Philly’s ‘broke’ school district boosts salaries of 25 nonunion workers.

 

Dr. William Hite Jr is pictured above.

As the Philadelphia School District continues to deal with a financial crisis, several members of the teachers union are angry over the district’s recent decision to give raises to non-union members.

The school district awarded raises to 25 non-union employees, a move that the district called a “necessary part of doing business.” The Philadelphia Daily News reports the 25 staffers received a total increase of $311,351 in salary, which averages out to $12,454 per year. This is the same tactic previously used by Dr. William Hite in PGCPS school district before he left for Philly. In Prince George’s County for example, Ms. Monica Goldson “Goldson” was given a huge raise in suspicious circumstances together with others close to Dr. William Hite Jr.  Unfortunately, in these circumstances, money that could be allotted for classroom supplies to further the education of youth, and to increase homeless children’s participation in the educational system, is being used elsewhere.

Recently, there has been an unprecedented increase in homeless individuals living in the United States because of hard economic times, thus, Dr.Hite and his colleagues who are involved in this illicit act, should reconsider returning the money to the treasury, and allotting it to its respective educational needs. What is quite disturbing about these practices is that, one employee received a 49% raise, for example. This particular employee had only been in the system for approximately three years and now makes over 100k. (Read more here), (here) (here), (here) and (here). It’s time!

Update:Ms. Shilling went to Jail on Sept. 7, 2012.

Ms. Synthia Shilling aka Kucner the former Chief Human Resources Officer  reported to Anne Arundel County Detention Center on September 7, 2012 to serve time for her bad behavior.  Ms. Shilling who pled guilty for driving under the influence,  spent 3 days and will spent the rest her 58 days of suspended jail time at home. She also faces one (1) year probation.  Ms. Shilling who has had a history of other offences dating back to 1980’s cried like a baby in the court room on August 27, 2012. In order to get a lesser sentence, she told the judge about her father who passed away a week earlier. But the Maryland judge did not want to hear it because she has had four drunk driving records.  As we have said before, the legal department led by Mr. Roger Thomas and previously deputized by Synthia Shilling is truly the epic center for corruption in the whole of PGCPS.   Stay tuned here, we will bring you more updates as the story develops.

(Read more) concerning disgraced Dr. William Hite who resigned this summer and who nominated nefarious chief and others who tried to destroy our school system for their own selfish motives.  Without mentioning names  “these fake and hypocritical reformists who use empty rhetoric to woo votes but do not care about the true taste of our county school system must be rejected on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 election. It’s time!

Reform Sasscer response regarding Synthia Shilling.

This election year, we’ve used the power of grassroots organizing to shape the Prince George’s County debate and make sure voters know that change is needed in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) board of Education.  Above all, Reform Sasscer Movement needs to see anyone tied to corruption and in bed with the outgoing  superintendent Dr. William Hite jr. shown the door!  The list starts with previous High School Consortium Director and now Chief Operating Officer aka Ms. Monica Goldson.

The board in charge of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) — is dysfunctional, out of control and secretive,  Reform Sasscer Movement contend. They have not addressed publicly the serious issues surrounding the chief Human Resources officer Ms. Synthia J. Shilling in particular and her relationship with Dr. William Hite Jr as well as Monica Goldson among others. “The danger is that the fish rots from the head, and if we don’t get the board of education restored to harmony and effectiveness,  it will be extremely difficult to sustain that excellence in the staff this coming year.” said a concerned parent recently. “We truly want to see the board returned to honesty and integrity.” said one elected official. “We have a system that went off the tracks and things must be changed” She added. That’s why we have to stop them in their tracks by exposing how their policies would affect thousands of students, staff and their families if elected again  and then left unchecked.  We’re organizing “Pink Slip” flyering actions toward this November 2012 election where we’ll hand out Ms. Verjeana Jacobs pink slips to make sure voters and the media tell the truth about the Verjeana Jacobs corruption within the Board of Education and her shenanigans.

