need to be able to hire the best possible teachers for all subjects and have the authority to deal with incompetent teachers...the excellence of the system depends largely on excellent teachers and parents sending them motivated students.

The incumbents in this election (Katie Groth and Donna Crook) are much better qualified to answer Mark's other specific questions.

The board of educations goal is to have teacher salaries in the top 25% in the state. We are continuing to shoot for that, but have not reached it at all levels. Many of our teachers that have more seniority, have attained the higher levels on the pay scale. We do have some work to do at the entry level for teachers. It maybe interesting to know a 10 month teacher with a BA in Frederick Co. earns $40,706. A Howard Co. 10 month teacher with a BA earns $44,527. A Montgomery Co. 10 month teacher with a BA earns $46,410. That's a $5,704.- difference between Frederick Co. and Montgomery Co. Now I ask you, once you take out taxes, and gas money for the additional travel, how much do you have left to show for that "Big Difference"? I would tend to say that it may not be as financially attractive as people think. There is a real cost associated with a farther commute, gas, wear and tear on the car, more time on the road and less time for other things. Based on all of this I would say we are competitive.

Why should I, as a tax paying citizen, have to fund extracurricular activities at the schools?

As far as I am aware of, sports is the largest extracurricular activity. It also comes with a very large price tag. After school sports teams are not part of the regular school day, and because of this, are not funded through the school systems allocation that comes from the county commissioners and the state. It is unfortunate that many parents pay so much for their child to be able to participate in an after school sport. As far as public educational funding goes, it is focused on the classroom and academics first and extracurricular activity's second. This is how I understand it.

Shouldn't the tax money I pay each year cover these costs?

It would be nice if it worked that way, however that is not the case. Currently, the school system does not even have a replacement cycle for things that it uses regularly. ie; books, computers, photo copy machines, music stands, and the list goes on! This is in part due to the fact that FCPS currently does not have a zero based budget system, or a line item budget system. It is lump sum funded, which when it is all said and done, you really don't know what got funded and what didn't by way of actual items! I have seen this as a problem for some time now. But with everything else, change on the board of education takes four votes not just one(mine). Also, Walkersville HS Stadium bleachers is in the BOE's CIP list for a cost of $585,000.- for fiscal year 2010. So it may seem like you are paying for everything, but the BOE is asking the county to cover this one.

  1. Yes, our teachers are paid less than Montgomery County and Howard County.  They are, however, paid more than Washington County.  Do I believe they are underpaid?  Yes, but they will never be paid as much as Montgomery County due to the disparity in tax base.

2. As a parent of four children, 3 of whom are attending Frederick County public schools, I understand your concerns.  I do believe renovations of a stadium should be covered in the budget.  I was not aware such renovations were coming out of the pockets of parents.  As for extracurricular activities, some of those do require additional funds.  Usually school PTAs fundraise annually to provide these extra activities such as school dances, educational events, etc. for the students. 

  Thank you for your thoughtful questions.

  For many students, extracurricular activities are a real "hook" that keeps them engaged in school and motivates them to excel academically as they do on the stage, in the studio or on the field.   I realize support of extracurricular activities is often controversial, but when you see how many young folks find career direction and excellent life lessons in these activities, you would be convinced that they are worth what we spend on them.  Students are positively affected by mentors and peer leadership opportunities as well. You might want to know that students must maintain a 2.0 academic average with no "F" grades in order to be eligible to participate in school sponsored extracurricular activities.  In addition, students who participate in athletics must pay a fee unless it is determined that they cannot afford to do so.

If someone is interested in learning more about the cost detail of the maintenance and upkeep of our athletic facilities, he or she can contact our FCPS Facilities Department.  They are listed in the phone book and the student calendar handbook.  In addition, our facilities staff would be pleased to respond in an email.  But in short, it is very expensive to maintain our athletic facilities and keep them to a standard of safety and security that we all want for our students and our citizens who attend events.  Your tax dollars provide much support of course, but our communities often choose to step up to help with extras they want in their high school facilities.  Middletown and Walkersville communities both have done this with the permission of the FCPS Facilities Department.  The list of priorities is long and often times athletic field enhancements do not have the high priority that a new roof or a new boiler would have.