Washington Post Presents…

State of Education in Prince George’s County Town Hall

What kind of school superintendent does Prince George’s County need right now? What will be the results of this spring’s dramatic change in which County Executive Rushern Baker will select the superintendent and the chairman and vice chairman of an expanded Board of Education? Join The Washington Post for a discussion of these and other hot-button school issues in Prince George’s during the second installment in a three-part Behind the Headlines discussion series on the state of education in the Washington area. The series launched in the District on April 24 at The Post and will conclude on September 18 at Fairfax High School in Fairfax County, Va. 

Robert McCartney, Columnist and Former Assistant Managing Editor, The Washington Post will moderate the forum.  The panel will include Del. Jolene Ivey (D), Chair, Prince George’s House Delegation, Maryland General Assembly; Verjeana M. Jacobs, Chair, Prince George’s County Board of Education; Earnest L. Moore, President, Prince George’s County PTA Council; Christian Rhodes, Education Policy Adviser, Office of the Prince George’s County Executive; and Ovetta Wiggins, Prince George’s Education Reporter, The Washington Post. 

Date:  Thursday, May 23 
Time:  6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. 
Location: Prince George’s Community College 
                 Largo Student Center – Community Rooms A, B, C 
                 301 Largo Road, Upper Marlboro, MD  20774 
                 Free parking will be available. 

Admission: FREE (Seating is limited, so please arrive early)                                           
                                                               
To RSVP and submit a question for the panel, please e-mail behindtheheadlines@washpost.com.  All questions and RSVP’s must be submitted byThursday, May 23 at Noon. 

Go to www.washingtonpost/education for the latest coverage and analysis of schools, home school and education policy for DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Outrageous BOE Featherbedding of $2 million @Sasscer

OUTRAGEOUS!!

It appears like the current Board led by verjeana Jacobs has dropped another bomb shell by continuing to act like a Mafia staffing the court in its waning days. (Read more) (More)  This is the blatant abuse of Board power and a continuation of the epicenter. For the last several months, we have been warning about this board’s unethical and unabashed wayward behavior.

The actions of the Verjeana Jacobs led board prove our point that something needs to change urgently.

This same Board of education (BOE) cut media specialist positions and reading recovery positions 2 years ago. They still refuse attempts to provide a full-time art teacher to all schools. They allow an eighth grade Algebra class to have 43 students, and Kindergarten and 1st grade classes with 30 students.

The BOE members featherbedding of $2 million is a daring move right in the middle of a recession, layoffs and furloughs in the county. These egocentric and selfish actions confirm everything we have been saying in our blogs. They have been taking away from innocent kids while pretending to help them. The elected school board needs to be dissolved in our view. It is loaded with crooks, schemers and some who are not so educated led by Ms. Jacobs, who is the worst of the bunch and taking advantage of the situation. Admiration to Ms. Donna Hathaway Beck (District 9) for standing firm and Ms. Carletta Fellows, M.A.Ed. (District 7) for keeping away from this unethical practice.

There is No smoke without fire and now this is even a major reason to support Baker: Their so-called $7000 in travels voucher and petty cash needs to be confiscated.  It’s an abuse not only here in PGCPS but has been abused elsewhere.  Let them bring receipts for a refund. Reform Sasscer Movement believes that Ms. Carletta Fellows tribulations was a set up by Ms. Jacobs in order to way lay her in the upcoming expanded BOE.

We are clearly outraged. How in the world does an outgoing board have the audacity to appoint not one but fifteen (15) strategic employees (lobbyists)? What is their motivation? Surely, they are not doing this to decrease the unemployment rate! There is nothing benevolent or philanthropic about this board’s action. The citizens of PG County should rise and demand that these appointments be annulled.

This is not a board game of checkers considering the budget constraints. The least the board could do is act responsibly and return the money.

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The Rot at PGCPS Sasscer.

The Epicenter of the PGCPS Corruption:

PGCPS Chief Legal Counsel and Current Director Labor relations.