The following issues remain in the minds of many concerned citizens of Prince George’s County regarding events surrounding Synthia Shilling and Dr. William Hite Jr. should answer them before he starts his poisoned chalice in Philly.

A.) Dr. William Hite has not condemned Ms. Synthia J. Shilling and others who drunk beer during Business hours at Sasscer adminstrative building and harassed employees in Prince George’s County Schools, thereby openly encouraging senior staff and some BOE members to harass employees. A responsible leader who upholds the rule of law would have quickly condemned those barbaric acts and distanced himself from them. By not doing so, Dr William Hite has now fully associated himself with such acts;

B.) He has not responded to the allegations in the blogs, which are serious and go to the heart of his ability or lack thereof, to lead. The county and the world is still waiting.

C.) By authorising BOE Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs, Chief Legal Counsel Roger Thomas,  Chief Human Resources Officer Ms. Synthia Shilling and Roslyn Hawkins to attempt to assassinate character of employees by hurling abuse and attempting pseudo and fake psychological analysis on staff rather than dealing with the contents and substance of our information in our blogs, Dr. William Hite has demonstrated the numerous weaknesses and failures catalogued in our blogs.

D.) If or when Thatcher Law firm and others commence retaliation action against Reform Sasscer Movement members, as far as we are concerned, that would be Dr. William Hite Jr doing it. Thacther Law firm is not just Dr. William Hite’s Private lawyers (and money bags and silent nominee in various ventures), the firm is also a self-styled ‘Chief of Staff’. Everything written about Thatcher law firm in the blogs revolves around what the firm did after Dr. William Hite was appointed superintendent of schools and Thatcher law firm started working at Sasscer administrative building. Consequently, as far as we are concerned, in all intents and purposes, Dr. William Hite Jr is Thacher law firm and Thatcher law firm is Dr. William Hite as far as we are concerned.

E.) Some of the issues which concerns most parents, staff, students and lawmakers of which Dr. William Hite Jr never shown interest except cover up are: weak oversight, lax ethics, conflicts of interest, no-bid contracts, a lack of transparency. They “I have serious questions about how the board has conducted itself,” Susan said Friday. “I want the people of the PG County area to know that we don’t agree with what they’ve been doing and students suffer after all.” she added.

F.) The board must address the long list of potential improprieties identified. We plan on going on a County wide Tour to engage PG Citizens one on one  on the most burning issues of the day: unemployment, racism, malfeasance in public office, specifically grand corruption (especially of state and public officers), nepotism and the reemergence of intolerance in PGCPS.  As a county, we must ensure that the Constitution is adhered to in letter and spirit by everyone – leaders and ordinary citizens alike!

G.) Dr. William Hite Jr must be forced to answer all improprieties identified and pay back the money misused on personal issues.  Tax payers must not be left holding the bags. (See the entire list here).

G.) And finally, Briant Coleman’s opinion comment published in the electronic version of  the Washington post newspaper recently cannot be taken to be Dr. William Hite’s. Briant Coleman is NOT Dr. William Hite’s spokesperson; he is supposed to be a ‘a spokes person for the school system’. PG County system has not given Briant Coleman any legal and constitutional authority to act as the superintendent of schools. The op-ed piece is Briant Coleman’s opinion. Therefore, as far as we can see, Dr. William Hite has not spoken on about Ms. Synthia Shilling’s tribulations at all. Subterfuge will not do. This is not what is expected of a Superintendent who wants us to compare him to modern leaders in the first world. He has failed in action and practice.

 

Moses Mackenzie

Policy Director

Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County.

former PGCPS IT Director abandons family.

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Morris Flecher Beyene

Reformsasscer@gmail.com

For Immediate Release:

June 5th, 2012.

