International Anti-Corruption Day.

The United Nations’ (UN) International Anti-Corruption Day aims to raise public awareness of corruption and what people can do to fight it. It is observed on December 9 each year.

Musicals, plays, keynote speeches and other activities that focus on the theme of fighting against corruption help promote International Anti-Corruption Day. Â©iStockphoto.com/Nikada

What do people do?

International Anti-Corruption Day is a time for political leaders, governments, legal bodies and lobby groups to work together against corruption work by promoting the day and the issues that surround this event. On this day anti-corruption advocates organize events to engage the general public to effectively fight against corruption and fraud in communities. Other activities that promote the day include:

• Musicals and plays to publicize the message of fighting against corruption.
• Keynote speeches by those who were victims of corruption or fought against it.
• Essay competitions on issues surrounding the topic of corruption.
• The dissemination of posters, flyers and other material to increase awareness levels on corruption.

Some organizations hold special recognition ceremonies to pay tribute to people and projects that provide assistance to nations and communities in the battle against corruption.

Public life

International Anti-Corruption Day is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Background

Corruption is an issue that affects all countries around the world. It can refer to the destruction of one’s honesty or loyalty through undermining moral integrity or acting in a way that shows a lack of integrity or honesty. It also refers to those who use a position of power or trust for dishonest gain. Corruption undermines democracy, creates unstable governments, and sets countries back economically. Corruption comes in various forms such as bribery, law-breaking without dealing with the consequences in a fair manner, unfairly amending election processes and results, and covering mistakes or silencing whistleblowers (those who expose corruption in hope that justice would be served).

By resolution 58/4 of October 31, 2003, the UN General Assembly designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. This decision aimed to raise people’s awareness of corruption and of the role of the United Nations Convention against Corruption in combating and preventing it. The assembly urged all states and competent regional economic integration organizations to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to ensure its rapid entry into force. UNCAC is the first legally binding, international anti-corruption instrument that provides a chance to mount a global response to corruption.

Symbols

Posters, slogans, and other promotional material on International Anti-Corruption Day have featured a slogan or logo that takes up two lines. The first line reads “CORRUPTION” in capitalized red words, and underneath are the words “Your NO counts”. Most of the second line is written in black text except for the word “NO” which is highlighted in red capital letters within a white speech bubble.

The UN logo is also associated with promotions for this event. It features a projection of a world map (less Antarctica) centered on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree. The olive branches symbolize peace and the world map depicts the area of concern to the UN in achieving its main purpose, peace and security. The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes five concentric circles.

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Secretary-General’s Message

 Ban Ki-moon is the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Corruption suppresses economic growth by driving up costs, and undermines the sustainable management of the environment and natural resources.  It breaches fundamental human rights, exacerbates poverty and increases inequality by diverting funds from health care, education and other essential services.  The malignant effects of corruption are felt by billions of people everywhere.  It is driven by and results in criminal activity, malfunctioning state institutions and weak governance.

Good governance is critical for sustainable development, and vital in combating organized crime.  Every link in the trafficking chain is vulnerable to corruption, from the bribes paid to corrupt officials by dealers in arms and drugs to the fraudulent permits and licenses used to facilitate the illicit trade in natural resources.

Corruption is also rife in the world of sport and business, and in public procurement processes.  In the last decade, the private sector has increasingly recognized its role in fighting corruption.  A Call to Action launched by the United Nations Global Compact and partners is mobilizing businesses and Governments to engage in transparent procurement.  Guidelines are also being developed to help business fight corruption in sport sponsorship and hospitality.

>>> Read more Secretary-General’s Message

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Corruption is a serious crime that can undermine social and economic development in all societies.

No country, region or community is immune.

This year UNODC and UNDP have developed a joint global campaign, focusing on how corruption affects education, health, justice, democracy, prosperity and development.

>>> Read more Anti corruption site.

The Rot at PGCPS Sasscer.

The Epicenter of the PGCPS Corruption:

PGCPS Chief Board of Education Legal Counsel and manipulator of Labor relations office – Abbey Hairston.

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

Our Endorsements for 2012 Vote.

Dear Friends,

As we write this, Early voting is now officially underway and Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County – Maryland – (A democratic blue state) is proud to announce our edorsements which includes President Barack Obama.

