Update:HB1107 Hearing in Annapolis Maryland postponed.

Update: The hearing concerning bill PG -402-17 which was to be held on Wed, Feb 22, 2017 8:30am, room 218 Lowe House Office Building has been postponed. Please check these links for the future hearing and dates.

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=cmtepage&stab=03&id=hru&tab=subject3&ys=2017RS

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&stab=01&id=hb1565&tab=subject3&ys=2017RS

School Board and CEO
If you are interested in testifying in support of PG-402-17, to return to an all elected school board.

We received this information late. You might want to call your elected officials concerning this bill.

See bill text at https://www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com/legislation/bill-history?local=PG%20402-17

Read more >>> Kevin Maxwell, PGCPS CEO, gets four more years in Suspicious Circumstances

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A major protest is scheduled for Monday September 26th, 2016 in Upper Marlboro

Education advocates are planning a major rally in Prince George’s County Maryland in an effort to repeal legislation that essentially provided majority oversight of the Prince George’s County Public Schools to the County Executive Rushern L. Baker III.

The protest is scheduled for Monday September 26th, 2016 during the day from 11am-12:30pm in Upper Marlboro Maryland. Protesters are asked to converge at THE CAB, LOWER LEVEL, ACROSS FROM THE LAKE facing the Prince George’s County Headquarters. This event is open to the public and the organizers are asking the members of the public to BRING PROTEST SIGN to help Repeal HB 1107 and to help address other issues.

The questions:

(1) Why repeal legislation that has only been on the books for just over 3 years?
(2) What are the alternatives? And what impact would a change in the law again have on student achievement?

You are invited to listen to  Rosalind Johnson, Tonya Wingfield and others who are lead coordinators for the upcoming rally.

• >>>Sign the Petition here>>Petition to Investigate PGCPS Headstart Child Abuse Launched!
• Read more>>> BOE political cronyism-nepotism refresher

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Let’s face it. Criticism has…

…become a dirty word.

Pick up any thesaurus and you’ll find “criticism” in the company of “nit-picking, objection, disapproval, and objection.”

The truth is criticism doesn’t have to be a dirty word.

In the last several months now, we have given perspectives on Prince George’s county public schools whenever we can. This is in line with democratic ideals. A democracy is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Thus, the public opinion is an important aspect. The people in turn could hold the government accountable and change it, if they knew what they were doing is wrong. Our voice through the social media and this blog mobilized lawmakers and yielded HB1107.

In this regard, there is a need to inform the people of issues of concern around them so that there are proper checks and balances on the government of the day especially within the county and the Maryland state Board of Education. Media plays a vital role in this area and that is why we must keep advocating for the people through constructive criticism. So far there are several things of concern and we will be outlining our views shortly after our sincerity agenda to transform the county was hijacked by dark forces. The dark forces trying to take over our reform agenda here in PG county are on a revenge mission (Keep checking our concerns here in our blog). It is important to look at our work and appreciate our perspectives. We are not going to rest until proper changes are in place through criticism. This is what makes democracy work!

Dr. Lillian M. Lowery Maryland State Superintendent  of schools has been criticized for showing very poor leadership skills in various ways and received an F grade for Common Core meetings so far.

In a broader context, criticism is an assessment, review or observation that can even be in the form of appreciation. Nobody seems to ever talk about that one: When the criticism is good, we don’t call it criticism, we call it approval. We call it praise. We call it being appreciated.

And who doesn’t enjoy sincere appreciation for their work?

Anyways, for constructive criticism to occur three things have to happen: There should be interest on the part of the criticizer and the criticized, there should be bonding and trust that the discussion is for the right reasons, and the criticism should be presented as a discussion.

When the criticism meets these three criteria, there is a strong foundation for learning to occur, and for both members to benefit from honest criticism.

Here are the three advantages to constructive criticism:

Gives New Perspective & Valuable Insight

When someone invites our criticism, we have the opportunity to help that person by giving our perspective or insight into the situation.