La Plata Maryland: Mr. Pierre Dickson, the former IT Director (pictured below), who conducted a reign of terror during his tenure as the Telecommunication Director in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), was given an honorable discharge after pressure from several elected officials.  He, in fact, deserves to be  criminally investigated and locked up for corruption, intimidation, abuse of power, theft by conversion, illicit office affairs, bribery, interference with legal proceedings, tampering with witnesses, bribing attorneys, bribing law enforcement, etc. His termination was merely a cover up and a slap on the wrist by the embattled Superintendent Dr. William R. Hite Jr. This man deserves to be locked up in a federal penitentiary.

In the meantime, Mr. Dickson’s wife has filed for divorce due to abandonment and cruelty because of his malicious behavior over the years as well as other matters. (Read the entire complaint here ~> Pierre Dickson’s Divorce papers). Any abuse that endangers a person’s mind severely or body is clearly grounds for divorce. In the complaint, Mr. Dickson wife accuses him of committing adultery among other issues. (See ~> Pierre Dickson’s Divorce papers) Divorce is rampant in the United States and it is rampant in PG County – Maryland. There are some instances where people have married not once or twice, but three, four, five or six times. It does not have to be this way. The former IT Director, who was known in PGCPS as a bully and having a strong appetite for other people’s wives, will not be missed. He will be remembered for his illicit affairs during business hours.

Mr. Dickson also known for physical brutality and abuse of power in the office was involved in adulterous relationship among them with Ms. Shanita Anderson. He bullied and abused personnel at every chance he had. Many staff members who knew of his conduct are not surprised by the turn of events. “I hate men who use their influence and jump from woman to woman without a condom,” said one concerned employee recently. “There are a lot of cases involving senior administrators behaving badly in PGCPS and they are being covered up, as usual,” she continued. “Just look at what is happening at Laurel and Largo High Schools. No wonder PGCPS continues to be the second worst performing district in the whole state of Maryland,” said another anonymous employee.

After Mr. Pierre Dickson was fired from PGCPS, he continues to work closely with the top PGCPS management clandestinely. If you visit their website, PGCPS has added an anti-bullying banner in an effort to show that they are addressing interior issues similar to the ones Mr. Dickson practiced. In fact, it is a cover-up mission and no corrective action has been taken. PGCPS management had investigations blocked and they ruined careers of staff members who tried to bring the truth to light. (See 12-common-signs-of-workplace Bullying.)

PGCPS has a reputation in organized crime circles as a haven for those mixed up in shady dealings. The operatives who master minded the paperwork and the illegal deals during former County Superintendent Dr. Andre Hornsby’s saga involving public corruption are still running the show. To enhance their corrupt illegal activities, PGCPS legal department awarded a $5 million legal tender to Thatcher law Firm to represent PGCPS, Mr. Pierre Dickson, Mr. Roger Thomas and Dr. William R. Hite Jr without 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 includes bribing attorneys and defending illegal activities against staff with legitimate cases.  Furthermore, Dr William R. Hite Jr has been the disgraced Jack Johnson’s side kick before and after he became the County superintendent of schools. We have the evidence and the PG County needs new officials with no hands tied to corruption. Tax payer’s money is being used by the PGCPS legal department and Dr. William R. Hite Jr to undermine transparency and accountability.

Our theory here is that there is a criminal element embedded within PGCPS. It’s this element that appears to be working in cahoots with Mr. Pierre Dickson to maintain the status quo. They seem to be involved in grand corruption and other issues of public concern. This begs the questions – why would this criminal element sponsor what appears to be illicit activities and high corruption? How much is Dr. William Hite’s involvement in all this? What role is the county executive playing? What happened to the Inspector General promised by Mr. Rushen Baker during the campaign?

Criminality within a state agency like PGCPS thrives in a republic of fear. A panicked public is unable to hold the state agency accountable. Public fear saps the energy of the citizenry and allows malignant and dark forces to loot the treasury and carry out all manner of illegalities. Corruption is a big problem, but a fixable one. Bad laws = corruption. Good laws = no corruption. The PG County citizenry must say “No” to this unethical practice and demand a regime change. Enough is enough.