Starting today and running through November 1, 2012, you can cast your vote at any early voting location within our county.

To find a polling location in your neighborhood, visit this website: http://www.mdearlyvote.com/

We really need you to vote. This is a very close election. We need to reelect President Barack Obama, Senator Cardin, Congresswoman Donna Edwards,  Congressman Steny Hoyer and take back our 6th Congressional District by voting for John Delaney. In particular,  We do remain cautiously optimistic that the future of America bends towards the side of increased racial tolerance. We cite bumper stickers, cartoons and protest posters that mock our president as a lion or a monkey, or lynch him in effigy. We, in reform Sasscer movement are working hard to innovate, transform and change our communities for the better.

The polls are open until 8PM tonight and from 12pm-6pm tomorrow. http://www.mdearlyvote.com/

Maryland and PG County in particular needs you.

Many Thanks,

Moses

Policy Director

Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County.

P.S. Once you vote, make sure to encourage your friends and family to vote as well. We need everyone. http://www.mdearlyvote.com/

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President Barack Obama – United States of America

U.S. Senator. Benjamin Cardin

Congresswoman Donna Edwards

Congressman Steny Hoyer

John Delaney

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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

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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN IT’S TIME TO GET OUT THE VOTE!

0 Days Until Early Vote (Oct 27th) – www.MdEarlyVote.com

10 Days Until Election Day (Nov 6th)

1. Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s Ground Game: #Winning

Remember: signs don’t vote. we are getting real work done on the ground making phone calls and knocking doors.

Over the past several months, we have seen an unprecedented number of administrative changes to the core of the top leadership at Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) beginning with Dr. William Hite Jr. In most cases these changes have been welcome news and they represent a challenge to the PG District school system overall as we move forward.

Now in less than two weeks, PGCPS hopes to experience yet another change as five current Board of Education members are up for re-election and only Mr. Edward Burroughs won his primary election.

With the specter of a new Board of Education configuration, the challenges facing PGCPS have the potential to change the landscape of education in this county and become a model for the United States in the future. The Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County, is calling on PG Citizens to elect a new Board and a new Chairperson. We have had enough with the corruption within our school system and a new beginning will be a welcome recipe. We are aware that the current Chairperson has been pouring money right and left with a hope of duping the citizens of PG County in order to get another term in office. Vote for the right candidate; one who is not tainted by corruption. General Election presents us with the opportunity to elect leaders that will put this county firmly on course to become the safe, cohesive and prosperous county that we so desperately desire.

Credibility of the electoral process is key to the stability of any nation or county; therefore, We must ensure the credibility of all elements of the electoral process. In particular, any attempt to manipulate and mislead the public regarding youth cannot lead in the General Election must be strenuously resisted by all PG citizens. Time and tide waits for no man. This is it!

You have to make your voices heard through the ballot in 2012. We encourage everyone to vote early and vote for change in PG County Board of Education. If you have educational programs you believe support high academic achievement, make your voice heard. If you desire to maintain the current class sizes and stop the reduction in the teacher workforce, make your voice heard. If you have been a victim of discrimination and retaliation, make your voice heard. It is important for us all to consider the kind of leadership that our county needs and for us to play our part to get such leaders elected. We are counting on your support.

Many thanks,

Below are our endorsed candidates for 2012.

David Murray -School Board Candidate  District 1

Micah Watson – School Board Candidate  District 4

Raheela Ahmed – School Board Candidate  District 5

Carletta Fellows – School Board Candidate District 7

Edward Burroughs – School Board Candidate District 8

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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

Statement regarding the appointment of Dr. Alvin Crawley.

Dr. Alvin Crawley (picture above) will serve as Interim Superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools for the 2012-13 school year.

Reform Sasscer Movement welcomes the appointment of a new leader – Dr. Alvin Crawley on temporary basis as the superintendent of schools. He seems like a decent man, so we plan to give him a chance for as long as he sustains the transparency and accountability reform agenda.   However,  we must denounce those in the system loudly shouting about their tainted reform credentials. Many of them starting with some Board of Education (BOE) members have neither censured nor condemned acts of hooliganism and lawlessness as demonstrated by Synthia Shilling, Monica Goldson, Roger Thomas and William Hite Jr.

