Prince George’s schools’ test scores drop.

Source: Washington Post analysis of Maryland School Assessment scores for 2013. Scores reflect combined results for reading and math.. The Washington Post. Published on July 23, 2013, 12:20 p.m.

As the New Board of Education for Prince George’s County reorganizes itself and is determined to bring the necessary changes, we must realize that there is no silver bullet. However, as we articulated before, real improvements in a school system like PGCPS take time and hard work.  As we said before, miraculous sudden improvements in student achievement was likely the result of outright fraud or a rigged evaluation system designed to produce desired results. This notion has been proved right today by news articles in Gazette and Washington Post.

Prince George’s County elementary school mathematics and reading scores are down compared to last year, ending a suspicious “positive four-year streak” driven by what appears to be fraud on state tests, and officials say next year may not be much better. (Read more)

On this note, we must demand changes starting with PGCPS HQ (Sasscer) and not cosmetics changes. We ask our new Board and our CEO to go boldly for administrative reforms that relate to the nuts and bolts of our school system and how it is run. Buses must be made to run on time and we must get rid of administrative waste, and sort through questionable contracts beginning with Thatcher Law firm which is the epicenter of corruption and the legal department. We must change contracting procedures and demand more for our kids instead of high suspension rate we have seen in the past. Above all, we must use appropriate technologies to gain efficiencies as well as, demand effective and timely school-to-parent communications. This is the first and most necessary element for enabling parental involvement as articulated by our sister Blogs in the past.

Finally, we must treat teachers and other staff members as professionals. Listen to them and provide them opportunities to influence how schools are run. We must refrain from arbitrary compensation schemes that will make teachers accountable for conditions they have no control over.  On this note, we must revisit how budget is controlled by Principals without much oversight which is like “Christmas in April.” This does not mean you don’t demand accountability and high performance. However, transparency and accountability initiatives passed into law must be implemented fully. We expect County Executive Rushern Baker, Board Chairman Dr. Segun C. Eubanks and our New Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kevin Maxwell to be a partner, not a punitive leader who are out to get teachers and other staff members. Let us make PGCPS a place that values innovation and professionalism—an attractive place for good teachers and other professionals to work for the good of the county.

###

Prince George’s Schools & Dr. Hite Sued By Principals for $100 Million

Dr. William Hite Jr (Pictured Above)

Suit alleges age, race discrimination

by Jamie Anfenson-Comeau     Staff writer

The union for Prince George’s County school principals and administrators has filed a $100 million federal class action lawsuit against the county school board and former schools superintendent William Hite.

The Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel, or ASASP, filed the suit Nov. 2, alleging that school administrators were fired or demoted under Hite due to age and race discrimination.

“We have had, under Dr. Hite, almost half of our administrators and principals replaced. Hundreds of senior, experienced people have been replaced by younger, less experienced individuals,” said Doris Reed, executive director of ASASP, which represents over 800 administrators and principals, according to its website.

Reed said black male administrators were singled out during the tenure of Hite, who is also black.

“When we looked at it, older black males had no chance of promotion,” Reed said.

Hite served as superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools from 2009 until this summer, when he left to become superintendent of the Philadelphia School District.

The suit also alleges that during the last reduction in force, board member Donna Hathaway Beck (Dist. 9) met with certain white employees and assured them they would continue to be employed with the school system, regardless of seniority or the RIF plan.

Reed said previous attempts to resolve the issue with the school board failed.

Schools spokesman Briant Coleman said Tuesday that the school system could not comment on the lawsuit, stating, “Prince George’s County Public Schools has not been served with a complaint by ASASP.”

The suit came a little over a week after the school system finalized an agreement with the teacher’s union, providing teachers with their first pay raise in three years.

Pay raise negotiations between the ASASP and the school board are still ongoing, Reed said.

janfenson-comeau@gazette.net

(See ealier reporting by NBC News)

Read~~>  asaspunion-complaint here.

###

Prince George’s Schools & Dr. Hite Sued By Principals.

The Prince George’s County Public Schools system is facing a lawsuit from the union that represents the schools’ principals and administrators. According to the published article by NBC News, The Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel, or ASASP, filed a $100 million federal class action suit against the schools and Dr. William Hite Jr  on November 2, 2012.