###

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Reform Sasscer Movement Secretariat, please email Morris Flecher Beyene at reformsasscer@gmail.com

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Top Priorities For The Incoming BOARD in PGCPS.

TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE INCOMING BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS IN PGCPS.

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 relationship between Dr. William Hite and various unions representing employees as well as some young female Principals.
3. Review activities of previous nefarious Chief Legal Counsel Mr. Roger Thomas and previous nefarious Chief Human Resources Officer -　Synthia J. Shilling　(formerly Deputy Legal Counsel). These two cost the school system millions of dollars.　　
4. Create a strong anti-discrimination and harassment policy in PGCPS. Obey state and federal laws.
5. Access certification credentials held by senior management including Ms. Monica Goldson etc.
6. Limit the purchasing power as exercised by Dr.William Hite when purchasing school system merchandize. (Who abused this power and was without oversight).
7. Find ways to address and help reduce high suspension rate throughout the PGCPS District. Suspended students become a problem to the community.
8. Examine closely all contracts over $10,000 signed off by Dr. William Hite Jr. and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs previously (Corrupt BOE Chair).
9. Consider the following points as they impact the entire school District.

• A.) Adding tighter campaign finance 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.) Report all concerns to MSDE so the state department is more accountable to us in enforcing state laws and policies at the local level.
• E.) Ask tough questions about Ms. Elizabeth Davis, alleged lover to Tony Liberatore. His wife allegedly walked up on those two kissing at Sasscer. Ms. Davis does EEOC hearings/mediations. What are her qualifications and credentials for that role with such low morals? What connection did she have with Ms. Synthia Kucner?

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

• A.) Abide by state law for Hite’s contract. The verbage for the state law is on the BOE webpage. see the attached link.
• B.) Establish more precise criteria so we can get a better leader. Attract qualified, traditional candidates from other than Broad Group and other such organizations.
• C.) Elect a BOE that will supervise rather than fraternize with the Superintendent.
• D.) Complete THOROUGH background checks to avoid embarrassment of incidents like Deasy’s questionable doctorate.

12.　 Examine closely appointments of personnel –

A.) Look into the growing number of personnel in PGCPS like Jim Whattam, Esq., and Baker’s appointees like Mr. Christian Rhodes, Education Liaison, who have extensive ties to Prince George’s County Educator Association (PGCEA). Be fair to all unions without over representing the teachers.

B.) The serious allegations of misconduct by previous Superintendent Dr. William Hite Jr. and some female employees need to be investigated. The concerns need to be put directly in writing to the BOE members and a demand for an investigation launched right away. A Copy needs to be forwarded to Mr. Rod Rosenstein’s office if the BOE does not act. The man was worse than Dr. Hornsby.

13.　 Dr. William Hite Jr. should be summoned back to explain what happened when he appointed less qualified, non-credentialed personnel without following the state law. BOE should supervise the future Superintendent and force HR compliance. In the previous format, Dr. Hite always told the BOE what to do. This is unacceptable.

14.　 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 so many EEOC complaints, they now have outsourced to other field offices throughout the country.
• F.) Review overlap of Legal Department for attorney duties for waste
• G.) The Thatcher contract was a no bid contract, totally against BOE policy. It needs to be cancelled.
• H.) The $90 million Dr. Hornsby left behind that has been squandered.
• I.) A proper investigation needs to be launched ASAP to follow money trail involving Dr. William Hite Jr., Roger Thomas, Mr. Matthew E. Stanski, Ms. Synthia J. Shilling also known as Ms. Synthia Kucner, and co-conspirators.

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

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

17. 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.

18. Stop empowering Principals who harbor strong biases and use the system to destroy teaching credentials in order to remove teachers who don’t appeal to them. Test scores rise because of teachers and not because of the principals. Administrators should be receptive helpers and not feared executioners.