There are serious problems with our education system today in Prince George’s County public schools (PGCPS).  The school system, whether discussing the schools or the Unions, within the PGCPS school district offer perspective that is not cordial to the perspective of students, staff and parents of the community. Most teachers enter the education field armed with enthusiasm, hope and a desire to positively impact the children. The agents of PGCPS have proven through their conduct that all teachers don’t share those characteristics.  But what is more regretful is that some of the teachers who do have those characteristics are antagonized for their virtues and/or penalized in their efforts to spread those virtues.

If only for the sake of ensuring accountability and redress, these issues need to be brought to light. The School system’s compliance with its duty to the community has to be achieved.  But more importantly, it has to be prioritized in a proper and in an accountable way. A rush to create an additional 15 positions directly answerable to the board as a whole or its members only and without proper scrutiny by the incoming leaders et al, is an affront to undermine the future leadership using corruption.  The PGCPS Board led by Ms. Verjeana Jacobs has similar characteristics to those of Miller County schools and Dekalb schools in Georgia.

The reformation of the PGCPS unions is a necessary step in the reconstruction; the lack of representation provided by the unions and their inadequate grievance address will not fit, or be tolerated, in the reformation.  While this article won’t be able to address all of the problems in the PGCPS education system, the elevation of Mr. James Whattam as the Director of Labor Relations is a start.  Mr. James Whattam, who retired from Maryland State Educator Association, is awarded by PGCPS with a paycheck for his protection of corruption.  In exchange, PGCPS maintains status quo or advances the corruption.  When James Whattam could no longer forward the corrupt objectives of PGCPS, he was vested with the privilege of appointing someone who would continue the tradition.  Mr. Damon Felton Esq was pleased to continue in James Whattam’s destructive footsteps at the Maryland State Educator Association (MSEA).  There is clear conflict of interest, regardless of the angle from which you examine Mr. Felton’s appointment.

The continuation of Mr. James Whattam, or any one that is appointed by him,  is a continuation of Union corruption in Maryland.  Mr. James Whattam has asserted the message:  “Long Live Shenanigans”.

As the new age of the school system approaches, identification and accountability will prove to be priceless. In the spirit of identification and accountability, the Director of Employee and Labor Relations must be identified as a key culprit in the institutionalization and furtherance of corruption.  Although Mr. Whattam is identified as the Director, an internal PGCPS document labels “Kathy Jones” as the Director of Employee and Labor Relations. Moreover, Mr. James R. Whattam, Esq., is a lawyer who functions out of both the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Employee and Labor Relations.  Mr. Whattam is covering all of the bases!

Anyone else would be under suspicion for fraud (at the very least), misrepresentation (at the most), and conflict-of-interest (certainly).  However, only the faction of the community that challenges the corruption come under scrutiny, to put it mildly.

The newly-formed ethics panel (Chaired by Sidney Gibson and Vice-Chaired by Lilia B. True) and the law enforcement community are vested with the task of weeding out the BOE’s entrenched corruption that has proven costly to all.  While the ethics panel and this community may not have the cadre of lawyers that the BOE has/had at its arsenal, we have the truth and an unwillingness to accept any alternative to community progress and empowerment.

The Reform Sasscer team, which is composed of professionals, teachers, students and parents, advocates innovation, fiscal stability and transparency for the purpose of redress PGCPS corruption. A considerable portion of corruption emanates from the Office of Chief Legal Counsel and Labor Relations.  Both offices can say “job well done” after they have paid off attorneys, including hearing examiners reviewing worker-related cases.

There is no question that the epicenter of the corruption in all Prince George’s county public schools (PGCPS) owes its existence to the General Counsel’s office, which was managed by previous Chief legal officer Mr. Roger Thomas Esq.  When Roger Thomas Esq. could no longer sustain the corruption, Mr. James R. Whattam picked up the torch.  James R. Whattam now wields the power and commands the community’s lawyers in the direction of the school system’s destruction. We must collectively demand and end to this culture.

A closer look into the General Counsel’s office demonstrates that the corruption is second-nature to the office; previous Chief Human Resouces Synthia J. Kucner and (Director of Employee and Labor Relations) James R. Whattam, Esq. are both affiliated with the Office of General Counsel. Synthia J. Shilling aka Kucner was formerly the Deputy General Counsel before becoming the chief Human Resources Officer. According to reports in Washington post, she had been caught red-handed several times drunk driving. (Read more).