The Complaint centers a lot on Dr. William Hite Jr who alone replaced almost half of the principals in the Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) (Read More)

Dr. William Hite Jr (pictured above)  and the whole saga.

Read~~>  asaspunion-complaint here.

###

Letter to the Elected officials in Maryland.

Dear Governor O’Malley, Senate President Miller, Speaker Busch, Senators and other elected officials  el al:

We are writing to share our collective concern about the devastating impact corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct is having in two of our biggest school systems in Maryland i.e.; Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). The so-called “doomsday” budget would be a perfect time to tighten the belt towards fiscal stability. We would like the funding restored. However, we are asking accountability measures be tied to the funding especially in these two troubled school Districts. Both systems perform poorly in state tests and are in the bottom of the ladder in the whole of Maryland. The main factor impacting PGCPS for example is corruption which has been present since time memorial. Baltimore City Public School recently spent $250,000 refurbishing an office. Surely that money could have been well spent helping students in the classroom. The amount of waste occurring in these two school district without proper oversight is off the hook.  Below is a summary of our survey conducted recently in PG County through our blog and tweeter feed.

We have established that, Poor coordination between various agencies, lack of specialized judicial enforcement authorities and a lack of political will to adopt a coherent strategy against corruption are the main flaws in Prince George’s County anti-corruption efforts. The school system led by embattled superintendent William Hite Jr. is most affected. We wonder why the accountability measures are not in place to combat these concerns. The answer to this question is obvious. They are refusing to act in order to mismanage and continue the status quo led by a few greedy adults in the top management especially the Superintendent and the chief legal counsel.

Corruption is ever present in the daily life of Prince George’s County citizens, who are assailed everyday by the media reporting new scandals of corruption, recurring obstacles in pending investigations, crimes that go unpunished and new anti corruption policies that have no effect on these issues because management starting at the top of PGCPS is covering up in order to maintain the status quo. This should be a concern to everybody and not just Republicans, Democrats, or independents.

The continuous public exposure of high profile corruption cases involving public figures starting with former county Executive Jack Johnson or private sector, combined with extensive media coverage of how successive governments have dealt with this phenomena, has undermined public confidence but at the same time given new hope that federal and state agencies are monitoring somehow.

The concerned citizens of PG County (CCOPGC) conducted a survey recently. The survey conducted a complete assessment of the country’s strengths and weaknesses in the fight against corruption. «The results show there’s a big gap between the legal infrastructure that’s in place and the way institutions conduct themselves in practice. The legal mechanisms are generally satisfactory, but the authorities’ effectiveness is hindered by the lack of a comprehensive and coherent prevention and enforcement strategy. The urgency of fighting corruption has made its way to the political discourse, but our leaders are not backing their words with action», a clear example is Mr. Rushen Baker’s promise of an Inspector General (IG) during his  campaigns in 2009-2010. He made a promise for an IG but after assuming power, he changed completely says a concerned parent.

More than just a diagnosis, the CCOPGC survey makes a set of clear and practical recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the fight against corruption in Prince George’s County. These measures include the following;

1. Adopting a stronger system to monitor politicians’ personal wealth and conflicts of interest including the superintendent of schools;
2. Introducing measures to reduce the influence of political appointees in Public Administration including the school systems; (There is a lot of nepotism).
3. Strengthening cooperation between prevention and investigation authorities;
4. Improving the scope and quality of public information made available;
5. Creating a specialized agency to combat corruption, with broad powers and independence led by an Inspector General (IG).

«It’s not enough to just point fingers. Civil society has a responsibility to present specific measures that get to the heart of the problems. What the CCOPGC System survey gives us is a road map for change, so we can make a positive impact in Prince George’s anti-corruption abilities. This survey is only the first step in a larger work of advocacy and public pressure that begins today», says Francis Rajan.

According to 2010’s Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) data, most Prince George’s County citizens (83%) not only feel that corruption levels have increased since 2001, but they also consider that the Government is inefficient in fighting corruption. The percentage of citizens with this latter view has increased from 64% in 2002 to 95% in 2012.