As a movement, we must reject the appointment of Ms. Monica Goldson as a Chief Operating Officer (COO).  This is a decoy which resembles siphoning of  gas out of  our fuel tanks and it’s not going to work.  In the last five years, she has been the woman behind unpopular policies of the corrupt Superintendent Dr. William Hite Jr.  Her actions, whether deliberate or not,  led to her divorce proceedings in 2009 which have now become final. Please read between the lines and connect the dots.  Ms. Monica Goldson should not be allowed to  pass judgment over any staff when she was a failure as a principal. She has low moral standards is very nasty and should go with Synthia Shilling, Dr. Hite and the rest of the corrupted people. PGCEA and other unions needs to help force out all the high-ranking administrators  bringing down the system.  The other person who should be rejected and shown the door as quickly as possible is Chief legal Counsel Mr. Roger Thomas who has been on that position for close to 20 years now. During his tenure, we have seen corruption increase under his watch and he was the person behind hiring of Synthia Shilling aka Kucner (pictured below). He was also the force behind Andre Hornsby saga, who was convicted on July 23, 2008, of honest services wire fraud, witness and evidence tampering and obstruction of justice among other issues by the FBI. (Read more).

Beer and liquor consumption at Sasscer administrative building was another issue which led to Synthia shilling losing her job. We demand the resignation of Monica Goldson for the benefit of staff, students and parents of Prince George’s county. The time has come to move forward firmly and in the right direction. There is clearly a light at the end of the tunnel.

Without mentioning names we must say that “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. They drink wine but preach water. ” said Morris Flecher Beyene.  Just look at the bathrooms in many of these schools which are poorly cleaned? If we expect a world-class school system, we must be prepared for sacrifices.

In any case, we must say that we are very excited about the effects of our blogs. We have precipitated “tectonic shifts and volcanic eruptions” and now many PG Citizens are asking the way forward after the revelations interpreted by political commentators as might a considerable impact on the Board of Education candidature of the current Board.

“It is our wish that we focus our attention as a people and as a county on the illusive but yet incomplete liberation struggle for our county system in the next year! The struggle involves liberation from unemployment, intolerance, exploitation, inequalities, corruption, racism, discrimination, professional misconduct and nepotism”.

As a movement, we are calling on voters to retire unnamed “political dinosaurs” and “merchants of impunity” who are still trying to cling to power.  Abuse of office, corruption, political trickery, and public deception orchestrated or covered up in William Hite’s office must be cleaned once and for all.

We have the necessary proof of poor leadership and “deception, duplicity, and hypocrisy” in the William Hite’s camp

This county requires a leader with the ability and will power not only to unite the people but roll out sound development agenda and rid the society of socio-economic problems it is currently faced with.

Above all, a new leader must get a clean break from the crisis which has become the “Maryland scandal” and is morally dead because of the actors involved. Dr. William Hite, Synthia Shilling, Pierre Dickson, etc. are on the run!

Synthia Shilling aka Kucner will be reporting to Anne Arundel County  Detention Center on September 7, 2012 to serve time for her bad behavior. The rest of 58 days of suspended jail time will be spent at home. She also faces one (1) year probation. She cried like a baby in the court room on August 27, 2012 when she told the judge her father passed away last week. But the tough Maryland judge did not want to hear it because she has had four drunk driving records.  Stay tuned here, we will bring you updates as time goes.

This is such an embarrassment for PG County. We have a history of hiring individuals that no one else wants to hire, and the results are devastating. Case in point: Andre Hornsby (currently serving time in prison),  County Executive Jack Jackson (also serving time in prison) and a host of other leaders who are only interested in furthering their own careers rather than the education and well-being of our students and county residents. We are disgusted for sure. It’s time to say “No” to these shenanigans and a shame the devil! No one should rest easy until the bad leadership is off the door…. Call your elected officials now and demand a regime change for the few elements connected to Dr. William Hite Jr. It’s time….

Moses Mackenzie

Policy Director

Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County.

Synthia Shilling, Dr. Hite Jr and Monica Goldson are picture above.

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.