Furthermore, as indicated above, Mr. James Whattam Esq. formerly worked with the teacher’s union as legal representative. This definitely creates a conflict of interest at many levels and promotes Union corruption. Someone should investigate how many positions/titles these individual actually have. According to the school system website, Mr. Whattams office is supposed to conduct thorough and timely investigations for employees and students filing harassment/discrimination claims.  The functions of the Employee and Labor Relations are so integral that those functions are expressly enunciated.

Employee and Labor Relations – Also referred to as The Employee and Labor Relations Office (ELRO) Works to provide the following;

1. Works cooperatively with all departments within the school system to address employee performance and conduct concerns in such a manner as to maximize student achievement.
2. ELRO is also responsible for the facilitation of effective and efficient operations through the maintenance of positive relations with the labor organizations representing school system employees.
3. ELRO provides assistance, training and support to employees requesting reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and conducts thorough and timely investigations for employees and students filing harassment/discrimination claims.

To enhance their corrupt illegal activities, the legal department awarded a $5 million legal tender to Thatcher law Firm to represent PGCPS and Dr. William Hite.  That award was implemented in the absence of any competitive bind against the rules of Board of Education in 2011 (Read the story here). The said law firm (Thatcher law Firm) is being used to conduct illegal activities in support of corrupt agendas, which include the bribery of attorneys and the defense of illegal activities against staff with legitimate cases. Tax payer’s money is being used by the legal department; all the while, Mr. James Whattam and Verjeana Jacobs are undermining transparency and accountability with no opposition.  In addition, the Thatcher Law Firm led by Ms. Abbey Hairston, awarded close to $8,000 towards political contributions to the chairman of the Board of Education, Mrs. Verjeana M. Jacobs Esq.  That award created a conflict of interest in light of the $5,000,000 that was awarded. This is unacceptable. The future Board should demand a return of this money from Thatcher law firm. Failure to do this, corruption would have been rewarded.However, that is not true. This office is involved in deep-rooted corruption, which includes systematic delays and the tampering of evidence.  The corruption does not end with that office.  That office also engages in corruption with the Unions. The office is the center of corrupt Union politics and should be abolished at a minimum. As the school’s reformation demonstrates a new idea, hiring new attorneys to achieve these reformations is the only logical next step.

A reform of the PGCPS Board of Education in the absence of a “clean house sweep” will create some accountability but might not result in the reform needed to improve PGCPS. It is important to take a closer look into the activities of this office and the role it has played in denying job opportunities to staff, as well as educational opportunities to thousands of students. For example: Ms. Synthia J. Shilling, Esq. was in the center of a Filipino teacher’s fiasco (read the story here), Roger Thomas Esq. has been involved in shady deals, which includes questionable contracts involving Washington Plaza and Dr. Andrea Horsby , who is now serving jail time.  The illegal tender activities and other questionable tricks of the trade are endless, just like the list of practitioners, which includes Jack Johnson.  Jack Johnson’s pay to play corruption is still alive in the PGCPS. (Others read article here).

The time has come to seek new and fresh leadership for General Counsel Office within PGCPS, thus severing all ties of corruption. Roger Thomas Esq was in that position for close to 19 years before being fired for corruption (read more). He left the county with his corruption exposed.  To our surprise, the other attorneys associated with him did not take a hint to resign on their own.  While the other attorney’s acknowledgement for the need of redress would have been nice, any step toward address is welcome.  If the incoming board of education would not do anything to enact any change in this office now, we are asking the general public to exercise its right and vote them out once and for all in the future elections. The Board of education has power to do many things; they can suspend with or without pay pending investigations. They can terminate their employees!  Despite the endless ability to scrutinize their employees, the Board of Education has not applied that review to themselves.  Let us demand full investigations concerning this office and let the chips fall where they may. Time has come for the school system to move in a new direction, beginning on June 1, 2013. We are watching!