19. Teachers and staff in PGCPS need a raise like what happened to Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) teachers recently. PGCPS staff have not had a raise for a while now. They work very hard usually without compensation.

19. Investigate Office of Constituent Services which acts as a campaign tool for Dr. William Hite even after he left the system. 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 and the staff overpaid to sit around to help put out fires touching on Dr. William Hite. Several staff members were given huge raises with no justification by Superintendent Hite personally. In this regard, IT Help Desk and Constituent Services needs to be merged to avoid duplication of duties.

20. Investigate IT Department and the relationship between 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 beginning 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.
• 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 family member of 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 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 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 to Dr. Hite to get the job without qualifications?

Investigate, investigate and change things immediately.

 

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Vote 2012 Primary Election Results BOE

BOARD OF EDUCATION 1 Murray, David Henry Epps, Zabrina McLaughlin, Michael NP NP NP 3514 1974 813 55.77% 31.33% 12.9% Total: 6301 100% Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) District.

BOARD OF EDUCATION 4 Watson, Micah Vaughns, Sandy John Eubanks, Patricia Smith, Dennis C. Kitchen, Joseph NP NP NP NP NP 2077 1320 1310 1269 157 33.87% 21.52% 21.36% 20.69% 2.56% Total: 6133 100% Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) District.

BOARD OF EDUCATION 5 Ahmed, Raaheela Jacobs, Jeana Jackson, Deidre Nata Theodore-Lewis, S. Taylor, Sherine Nata NP NP NP NP NP 3606 2634 2165 1150 901 34.49% 25.19% 20.71% 11% 8.62% Total: 10456 100% Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) District.

BOARD OF EDUCATION 7 Fellows, Carletta Armwood, Henry P JR Richardson, John Edw Walker Thompson, Lyd Perkins, Lykisha NP NP NP NP NP 2143 1492 1007 922 765 33.86% 23.57% 15.91% 14.57% 12.09% Total: 6329 100% Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) District.