The negative perception regarding the County Government’s role in fighting corruption and the evolution of this phenomenon in Prince George’s County can also be felt in the international context. Transparency International’s (henceforth, TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (henceforth, the CPI), which measures the perceptions of businessmen and foreign experts, confirms this trend. Prince George’s county is among the 1st in the CPI global ranking, and in relation to the whole of Maryland, Prince George’s County stands as the 1st most corrupt county and the school system (PGCPS) is the most affected. As perceived by the aforementioned experts and businessmen, Very few businesses want to invest in the county. (Read the top most priorities in PGCPS here).

Clearly, the time has come for the Rushen Baker administration and the Board of Education (BOE) to make a candid assessment and holistically resolve the issues facing schools. A comprehensive approach encompasses diverse methods of measuring student progress, increased family involvement, more stakeholder collaboration, thoughtful resource allocation and a thorough plan to address socioeconomic disparities without diverse treatment/ retaliation on everyone concerned .

Each day, many students travel to schools from some of the most economically challenged communities in Maryland. We must acknowledge that learning and school readiness extend far beyond the walls of the classroom and into students’ homes and communities. With a large percentage of Maryland children living in poverty — and more than half of those children in PG county experiencing extreme poverty — it is imperative that school leaders and policymakers consider the role and challenges high rates of homelessness, unemployment and poor health care present in education reform.

The socioeconomic disparities in Maryland and especially Prince George’s County and Baltimore City have a profound and undeniable influence on student academic achievement. To make the matters worse, Superintendent Hite, Chairperson of the  Board and other senior managers are  involved in questionable conduct.  The time has come to talk about innovation, fiscal stability and find a permanent fix together to address the concerns in the school systems.

Once again remember that, this is not a Republicans, Democrats nor independents idea. As President Barack Obama said recently,  “Those who oppose change, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, have always bet on the public’s cynicism or the public’s complacency. Throughout American history, though, they have lost that bet, and I believe they will this time as well. Don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right. Because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting on you”.

It’s time to address the issues heads on and let the chips fall where they may!

Best regards,

Morris Flecher Bayene –  on behalf of Reform Sasscer Movement secretariat.

https://pgcpsmess.wordpress.com/

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N E W S R E L E A S E

 Reform Sasscer Movement Statement on Corruption and cover up Report in PGCPS.

 Contact: Morris Flecher Beyene

 Reformsasscer@gmail.com

For Immediate Release:

May 05, 2012

PG County citizens know that corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct is the way of life in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and this culture of Malfeasance must be stopped immediately. The incarceration of former county executive Jack Johnson, a good friend of Superintendent Hite, has not created a reality check for Dr. Hite or his kitchen cabinet. Therefore, innovative ways to bring accountability in the school system needs to be explored and utilized including by the general assembly.

Above all, our school system is stagnant. Studies show a large majority of students entering two and four-year colleges are behind in math and English Read more:  In addition, the unemployment rate remains high with students and parents losing hope on finding jobs. It’s a clear declaration that PGCPS society as a whole and the educational institutions in particular are not providing for the welfare of its student citizenry. This in turn affects the morale of the staff and students alike.

It’s time to end Ms.Verjeana Jacobs, the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Dr. William Hite’s policies and get the County school system back on track to create fiscal stability. It’s time to create proper reforms at Sasscer Administration Building. The reforms include reduction in womanizing by Superintendent Hite and ending the culture of discrimination and harassment. Furthermore, the high suspension rate of students needs to be reduced, abolishing the Office of Constituent Services which acts as a campaign tool for Dr. William Hite and finally support teachers by advancing a reasonable empowerment policy. (See entire list here).

Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs needs to vacate the chair because her husband has been caught numerous times drunk driving. (See reports here, here, here and here). “This man has his hands in a lot, his wife is on the school board,” one concerned parent said. “He should be responsible and mature.” “He has enough money that he doesn’t have to drive if he isn’t able to.” she said. We agree with organized labor that staff should not drink on the job and a policy should be in place regarding drunken spouses and not delayed “until after the election,” according to the concerned parent. Unfortunately Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs hesitated in her support of this venture. The Prince George’s County educator association (PGCEA) and part of the ACE_AFSCME Local 2250 should not be in bed with PGCPS management. Otherwise, the unions become useless and members are trying to find ways to denounce their memberships because union leaders, staff and lawyers involved in protecting workers are corrupt.