General Counsel provides advice on legal representation, including:

1. The Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools, Executive staff, and principals
2. Supervises and manages legal services provided through attorneys in Office of General Counsel
3. Supervision and oversight on liability and litigation claims
4. Advice of counsel and legal representation in areas of student support services and student appeals
5. Advice of counsel in areas of procurement, CIP, business and finance, contracts, leases, MOUs
6. Represent the Board and Administration in appeals before Maryland State Board of Education
7. Legal counsel and representation in all other substantive legal services areas provided through the Office of General Counsel.

Once again, as we have  articulated before, the PGCPS status quo of continuous unabated corruption, conmanship, gerrymandering and professional misconduct involving the current Sasscer adminstration with the support of the corrupt unions and other conspirators etc, is not the answer!

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Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County

“Our hope for the future depends also on our resolution as a nation in dealing with the scourge of corruption.” ~ Nelson Mandela

WHY WE NEED TO REFORM EDUCATION IN PGCPS NOW.

Education a breeding ground for corruption

The Prince Georges’ County Public Schools (PGCPS) unflinching commitment to conduct that antagonizes the rightfully prevailing winds of wisdom and decency ensures a dark chapter in this country’s history of education.

We are optimistic that the injection of new Board leadership will put a long overdue end to that period. While Board of Education chairperson Verjeana Jacobs’ self-resignation would have had considerable value, the community will settle for any end to her reign of terror.

The task of ousting the current Board of Education has been compared with “…scraping a sticky wad of chewing gum from the bottom of one’s shoe.” Like any other corrupt regime, the Board of Education for Prince George’s County, is deeply rooted and plentiful with regard to resources.  The character of the Board of Education makes the task of cleansing its corruption a difficult task.  The said Corruption started earlier with the former superintendent Dr. Andre J. Hornsby, who commanded the regime. It is no surprise that the former superintendent is now incarcerated. Despite the end of the former superintendent, the reigns of corruption were merely continued in light of the appointment of the current Board Chair person Ms. Verjeana Jacobs. Under the leadership of Ms. Verjeana Jacobs and her trusted cohort PGCPS chief legal counsel, Dr. William Hite Jr, labor relations Director James Whattam, Synthia Shilling and other conspirators. The corruption marely intesfied.

Given the seriousness of the regimes’ practices and the policy of the command in protecting themselves and covering up their crimes, Reform Sasscer movement calls for the reforms as articulated in our earlier post in the blog (Here).

Frantic and very Discouraging Endeavor

“What gets us furious and terribly frustrated is that these people have spent huge sums of taxpayer money on shenanigans that have little or nothing to do with children or their education.” (Read more) Washington Plaza fiasco. ( Board Retracts Lease for Headquarters) We also have the Board of Education’s endorsement of sex molesters, some of whom coincidentally are colleagues of Ms. Verjeana Jacobs.  A previous Board member was caught molesting children within the school system. The pimps of the Prince George’s County school system, which include athletic coaches and others, that Prey on young children manage to evade proper scrutiny directly as a result of their political affiliations. The union leadership is compromised in all four unions in PGCPS District in order to continue benefitting illegally from the fraud.  There are many cases of this nature some which have been reported in the media this year alone. (Read more) (Read more). The list goes on and includes Bus drivers who appear drunk and involved in the same with full knowledge of the current administration.

We agreed/agree with our teacher friend. “Due process” is a tool that often times is manipulated by public corruption. Thus, Due process must be identified and harnessed in a fashion that was contemplated by the Constitution, and not private corrupt entities.

At the time of writing this post, Mr. Rushern Baker, our County Executive for Prince George’s County, was poised to appoint the new Board Chairperson, Vice chairperson as well as additional Board members to the Board as a result of Bill HB1107. We are supportive and very confident that the general Assembly in Annapolis did the right thing in making these changes.

The current chair of the Board Ms. Vejearna Jacobs has some atonement to make, for it was egregiously wrong in giving the PGCPS district a clean bill of health when Superintendent Hite was at the helm. The fact that the state agency could not smell even one rotten fish is beyond belief, in light of the pungent odor of corruption emanating from the PGCPS. It is such a disgrace to lead an organization that constructively prides itself on having the most corrupt Unions in the universe and costing the Maryland tax payers lots of money with impunity. The PGCPS situation is not very different in many aspects to Baltimore jail scandal aided by Union politics. The same elements of dirty politics and inadequate response to serious issues have manifested themself in PGCPS (Read more).