For example, say someone asks us to check out an article they’ve written to get our opinion. Chances are the person really wants to know what we think so that they can make it the best it can be.

Our objective reading of the article can give the person valuable insight into how they can improve the article. If they weigh the importance or usefulness of the criticism, they can rewrite or revise the article to make it better

Thus, the writer and article become more valuable due to the constructive criticism.

Here’s the real kicker: different people have different perspectives and knowledge about the way the world works. Each person brings a unique perspective to the table. If we listen and try to understand their perspective, we can apply that perspective to our work to make it better.

Think about it. Say someone wants to improve the design on their website. Who could provide beneficial criticism? Web designers? Regular readers? Casual readers?

Everyone provides a unique perspective.

Furthers Bonding and Trust

If we’re able to give our honest opinion on something, and the other person finds it valuable, we can increase our bonding and trust with that person.

Giving constructive criticism shows the other person that we value his or her work. The result is an increased level of respect between us and the other person.

If we’re lucky enough to have really cool friends that reciprocate coolness, they will provide their valuable perspective to us.

Let’s say that we help our friend out by reviewing his article and improving the spelling and grammar so people can read it easier.

He says, “Wow, that sure is swell. I can’t believe I have such knowledgeable and cool friends willing to help me.”

So when we want to make sure one of our articles is near perfect, we can send it on to our friend and ask him for his honest opinion.

More than likely, he’ll return the favor to help us out.

As Jim Rohn said, “Giving is better than receiving because giving starts the receiving process.”

If we give our valuable perspective, others might be inclined to return the favor.

Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated corrupt leadership and continues “a culture of pay to play” and manipulation.

No Hurt Pride or Resentment

So, when we offer even the slightest disapproval of others or their work without them inviting us to, we are basically asking for them to hate us.

Hans Selye said, “As much as we thirst for approval, we dread condemnation.”

Constructive criticism is different in that we only give it when we’re invited to give it. We give constructive criticism to people that we know and trust, and the people we are criticizing know our true intentions. We present constructive criticism as a discussion, and that our viewpoint is only one perspective and isn’t necessarily fact.

As well, constructive criticism is more about giving an overall view of things: what’s going well, what could be improved upon, etc.

In return, the people we criticize are thankful that we’ve provided valuable feedback to improve themselves or their work.

Your turn: In what situations do you think constructive criticism could be particularly helpful? How do we avoid people getting angry with us for offering feedback? When is it not appropriate to give criticism?

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Lawlessness in PGCPS Sasscer.

An increasing number of people believe that we owe it to future generations of people not to undermine the quality of the community’s life. When asked how we are accountable for the moral duties of our descendants, the plain answer is that they are people. Persons have human worth and rights. Our actions and decisions, if not made in good faith, undermine their opportunities for fulfilling lives – whether they live today or tomorrow.

We believe this common sense view is correct.

After the passage of HB 1107 by the General Assembly which was signed into law by Governor O’Malley early last month and goes into effect on June 1, 2013, we want to encourage everyone to join forces here in PG County to support members of the Prince George’s County House and Senate Delegations for delivering incredible legislative success for residents of the County. They did this for sake of the future generations. Prince George’s County was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children… let us take care of it for them.

Any choices that exclude Verjeana Jacobs and her husband David as a leader in Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) is a tremendous advantage for our children. The proposal giving additional power will enable Mr. Baker to exercise much needed and long overdue exercise of authority. PGCPS desperately needs this overall and drastic change in direction and Modus operandi. We cannot afford to continue with the present dubious set up which allows the school Board to act disingenuously and with malice. Verjeana Jacobs and company are wasting and maundering people’s time. Their small little games are a distraction to the community, all the time pretending to ‘love to educate’ the children.  The cartel which includes hustlers and con artists, to the ninth degree, parading in the PGCPS solely for the purpose of ‘taking’ money is a disgrace to the human race. The league not only includes PGCPS legal department, Ms. Verjeana Jacobs, Labor relations led by Mr. James Whattam et al but also communications Director. It is a gang of masquerades with nefarious, insidious and capricious intend.  They have perpetrated, air brand rip off schemes unabated for decades clandestinely including a ‘bonanza’ of arrays which includes the PGCPS unions.