BOARD OF EDUCATION 8 Burroughs,Edward III Nottingham, Andre T D. Walcott, Erika Hurley, Eric R Bego, Orlando J. NP NP NP NP NP 6693 1555 887 562 328 66.76% 15.51% 8.85% 5.61% 3.27% Total: 10025 100%  Courtesy: Prince George’s County Board of elections  TOP PRIORITIES FOR THE INCOMING BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS IN PGCPS. Restore sanity to PGCPS discourse (Addressing corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct at Sasscer　Administration Building). Re-Evaluate Dr. William Hite’s contract. Evaluate unprofessional relationship between Dr. William Hite and various unions representing employees as well as some young female Principals.  Review activities of Chief legal counsel Mr. Roger Thomas and Chief Human Resources Officer -　Synthia J. Shilling　(formerly deputy legal counsel). These two have cost the school system millions of dollars.　　 Create a strong antidiscrimination and harassment policy in PGCPS. Obey state and federal laws. Access certification credentials held by senior management including Dr. William Hite, Ms. Monica Goldson etc. Limit the purchasing power for Dr.William Hite when purchasing school system merchandize. ( He abuses this power and he is currently without oversight). Find ways to address and help reduce high suspension rate throughout the PGCPS District. Suspended students become a problem to the community. Examine closely all contracts over $10,000 signed off by Dr. William Hite and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs (Corrupt BOE Chair). Consider the following points as they impact the entire school District. A.)   Adding tighter campaign finance 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 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.)   Report all concerns to MSDE so the state department is more accountable to us in　enforcing state laws and policies at the local level. E.)    Ask tough questions about Ms. Elizabeth Davis, alleged lover to Tony Liberatore. His wife allegedly walked up on those two kissing at Sasscer. Ms. Davis does EEOC hearings/mediations. What are her qualifications and credentials for that role with such low morals? 11.　Consider rules and regulations by federal, state and BOE policies. A.)   Abide by state law for Hite’s contract. The verbage for the state law is on the BOE webpage.  see the attached link. B.)    Establish more precise criteria so we can get a better leader. Attract qualified, traditional candidates from other than Broad Group and other such organizations. C.)    Elect a BOE that will supervise rather than fraternize with Superintendent. D.)    Complete THOROUGH background checks to avoid embarrassment of incidents like Deasy’s questionable doctorate. 12.　 Examine closely appointments of personnel – A.)   Look into the growing number of personnel in PGCPS like Jim Whattam, Esq., and Baker’s appointees like Mr. Christian Rhodes, Education Liaison, who have extensive ties to Prince George’s County Educator Association (PGCEA). Be fair to all unions without over representing the teachers. B.)    The serious allegations of misconduct with Dr. William Hite and some female employees need to be investigated. The concerns need to be put directly in writing to the BOE members and a demand for an investigation launched right away. A Copy needs to be forwarded to Mr. Rod Rosenstein’s　office if the BOE does not act. The man is worse than Dr. Hornsby. 13.　 Require Hite to appoint only qualified, credentialed personnel according to state law. BOE should supervise him and force HR compliance. In the current format, Dr. Hite tells the BOE what to do. This is unacceptable. 14.　 Review the following deals: A.)  WashingtonPlaza, 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 so many EEOC complaints, they now have outsourced to other field offices throughout the country. F.)    Review overlap of Legal department for attorney duties for waste G.)    The Thatcher contract was a no bid contract, totally against BOE policy. It needs to be cancelled. H.)   The $90 million Dr. Hornsby left behind that has been squandered. 15.  Contact state and federal officials (FBI, DOJ) about the broken laws, policies and procedures. 16. Go to Dept of Labor, MSDE, EEOC and any other organizations like NAACP, Casa de Maryland and La Raza about discrimination and hiring. Demand to know about credentials and licensure. The State Dept is already doing an audit. 17. Report any information to Miranda Spivack or Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post 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. 18. Stop empowering Principals who harbor strong biases and use the system to destroy teaching credentials in order to remove teachers who don’t appeal to them. Test scores rise because of teachers and not because of the Principals. Administrators should be receptive helpers and not feared executioners. 19. Investigate Office of Constituent Services which acts as a campaign tool for Dr. William Hite and does very little to promote the interests of the PGCPS. The said office was only created to promote William Hite’s personal agenda and the staff overpaid to sit around to help put out fires touching on Dr. William Hite. Several staff members were given huge raises with no justification by Superintendent Hite personally. 20. Investigate IT Department and the relationship between 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 beginning 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. 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 family member of  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 Ms. Monica Goldson Assistant superintendent for High School Consortium. She has several relatives in high level positions beginning at Sasscer – HR and in various schools. Investigate, investigate and change things immediately.

Dr. Hite and his ongoing scandals

On Monday Dr. William Hite, Superintendent of the Prince George’s County Public Schools, invited all non-incumbent candidates for the Board of Education to a private meeting in his office. Our investigations reveal that, Hite requested the discussion to probably sway potential board members. He is looking for ways to make sure it works for him since questions surrounding misappropriation of funds, professional misconduct and nepotism was first brought to light in our blog. Before highlighting more about the meeting we think it is important to get a few facts straight;

• Hite’s scheduling secretary sent an e-mail early this month (February 2012) inviting the candidates to a brief meeting on Monday night at Sasscer Administration Building.
• The invitation was not sent to all candidates but just all non-incumbents with an exception of two Board members close to Dr. Hite.
• The invite didn’t mention the agenda. However, Since then, the meeting has taken on a life of its own.