But that is another matter, altogether.

The more important question to ask is this: What is it about our Prince George’s county and its citizens that attracts corruption and criminal enterprises?

At times, it has seemed to us that the raison d’etre of the law enforcement community is to combat corruption in PG County.

Corruption and criminal behavior in public places are as old as the hills. What is striking, however, is that the educational milieu has started playing host to more and more schemers and charlatans in many parts of the United States, starting with PG County, Georgia, El Paso, New Orleans etc.

So, what is it with public education and corruption? Who are the people sitting on school boards and managing multibillion-dollar enterprises? What qualifications do they bring to their jobs, and have they been vetted, at least to a reasonable degree, to ensure that mismatched ambition, mediocrity and opportunism are not opening a back door to malfeasance? The Washington post article on November 4^th, 2012 was very clear and correct in their assertions. After the said Washington post article appeared, PG County citizens decided to change directions and elected two more members with college degrees bringing the number to four. An anonymous employee rightfully said that “We deserve board members who are enlightened to educate our kids and manage the money without corruption.”

Everybody knows that PG County schools rank second to none only to Baltimore City schools with regard to having the worst school system. How is it that we can expect children in PG County to   succeed when the leadership itself hasn’t even attained the most basic levels of professional education? What kind of leadership can we logically expect from someone who has only a High School Diploma? I’d reconcile that we’d get what we’re getting……subpar schools. Read more: We posed these questions to our teacher friend.

“The education field is a very safe place for a crook. It offers excellent sanctuary,” she said. “We expect there to be corruption on Wall Street. We expect bankers and corporate CEOs to be motivated by greed and profit margins.

“But a school District anywhere in the US is like a church. Good things are supposed to happen there. Who would want to suspect a teacher, a principal, a superintendent, a lawyer, Chief Financial officer, Chief Human resources officer , a school-board member of underhanded doings and a Board chair of suspected fraud?

“So, a few ne’er-do-wells hide in the public’s trust and do a lot of damage.”

“What blame, if any, does the public bear?” We asked.

“A lot,” she said. “School-board elections are important ones, and yet, it is like pulling teeth to get people to vote in them. A sleepy County like Prince George’s may be a good place for retirement, but it is a bad place for honest politics.” Just look what Jack Johnson (johnsonjackindictment) and his wife  Leslie Johnson did to the county. She added. In addition, it’s wrong to have communication Director brought in for the sole purpose of covering up the corruption.  This person continues to bad mouth the county’s leadership, while purposely misidentifying the inadequacies of the county.

“You can hood an ass here with reverend purple,” one member in the movement said, borrowing from Ben Jonson.

“Sad, but true,” agreed our teacher friend.

Anytime you introduce the possibility to deviate from the lowest sealed bid, you introduce the opportunity for influence, favoritism, possibly fraud, possibly corruption. The PGCPS status quo of continuous unabated corruption, conmanship, gerrymandering and professional misconduct involving the Sasscer adminstation with the support of the unions and other conspirators etc is not the answer!

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Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County

reformsasscer@gmail.com

“Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.” ~ Sir Ken Robinson

1st Homeless Shelter for Youth Opens in PG County.

Senator Joan Benson, County Executive Rushern Baker and others pictured above

An emergency homeless shelter for the Youth in PG County opened on May 2, 2013 in Capital Heights this last Thursday, many thanks to Senator Joan Benson, County Executive Baker, other elected officials, volunteers and donors etc. who advocated and donated supplies for the 20 Bed youth shelter. We at Reform Sasscer Movement are thrilled to see this actuality here in PG County. It’s something we advocated for and have always wanted to see for a long time.

As County Executive Rushern Baker said during the ribbon cutting ceremony, “This initiative represents several years of dedication and hard work from so many committed individuals,”. “I have to commend those who worked tirelessly to ensure that this “safe haven” for youth has become a reality. It is important that we provide all the necessary resources to support those youth that are vulnerable in our County—for that, I thank you.”