The co-opting of the unions into unholy alliance has been severe to the detriment of our students, hardworking staff and families of PG County. The election and elevation of Mr. Baker with enhanced powers is a welcome recipe to an othinus smudging of unending horror show on PGCPS street with the current Board chairperson Ms. Verjeana Jacobs in a starring role as Freddie with popcorn. Unfortunately in our scenario, there is no intermission. Our only hope is on Mr. Baker supported by others to help put an end to the fiasco and bad acting. It is our hope that he will put an end to this unholy alliance

For the most part, PGCPS administration is racist, they like engagement of conmanship, gerrymandering and plain professional misconduct, including nepotism and corruption in conspiracy with others.

Above all, they are willful violators of everything under the sun. Their history, whether on or off the record, demonstrates, if not imputes, incompetent. They do not abide by contracts, laws, rules, etc. They are constantly being sued for egregious violations. Don’t believe us?

http://therealprincegeorges.wordpress.com/2011/11/…

http://pgcares.newsvine.com/_news/2012/11/12/15123…

http://pgcpsmess.wordpress.com/tag/100-million/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y834d8c6ZA

The trivial pursuits and cheer foolishness engaged in by the Board of Education in hybrid situation with the PGCPS Unions, bogs the mind. This set of unethical behavior engaged by the Board of education for Prince George’s County is hurting the taxpayers of Prince George’s County and our poor children. There is something completely rotten about the state of PGCPS. While doing anything but work at their desks, the Board of Ed. admin staff reads the newspaper, novels or plays on their cell phones. Others are selling real estate, meat, jewelry etc. without consequences.  Every now and then, you have bus drivers who appear drunk and sometimes sleeping on the bus. Nevertheless, to implement proper and effective change, We must begin this one at Sasscer. The main rot starts at Sasscer administrative building in Upper Marlboro and trickles down to schools, Bus lots and the Unions. The epicenter of the PGCPS corruption is currently rotating around legal and labor relations departments at Sasscer Adminstartive Building. Something needs to be done to change things for the better. No organization has ever thrived on lawlessness forever.

The Communication Director Mr. Brian Coleman handles school District matters as his own. He plays favorites and does not like County Executive Baker, the Washington post and others who try to expose the situation. (PGCPSLies). He should be the first one to go for unshamely hiding the corruption and for using the school system email to advance his own sick agenda. (See here). The employee should not have used the school system email. This is a clear example of shameful, abuse of authority and willful neglect of duty in order to undermine the government.

The so called Elected School Board, on its own, is a joke.  We all know that and so does Mr. Baker, Governor O’ Malley, the State of MD Courts, etc.

Corruption always starts at the top. The fish always rots first in the head and smells the worst. Remember the last bad fish we had and now causing problems elsewhere? Name the last good superintendent? How many high ranking directors have been caught doing something illegal or sued for civil issues or discrimination? All of this is hush hush.

All in all, the system is broken from the ground up. Our question to you is: “why would anyone highly qualified that is in their right mind want to teach in PGCPS when they can get a job in neighboring counties that have better resources and prospects in every aspect?” We must at least fix the issues identified in our blogs first in order to create a stable enabling environment for a better future for our kids.

Our work lies with those of us who are raising the next generation. It lies in teaching our sons and daughters to become liberated, respectful adults who know that bad leaders who willfully break the law and practice corruption are making a choice, and will be punished.