Furthermore, Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs who supports corruption through a variety of ways including an illegal tender involving Thatcher law firm, needs to vacate the chair. The no competitive bind policy advocated by Verjeana Jacobs and Dr. William R. Hite Jr. is hurting our children’s education.  Thatcher Law firm was given a no competitive bind contract because of ties to Dr. William R. Hite Jr. and after Verjeana Jacobs was paid $8,000 hush-money towards her re-election campaign. It’s time to elect new leadership and cancel the $5 million no bind contract awarded to the Thatcher Law firm. Corruption in PG County is killing the future education of local kids. The Thatcher Law firm is involved in deep seated corruption and must be forced to repay back the money to PGCPS. (Read more)

PG County needs a school board chairperson who is not afraid to lead and take on the challenges facing the staff, students and parents. Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs no longer represents the interests of the citizens of PG County and Prince George’s County 5th district.  Her “corruption, corruption, hide, hide, nepotism, nepotism, pay to play, pay to play, cover up, cover up” ways and policies have contributed to the terrible and low performance of the Prince George’s County school system we have today led by the corrupt Dr. William R. Hite Jr.

Today PGCPS is on the bottom of the ladder in Maryland. We need Board members and a new superintendent who will step up and fight for our students, American workers and free enterprise, and work to facilitate job opportunities where all Americans can pursue their own American dream while being accountable – it’s time!

https://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/sasscer

Corrupt Dr. William R. Hite Jr. and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs are pictured below.

Dr.William Hite Jr goes Bonkers – finally loses it!

 Please anyone, calm this man down.Dr. William Hite Jr.

Reform Sasscer movement has always taken a holistic approach to promote good governance. Good governance requires strong institutions, a receptive regulatory environment, and an active citizenry that holds its government accountable.  Underpinning all governance reform efforts is the public’s right to information. Where information is accessible at all levels and transactions are conducted in a transparent and open way, citizens are empowered and opportunities for corruption diminish. Conversely, the lack of adequate access to information, whether in election, budget processes or procurement procedures, enables corruption to not only exist but to flourish.

Reform Sasscer movement experience has proven that improving in one area of governance –  For example PGCPS Budget reform – without addressing access to information leaves an imbalance which can result in a less transparent and accountable society like we are seeing under the  Student Based Budgeting (SBB) in Prince George’s County Public Schools ( PGCPS) under William Hite. Many parents and staff members are in the dark. This was demonstrated recently on May 30, 2012 during the District 6 citizen meeting at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School. Several concerned parents had no idea of how money is being spent.

It is in this background that we wrote to the General assembly on April 23, 2012 asking our elected officials to help push much needed reforms within PGCPS under embattled Superintendent Hite.  As a result of our advocacy, Dr. Hite reacted angrily over the weekend promising certain retaliatory measures. He refused to answer the concerns presented in our blogs by denying everything saying “these allegations are not only false, they are slanderous”. (See emails below and our response).

Greater transparency can be achieved in various ways, but one of the most efficient way is through a general right of access to official information. Access to timely, transparent and appropriate information within our school system is crucial to building accountable communities.  If William Hite cannot cope with this demand, he should resign hence forth. We have been demanding this for a while now on behalf of PGCPS and the larger community as a whole. Dr. Hite is and has been a distraction because he does not know the job and he is harrassing. The man was selected corruptly for the job.

Bottom line, in the age of social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc.), no leader or civil servant can afford to abuse power and plunder resources without oversight. The consequences can be adverse as demonstrated recently even with our own secret service. Nobody should be above the law in PGCPS. That goes for Dr. William R. Hite Jr., Ms. Verjeana Jacobs and anyone else involved in the public corruption including Chief legal counsel Mr. Roger Thomas.  We will continue with our advocacy until the issues are addressed.