Demands for better County government must be heeded.

Board of Education members must heed public concern.

Public outcry at corruption, impunity and economic instability sent shockwaves around the world in 2011 and 2012. Protests in many countries quickly spread to unite people from all parts of society including Prince George’s County – Maryland. Their backgrounds may be diverse, but their message is the same: more transparency, accountability, transformation, innovation and change is needed from our leaders. Better yet, corrupt leaders must leave the office and create a way for new leadership.

The 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that public frustration is well founded. No region or country in the world is immune to the damages of corruption. The vast majority of the 183 countries and territories assessed score below five on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean.) New Zealand, Denmark and Finland top the list, while North Korea and Somalia are at the bottom. In the United States, Prince George’s County Maryland is among the top most corrupt counties. The previous County Executive is serving time in Jail for corruption as we write this. (Read more).

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories according to their perceived levels of public sector corruption. It is an aggregate indicator that combines different sources of information about corruption, making it possible to compare countries.

The 2011 index draws on assessments and opinion surveys carried out by independent and reputable institutions. These surveys and assessments include questions related to the bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public funds, and the effectiveness of public sector anti-corruption efforts. Perceptions are used because corruption is to a great extent a hidden activity that is difficult to measure. Over time, perceptions have proved to be a reliable estimate of corruption. In this regard, we continue to focus our effort in the fight against corruption by advocating reforms for Prince George’s County school system (PGCPS).

Education reform efforts can no longer afford to treat all schools, staff and students as if they are beginning at the same place, both academically and socioeconomically.  The PGCPS system has no plan of action. The Board of Education must come up with a plan and must address communities’ present conditions. A holistic approach requires that we begin the process of making thoughtful school funding allocations and channeling resources to low-performing schools with the most need. By doing so, we improve struggling schools, increase student success, and bridge the achievement gap. The Corrupt administrators involved in extra marital affairs, selling of contra band and practicing discrimination must be shown the door! (see news realese US Department labor)

Although teachers play a vital role in educating students, parents also have a pivotal part in determining the educational success of their children. In a recent Gates Foundation survey of 10,000 teachers nationwide, 98 percent said family involvement and support have a strong or very strong impact on improving academic achievement.

Parents must attend parent-teacher conferences and extra-curricular events to monitor student progress and express concerns. They must also reinforce teacher directives about homework and studying. Teachers, parents, school leaders and public officials must collaborate and act in a concerted effort to fulfill our mutual commitment to educate our students. Corruption as a way of life as practiced by Dr. William Hite and his kitchen cabinet must be eliminated once and for all. (see entire list here).

“This year we have seen corruption on protestors’ banners be they rich or poor. Whether in a Europe hit by debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new political era, leaders must heed the demands for better government,” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International. In Prince George’s County school system, we must demand for better change and transformations… talk about crooks, there’s an environment over infested with crooks taking from the children to fatten their own pockets in PGCPS!!!

Public sector governance that puts the interests of its citizens first is a responsibility that transcends borders. Governments must act accordingly. For their part, citizens need to continue demanding better performance from their leaders in the schools. Corruption begins in the schools and then spreads… said one concerned parent.

We must realize that teaching the information necessary to receive a proficient score on the Maryland HSA, MSA or any other high-stakes exam does not mean that the students have learned the critical thinking skills necessary for success in higher education or the job market.

PGCPS teachers stand ready to work with the Governor, County executive and BOE members to create the outcomes our students deserve. Despite the challenges we face, public education stakeholders must renew their commitment to create a community and a school system that honors and respects children’s natural curiosity while capturing their full potential. Above all, we must fight corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct in every way.

If we work together, the situation shown by this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index can improve. These are our countries (our communities) and our future. It’s time!

Finally as President Obama said recently during a graduation ceremony,  “Our founders understood that America does not stand still; we are dynamic, not static. We look forward, not back. And now that new doors have been opened for you, you’ve got an obligation to seize those opportunities……..

So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be. It’s up to you to right wrongs. It’s up to you to point out injustice. It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely. It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote. Don’t be content to just sit back and watch. ” We agree with the United States President and it is time to make changes in PGCPS.

Reform Sasscer Movement Secretariat.

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