Barely ten (10) years ago, we could not have imagined thousands of people endorsing a fight against corruption in PG County, let alone Maryland General Assembly voting to make changes swiftly as we have seen these past few weeks, indeed, it has been a major breakthrough. And yet, there is still work to be done. These elaborate systems have taken generations to flourish and allow manipulation to become patriarchy, caste and social and sexual inequality that allow abuse to flourish. But unlike the weather, discrimination is not a byproduct of climate change. It can can be fixed. We need to shelve all the gibberish about status and virtue and “it’s a democratic right to be racist, discriminatory and practice corruption and so forth.” We need to put responsibility where it lies: on men and women who violate the law willfully and on all of us who let them get away with it while we point accusing fingers at their victims.

With respect for the humanity in all persons, they would surely have avoided endangering the conditions of a truly human life for any person, – future or present. By falling short of this moral ideal, we fail in our moral duty to future generations, regardless of who they will be. Since these are moral duties of justice, our breach of them now infringes rights they will eventually acquire.

We conclude that we ought to persist in our common sense view that we do have a moral responsibility to the future generations, and that unless we change our ways, we infringe their moral rights. The PGCPS status quo of continuous unabated corruption, conmanship, gerrymandering and professional misconduct etc. is not the answer! It is up to each one of us to tirelessly strive to save the future for our kids and create peaceful neighborhoods. This is the wakeup call against the status quo. It is not going to be business as usual. It is Mr. Baker’s time with the support of our elected representatives in Annapolis Maryland.

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“The freedoms which democracy brings will remain empty shells if they are not accompanied by real & tangible improvements”  ~ Nelson Mandela

Mr. Baker & Amendments to MD HB 1107

Prince George’s County Executive Mr. Rushen Baker

We appreciate the proposal by the County Executive Baker to take charge of the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) school District.  Most of the opposition to a drastic change of direction for the school system is motivated by person’s own political/financial welfare; people’s opposition is based on some current power/position they currently have. For example Board of Education statement led by Ms. Verjeana Jacobs was not sincere given what they have done in the last eight (8) years.  (See the statement here)   In any event, a lot of people don’t have the children of this country’s best interest at heart.

How could anybody say that they are happy with being the toilet bowl of education in the whole state of Maryland?

Something needs to change!! This is not a money problem. The problems that we face are derivative of lack of vision, leadership, and direction. With the revolving superintendents and the high school-educated community activist school board, the schools do not have a chance. Proof is in the pudding!  The Washington post was right on their article (Read it here). This article calls Baker’s tactics ruthless and cold blooded.  Maybe So!  But guess what!  That unwillingness to compromise and/or tolerate the school system’s inadequacies is needed!  We think it’s ruthless and cold blooded how the school system is educating the children in PG County!! We support the change wholeheartedly; anything has to be better than the status quo.

The Only thing we could ask the State legislature to do is to press Mr. Baker to keep his promise and to hire an independent Inspector General as part of the amendment.  (See HB1107 Amendments  here).  2014 Election year is fast approaching and we will waive our right to select the officials that determine the fate of our school system if we do not act fast.  Elections themselves, like we have always said in our tweeter feeds, (are) not a wedding reception where everybody is happy and singing. Elections are emotive, and mobilization for support, as we have seen last year, has emphasized on candidate’s record and promises made plus the delivery. The Inspector General would ensure that there will be somebody to keep the county Executive now and in the future plus  his superintendent honest or accountable. If Mr. Baker is not up to the task, we request him to pass the torch to the State of Maryland and Governor O’Malley to take over the struggling school system. In addition, you can also call your elected officials in Annapolis – Maryland and request the same. Previous County Executive Mr. Jack Johnson and his wife Leslie Johnson went to jail last year because of the lack of accountability and corruption related matters. We do not want Mr. Baker to expose us and/or our community to the same calamity.  We are sure the Feds will be happy to see that the County can do better on their own than to keep revisiting the same situations. It’s time!

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