Funded by local, state, federal and private dollars, the shelter’s goal is to partner the homeless youth with a caring adult in their lives as soon as possible, though they can stay in the shelter for up to 21 days. This shelter hopely will help solve some of the problems we highlighted earlier because of high suspension rates. (Read more)

The youth shelter has 20 beds and is open to homeless youth ages 12 to 21. All youth should contact the Homeless Hotline at 888-731-0999. If they are in trouble.

We hope PGCPS Board of education members, the school superintendent, principals, teachers etc will help in disseminating the vital information to all students in the county in order to create awareness of the facility for those homeless youth or those in transition!

(Read more), (Washington post)

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“Ashes to ashes” in PGCPS District Md.

Elegy for a 16-year-old

By Courtland Milloy,

May 01, 2013 01:17 AM EDT

The cemetery grass was soggy, the ground muddy between newly laid headstones. Rain-soaked pallbearers watched their step and kept a tight grip on the casket while moving from the hearse to the grave.

Under a green tent, the casket lay on straps, ready to be lowered into the ground, as a preacher prayed: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

And that was pretty much it. In a service that was shorter than the time it took to move the casket into place, Darius Cannon, 16, was finally laid to rest Monday at Washington National Cemetery in Suitland. (Read more)

(Courtland Milloy/The Washington Post) – Pallbearers carry the casket of 16-year-old Darius Cannon on Monday at Washington National Cemetery in Suitland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nevertheless, in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) District, one would hope that school officials would do more to understand why kids act up and realize the danger of just kicking them out of school and leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets is not right.” What is currently happening in PGCPS system is not very different from District of Columbia Public schools. When we highlighted this issue more than a year ago (see point number 7 amended top priorities), it became polarized by the Maryland State department of Education officials. We truly believe this is not fair to the children throughout the state of Maryland and an alternative mechanism can be explored.

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Said one parent recently.  In other words, Prince George’s county public school system officials should find alternative solutions for these kids on the street and not be subjected to a different set of standard where students are suspended at will. Anytime a child is kicked out of school for bad behavior, they tend to resort in all manner of mischief including drug abuse, fighting, thieving, death etc.

The story about Darius Cannon is very sad one but also applicable in so many counties across America including PG County.  The wounds are mostly self-inflicted but adults in many of these buildings including PGCPS District needs to make a proper assessment on how to help this population of the youth. A proper corroboration with the Maryland State Department of Education needs to be enacted without any further delay. PGCPS or Baltimore City children are not different to those of Washington DC. We live in interconnected world.  What jumped out of the story was the fact that his burial was sparsely attended except for kids who were on suspension or apparently dropped out. There was no Principal, Guidance counselors, Superintendent of schools etc.

What future will these kids have in a 21st century economy? What is the PG County chapter of NAACP doing on these issues including advocacy for discrimination, immigration, child abuse, death, high suspension rates within the schools  etc.?

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“The cynics may be the loudest voices – but they accomplish the least. It’s the silent disruptors – those who do the long, hard, committed work of change – that gradually push this country in the right direction, and make the most lasting difference.” ~ President Barack Obama

TOP PRIORITIES FOR PGCPS BOARD.

TOP PRIORITIES FOR NEXT PGCPS SUPERITENDENT IN CORRABORATION WITH THE NEXT BOE CHAIRPERSON

TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE INCOMING BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS IN PGCPS AS OF JUNE 1, 2013.

1. Restore sanity to Prince George’s County Public Schools’ (PGCPS) discourse (Addressing corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct at Sasscer Administration Building).
2. Evaluate unprofessional relationships between previous Dr. William Hite and various unions representing employees, as well as with some young female Principals.
3. Review activities of previous Chief Legal Counsel Mr. Roger Thomas and previous Chief Human Resources Officer-Synthia J. Shilling (formerly Deputy Legal Counsel) and current labor      relations Director Mr. James Whattam. These three individuals were solely responsible for the school system incurring millions of dollars of liability.
4. Create a strong anti-discrimination and harassment policy in PGCPS.  Obey state and federal laws. The PGCPS District system continues to be a willful violator of the laws.
5. Access certification credentials held by senior management, including Ms. Monica Goldson etc.
6. Limit the purchasing power of school personnel. Dr. Williams’ unauthorized purchase of school system merchandise demonstrates the necessity of this regulation.
7. Find ways to address and help reduce high suspension rates throughout the PGCPS District. Suspended students become a problem to the community. There is a close link between the homeless youth in Washington DC and the ones in Maryland.
8. Closely examine all contracts over $10,000 signed off by Dr. William Hite Jr. and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs, who currently serves as the BOE Chair).
9. Consider the following points as they impact the entire school District.