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

From: Reform Sasscer <reformsasscer@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 29, 2012 at 3:45 AM
Subject: Re: Allegations – A Response To Allegations in This Information
To: “William R. Hite, Jr.” <william.hite@pgcps.org>
Cc: “educationissues@hotmail.com” <educationissues@hotmail.com>, “paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us” <paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us>, “anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us” <anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us>, “douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us” <douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us>, “jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us” <jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us>, “victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us” <victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us>, “thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us” <thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us>, “joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us” <joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us>

Dear Senators, Board of Education members, elected officials et alia,

The reply received is typical of Dr. William Hite jr response to a public inquiry. First, Dr. William Hite jr is a public figure with responsibility and duty to be accountable to the public and yet he feels he is a king in charge and only accountable to himself. His response to Dr. Eugene Williams is contemptible and disgusting and revealing to his attitude towards accountability and transparency of public funds. Dr. Eugene Williams only asked for a simple clarification to an issue which is now public knowledge and what does Dr. William Hites jr do? He comes out with guns blazing and with a no take prisoners approach. Dr Hite immediately becomes a judge and jury all rolled into one claiming slander and terrorist – threatening unspecified retaliation measures. Could someone please bring this Dr. William Frankenstein Hite monster under control with a muzzle and tranquilizer? Such a so called learned man should learn how to respond in a civil and enlightened manner. Prince George’s County Public Schools (Pgcps) does not deserve or condone such uncouth and irresponsible behavior from a superintendent of schools.

Dr. Wiiliam Flantesntein Hite should tame his ego and lead by example. What kind of example does this dialogue serve? Are we supposed to bow and shudder to the all might self proclaimed king Dr. Wiliiam Frankenstein Hite? We hope he is not trying to start his own Friday the 13th horror sequel. Dr. Hite you don’t scare anyone. We will settle for nothing-less than the truth, transparency and accountability. Enough is enough. Your threats and witch hunt belong in a museum. They will never work. We will not be silenced or intimidated.

In addition, Dr. William Hite you can bark as much as you like but you need to have the common decency to the gentleman’s inquiry and answer the questions.  This is not a threat but a fact. There are more than 21 points to clarify. We will continue to post questions and concerns from Pg county citizens in the blogs. Parents and students deserves answers. Dr William Hite jr climb down from your high perch.

Finally, if you are a woman  who has been subjected to sexual harrassment, innuendo, unwarranted looks and comments and promises by Dr. William Hite jr, don’t be a victim of silence, you need to come out and save other women suffering the abuse silently. We are aware of numerous venues inluding Boston etc. Time has come to put a stop to this madness. Every girl and woman needs your protection in Pgcps – Speak up!

Regards,

Deputy spokesman – Fletcher Morris Beyene

Reform Sasscer Movement Secretariat.

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

From: William R. Hite, Jr. <william.hite@pgcps.org>
Date: Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Subject: Allegations – A Response To Allegations in This Information
To: educationissues@hotmail.com, reformsasscer@gmail.com
Cc: paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us, anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us, douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us, jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us, victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us, thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us, joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us

Greetings Mr. Williams,

 Thank you for contacting Prince George’s County Public Schools. As a general rule, we do not respond to anonymous emails, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts. The school system has established numerous resources for individuals to voice their concerns and/or make formal complaints (http://www1.pgcps.org/internalaudit/index.aspx?id=20430).

However, rest assured that these allegations are not only false, they are slanderous. The individuals behind these hateful attacks seek to shred the reputation of our employees, students, school system and community. Hateful online speech (e-bullying or e-terrorist attacks) have real world consequences and should not be tolerated.

Finally, Mr. Williams, if you are the person responsible for these communiqués or if you know the individual(s) responsible, please let us know.

Thank you,

William R. Hite

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

From: Eugene Williams,Sr. <educationissues@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Subject: A Response To Allegations in This Information
To: rosalind.johnson@pgcps.org, verjeana.jacobs@pgcps.org, donna.hathawaybeck@pgcps.org, william.hite@pgcps.org, educationissues@hotmail.com

Superintendent Hite and Board Members-

I recently retired from the school system, primarily because I did not feel that the the teaching environment was hostile and retaliatory to senior, experienced teachers. Moreover,  the alleged age and racial discrimination infuriated me, an experience, competent teacher who helped many students and brought national and international recognition to the system. For more abour my accomplishments and achievements, please see www.academicresourcesunlimited.org.

Now, an Evolutionary Elder, I am desirious of a response to the information in the e-mail I am forwarding to you. I receive such e-mails regularly. Are these allegations true? If so, how do you plan to address them?