Some of the BOE candidates chose not to attend the meeting with Dr. Hite because they felt it flirted with a line that they were not willing to cross. “Meetings of this type should not be done in private” Joseph Kitchen said.  There was the appearance that he wanted to tell “candidates what the board is supposed to do. It’s supposed to work the other way around.” He continued. We agree with him. Superintendent William Hite Jr is not a reformer in our view and is presiding over deep seated corruption in variety of ways in Pg County. Superintendent Hite who is a great friend of convicted former county executive (Jack Johnson) needs to be put on the spot light as he was elected corruptly.  Proper accountability is needed immediately.

According to Washington post, “among some of the topics discussed were the  district’s revenue, its enrollment, and maintenance and repair of school property”. The information shared by Dr. Hite never came as a surprise to us, and the issues he outlined are issues we have been involved in for many months now. We want to see proper accountability and transparency involving millions of dollars slated to be poured in Pg County towards construction projects and other matters in the next school year. We demand public scrutiny with proper checks and balances.

Accountability is a fundamental value for any system. Citizens of PG County should have the right to know what actions are being taken in their name, and they should have the means to force corrective actions when government acts in an illegal, immoral, or unjust manner as seen in Prince Georges County recently.  Individual citizens should have the ability to have some redress when their rights are abused by government or they do not receive the public benefits to which they are entitled.

Accountability is also important for Dr Hite and PGCPS itself.  It provides the school system or any government agency with a means of understanding how programs may fail and finding mechanisms that can make programs perform better. Covering up Financial corruption with the announcement that PGCPS got a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award will never fly with anybody. Staff we spoke to at Sasscer knows what is happening regarding the decay in PGCPS.

In the next several months, discussions on serious issues regarding corruptions and other matters will be discussed. It’s in these forums where true leaders will be identified to lead the next BOE in Prince Georges County. The decision regarding a private meeting with Dr. Hite should not have taken place in private especially in regards to issues pertaining to public funds. Let us demand transparency.

23 candidates are vying for the Board of Education seats. Citizens of PG County must do their work in order  to select the best candidates who have a good track record in fighting corruption. This is the key to accountability!

Happy New year PG County.

We hope you enjoyed Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.  As we write this, we are in day 6 of Kwanza celebration Kuumba. The sixth day of Kwanza, which occurs on New Years Eve, is a special day. This is the day of the Kwanzaa Karamu or Kwanzaa Feast. In the spirit of celebration many families invite their friends and family to join in the festivities.

As we celebrate all these Holidays, Believe it or not, we are eternal optimists. We reject the corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct PGCPS management led by Dr. William Hite Jr is doing to citizens of PG County, at many levels in the schools.  Dr. William Hite Jr does not think of the impact to lives before they retaliate and discriminate or create a hostile work environment so often.  It is our opinions that without proper reforms and accountability, the cover ups involving corruption, professional misconduct and incompetence at Sasscer in many ways destroy lives. This has caused many families and children to engage in drugs and other forms of depravity.

We have programs in most schools in PGCPS which employ the upper and middle class, but do not give children a sense of pride in themselves or a sense that they have a future. They are angry, poor and frightened. They steal to survive /and have become like young uncontrolled animals in some circumstances in many schools. To understand what is happening just visit the children court in either Upper Marlboro or Hyattsville Maryland to see for yourselves. Remember the Air Jordans! But we have the power to change this!

During 2012, you and your families will have to make a crucial choice, a choice about what type of leadership we need in our community. Because of a change in election law concerning the Prince George’s County Board of Education, five of the nine seats of the board will be up for election during the presidential elections.  As you focus on what choice, remember to elect Board of Education candidates who will fight corruption and not make boardroom deals with a corrupt superintendent Hite.  In the New Year, let us all try to work together to better the world for our children and grandchildren by electing new board members who mean well and are driven by transparency and accountability without wavering or vacillate irresolutely between choices . We hope when we write to you again in the New Year 2012 many things would have changed. Our prayer is to have a new superintendent. Period!

Please remember us in your prayers and pray for our hard working student board member Faith Jackson who was left out in the official Christmas message cheer by Dr. William Hite Jr!