• A.) Implementing stricter campaign finance regulation rules to avoid repeats of the Thatcher Campaign Donations Fiasco.
• B.) Lobbying the County Council and the County Executive (Rushern Baker) to appoint an Inspector General (IG) to address waste, fraud, and abuse issues for all county agencies at Baker’s Office (including School Board). (These steps are necessary because an I.G. has not been appointed and there are an abundance of attorneys). Yes we can!
• C.)Enforce the existing Codes of Ethics for all central office employees. Report infractions that go unpunished to MSDE.
• D.) Reporting all concerns to MSDE.  For the purpose of injecting accountability on the part of State Department with regard to enforcing state laws and policies at the local level.
• E.) Justifiably inquire about the relationship between Ms. Elizabeth Davis and Tony Liberatore. Credible sources assert that Mr. Liberatore’s wife witnessed intimate kssing between Mr. Liberatore and Ms. Elizabeth Davis at Sasscer.
• Ms. Davis does EEOC hearings/mediations. In light of her low morals, what are her qualifications and credentials for that role?  What connection did she have with Ms. Synthia Kucner and now with labor relations Director?

10. Consider rules and regulations by federal, state and BOE policies.

• A.) Abide by state law with regard to Hite’s contract. The state law is on the BOE webpage. see the attached link.
• B.) Establish more precise criteria for the purpose of acquiring a better leader. Filtering out the unqualified candidates for the purpose of attracting qualified, traditional candidates. The candidates should be diverse and not limited to Broad Group and other such organizations.
• C.) Elect and select BOE members who will supervise and express the concerns and potential of the governed, rather than fraternize with the Superintendent.
• D.) Complete THOROUGH background checks, for the purpose of avoiding embarrassment, which includes incidents like Deasy’s questionable doctorate.

11. Close and thorough examination of the personnel appointments

A.) Examine the growing number of personnel in PGCPS, which include Jim Whattam, Esq., and other appointees, who have extensive ties to Prince George’s County Educator Association (PGCEA). Provide fair and impartial review of all unions. An investigation about Mr. James Whattam the previous attorney for MSEA attorney with extensive ties to AFSCME Local 2250 and PGCEA needs to be investigated and exposed.

B.) The serious allegations of misconduct by previous Superintendent Dr. William Hite Jr. and some female employees necessitate investigation. The concerns need to be put directly in writing to the BOE members.  Investigation needs to be launched right away. A Copy needs to be forwarded to Mr. Rod Rosenstein’s office if the BOE does not act. Dr. William Hite Jr. actions proved to be more detrimental to the interests of the community than Dr. Hornsby.

12. Dr. William Hite Jr. should be held accountable for his appointment of less qualified, non-credentialed personnel, in light of the fact that they did not comply with state law. BOE should supervise the future Superintendent and force HR compliance. The record demonstrates that Dr. Hite typically advised the BOE.  That custom was/is unacceptable.

13. Review the following deals:

• A.)Washington Plaza, lobbyist ties and campaign donations
• B.) H-1B
• C.) The 27 administrators currently in arbitration
• D.) Lack of due process among ALL employees for hearings, terminations, etc under Mr. Roger Thomas, Synthia J. Shilling, and Mr. Jim Whattam
• E.) OIA number of lawsuits and EEOC complaints. There are a myriad of EEOC complaints.  The excess of complaints has necessitated their distribution to other field offices      throughout the country.
• F.) Review overlap of Legal Department for attorney duties with regard to waste.
• G.) The Thatcher contract was a no bid contract, which totally opposed BOE policy. It needs to be cancelled.
• H.) The $90 million surplus budget left over from Dr. Hornsby’s term has been squandered.
• I.) A proper investigation needs to be launched ASAP to follow the money trail involving Dr. William Hite Jr., Roger Thomas, Mr. Matthew E. Stanski, Ms. Synthia J. Shilling also known as Ms. Synthia Kucner, and other co-conspirators.

14. Contact state and federal officials (FBI, DOJ) about the broken laws, policies and procedures.

15. Demand information regarding credentials and licensure. The State Department is already doing an audit. Go to Dept of Labor, MSDE, EEOC and any other organizations like NAACP, Casa de Maryland and La Raza about discrimination and hiring.

16. Involve the media. Report any information to Miranda Spivack or Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post or NBC4 Prince George’s County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins so they may do a story on misappropriation of funds. (After the incident with Dr. Hornsby occurred, BOE policies/procedures were implemented to prevent a reoccurrence. These procedures have yet to be followed.

17. Stop empowering Principals who harbor strong biases and manipulate the system for the purpose of destroying teacher credentials in order to remove teachers who don’t share in their interests and/or beliefs. Test scores rise because of teachers and not because of the principals. Administrators should be receptive helpers and not feared executioners.

18. Implement earned income raises for PGCPS staff. Income raises have not been implemented for the PGCPS staff for a considerable period of time. These teachers work very hard usually without adequate compensation. Compare to Montgomery county public schools (MCPS) and others.

19. Investigate Office of Constituent Services, which acted as a campaign tool for Dr. William Hite.  The Office of Constituent Services continues its services to Dr. William Hite even after his discontinuation with PGCPS.  This office does very little to promote the interests of the PGCPS. The said office was only created to promote William Hite’s personal agenda.  There was an illegitimate disbursement of funding; the Office of Constituent Services’ staff was paid merely for the purpose of neutralizing controversies involving Dr. William Hite. Superintendent William Hite granted several staff members significant raises without justification. In this regard, IT Help Desk and Constituent Services need to be merged to avoid duplication of duties.

20. Investigate IT Department and its relationship with some BOE members connected to fired IT Director Mr. Pierre Dickson. Verify what damage caused by the said Director and his lover Ms. Shanita Anderson.

21. Investigate nepotism involving with Dr. William Hite’s office for the following reasons;

• A.) The Director of communications Mr. Briant K. Coleman is a close family member to second in command Dr. Coleman Porter.
• B.) Several Instructional Directors have spouses who are either Principals or administrators within PGCPS.
• C.) The previous Director was fired to create room for the current Communication Director, who is related to the Deputy Superintendent.
• D.) Previous Director of Communication was unjustly terminated in pretext for raising a discrimination issue.(see attached ~> Breedon vs PGCPS Bd. of Ed Hite)
• E.) Investigate, reprimand and or fire the current Director of Communications for disrespecting the County Executive and other stakeholders for being involved and directing  the manufacturing of unnecessary misleading communications while using various tools on the job, including the Washington Post. (See attached PGCPSLies)
• F.) Investigate Ms. Monica Goldson, Chief Operating Officer (COO). She has several relatives in high level positions beginning at Sasscer – HR and in various schools. As the chief operating officer (COO), she controls millions of dollars and reports that are disbursed to the chief executive officer or the superintendent of schools. She is also responsible for the PGCPS’s day-to-day operating activities, including revenue and sales growth; expense, cost and margin control; and monthly, quarterly and annual financial goal management etc. What did she do for/to Dr. Hite to get the job without qualifications? Why did she suddenly drop her husband and put him through divorce proceedings through the court system for years? See attached Monica-Goldson-Divorce.   Is this part of Dr. Hites “Italian lover” syndrome? This bed hoping love rat needs to be investigated for the countless marriages he has ruined together with others examples, Mr. Pierre Dickson, Shanita Anderson, Union leaders etc.

22. PG County Chapter of NAACP needs to stand firm on its principled and justified stance against discrimination of any form or kind within PGCPS. Sitting on the fence is very uncomfortable and unprincipled. Take a stand and support the county Executive. We need you!

Investigate, investigate and change things immediately.

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“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – President Barack Obama