Personally, as a citizen of the County, I have several other concerns about the quality of education some of our young people are receiving. I will share them with the Superintendent in a follow-up e-mail.

Thanks for a prompt response.

Dr. Eugene Williams, Sr.
301-768-8316
www.academicresourcesunlimited.org
Evolutionary Elder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:43:06 -0400
Subject: Reforms needed at PGCPS -Sasscer.
From: reformsasscer@gmail.com
To: paul.pinsky@senate.state.md.us; anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us; douglas.peters@senate.state.md.us; jim.rosapepe@senate.state.md.us; victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us; thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us; joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us

Greetings,

We are providing you with this update to make you aware of the conflicts of interest which is impacting Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS) as a result of  the actions of Superintendent of Schools Dr.William Hite and the outgoing BOE Chair since 2008 school year.

We are asking the members of the General Assembly to press for reforms at the Sasscer Administration Building and an end to the corruption being perpetrated by Dr. William Hite and his Kitchen cabinet. We request major cuts be pushed at Sasscer before any approval of the FY2013 budget..Our school system is faced with corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct and cuts are necessary to clean house. Any Budget approval should be tied to accountability and transparency of an inspector General (IG). Needless to say, this would act as a mint of fresh air to scandalous Budget AND money buried in the said budget for questionable activities by Dr. William Hite and Verjeana Jacobs (BOE Chair). (see the link below)

https://pgcpsmess.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/top-priorities-for-the-incoming-boe-in-pgcps/#respond

Deputy spokesman – Fletcher Morris Beyene

Reform Sasscer Movement Secretariat.

  

Discrimination & Racism in PGCPS.

Embattled Superintendent & Corrupt administrators determined to stay in job.

America has progressed over the last two hundred years with regard to race relations.   Our government has advanced notably since segregated offices in the Federal workplace during the Woodrow Wilson Presidency.   History discloses that we have moved beyond the Middle Passage, the One-Drop Rule, and the overt racism that our government adopted during the Jim Crow era.  In  2009, America witnessed the inauguration of its first African-American President, President Barack Obama.  Unfortunately, despite this notable ascension of an extremely brilliant, highly educated and qualified man of color to the highest rank of public service, the vast majority of qualified individuals of color are still deprived career opportunities to best serve our nation. Discrimination and racism still persists sadly even among the people of color as seen under embattled Superintendent William Hite Jr. (pictured below).

Embattled superintendent Hite.

In Prince George’s County public schools (PGCPS) – Maryland currently led by the embattled superintendent Hite, the prevalence of “colorism” — black on black discrimination, is the order of the day in various schools and central offices including Sasscer Administrative building where Dr. William Hites office is. Even though this might be less known, it’s an open secret in this predominant black community.  While many blacks do not always discriminate against each other by color, this attitude is not unique. The fact that blacks often treat other blacks differently, based on the shade of their skin, is a well-known issue in this ancient old land. However, the issue seem to have turned out for the worse in PGCPS under embattled Hite. (Read the news article here) and another news clip here.

Comedian Paul Mooney talks about it on stage. In one of his routines he said, “At home where I come from, Louisiana, we have the saying for it: ‘If you brown, hang around. If you yellow, you mellow. If you white, you all right. If you black, get back.’ ” “The worst insult a dark-skinned boy as a child, ever got is to be called African,” Jason who is an administrator said recently. “You can call me anything in the book when I was younger. Just don’t call me African,” he added.

Jason said people equate Africa to “savage.”

The Black Power movement was supposed to change those attitudes, and it did change some things. Suddenly there were some dark-skinned male stars who played the “hero” — Richard Roundtree played “Shaft,” and other stars followed, like Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, and Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx.

As a result of the above, maladministration, professional misconduct, corruption, nepotism and discrimination in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) have gotten out of hand. We share this information in honor of staff members who are victims of retaliation and discrimination in various ways within the same District system. (Read the cases here) It is our hope that the accounts that follow highlight qualities of a new Superintendent that will assist in the selection process as we move forward in finding a new leader.  It is our sincere believe that the accounts that follow in the next few weeks and months narrating racism, professional misconduct, discrimination and nepotism within PGCPS system, not only captures your attention, but motivates you to proactively fight for a better America. By holding our county government and elected officials accountable. We can continue to build and promote an inclusive culture that encourages effective workforce performance not cover-ups! State and county employees, guardians over the public trust, must be able to pursue the missions of their organizations free from discrimination, racism and retaliation.  Public servants should not have to operate in fear of retaliation for reporting workplace, program or policy abuses that are racially discriminatory.

What Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) – District Community needs in a new Superintendent;

1. Community needs a new Superintendent who has a vision, is able to communicate that vision and is able to make it come to pass.
2. Teachers in all schools are 100 percent focused on the children. “Our problem here isn’t funding, it’s some administrators,” one teacher said recently. “There are givers and takers in this world, and it’s sad that in this community we have too many takers.” How can one justify thousands of administrators making over $100,000 with nothing to show for it?
3. The community also needs a new Superintendent who is a team leader and a team player who can educate children on their individual level. William Hite Jr. EdD is neither a good team leader nor a good team player.
4. Administrators, Teachers and support staff need a new superintendent who can quickly gain the confidence of leaders within the system, inspire them, motivate them and re-energize them.
5. They also strongly favor a new superintendent as someone who can focus on one or two key areas of change; improve student achievement and be fair and consistent in his or her dealings with employees, students and the community.
6. Other Key suggestions made to the “Reform Sasscer Team” are; A new superintendent who could implement a system wide focus on all schools, meet the needs of students who aren’t college-bound and unify the school system and public behind one vision.
7. A new Superintendent who could assist students make AYP as well as staying focused on students and working on parental involvement. Many schools have been failing contrary to what William Hite has been saying lately as a cover up, (Read the news clip here).
8. The big superintendent goals/qualities that came out of the teachers’ input meeting recently are making data-driven decisions that are not one-size fits all, giving administrators the autonomy to use school data to identify problems at their schools and create solutions to fix them, and bridging racial divisions that exist in the school system.
9. Encouraging collaboration and creativity among teachers, being a visionary and having sensitivity for other cultures including southern and racial issues.
10. A new Superintendent who can work with all the board members without targeting those who do not toe the line by not supporting fraud and other corrupt activities.
11. The Business Community wants a new superintendent who can utilize sound business practices to achieve the outcome that everyone wants — or should want — and that’s getting the best results for our kids. Today, we spend a lot to get a poor product. No business can sustain itself with that model.
12. Finally PGCPS needs a new superintendent who can fight corruption and take head on  Bully administrators who are sexually harassing staff in various locations, schools, central offices within the PGCPS District system with blind eye of embattled Superintendent Hite.  This issue has been compromising quality of service and has gotten worse under  him. (William Hite Jr. EdD).

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Hite’s corruption.

PGCPS Corruption fights back.

Superintendent William Hite operates as if he is a sole administrator of the schools.  The law which established the board of education has not provided for sufficient checks and balances within the board of education (BOE) against the Superintendent who is the treasurer, the secretary to the board of Education and the CEO all rolled into one!  If the Chairman of the BOE operates without the effective input of other members of the board of education, and is not under the supervision of another organ of government, such as the county council to question his activities, then abuse and the impunities which we complain about will continue.

In recent days, Teachers, staff and students have seen some students being victimized at Largo – Laurel High Schools for expressing their thoughts on the current events involving some administrators.  This is not fair to, Students who have been victimized for expressing their views.  Children have rights too! Many of these students are aware of the adulterous relationship involving Mr. James Smallwood, – Assistant Principal and two teachers he supervised. (See the blog here). Many students observed and heard what appeared to be “noises of passion” coming from his office during and after work hours. The same thing applies to Principal Dwayne Jones and Ms. Debra Toppins who have been an item for years creating a conflict of interest.  The change in policy to suspend students who talk about these issues appears to emanate from the superintendent Hite and it’s misuse of policy to hold on to power. Similarly, William Hite’s desire to hold onto power has gone so far as to create AN OFFICE OF CONSTITUENT SERVICES, which happens to be nothing more than a political tool to spread propaganda to the citizens of Prince George’s County on how “Good Dr. William Hite Jr. is”. The same office is also being used as a tool for cover up.

 There are many other issues  we have with Superintendent Hite among them is; scheduling of Board of Education meetings during the middle of the day at 1pm when most parents are working.  Chasitating staff and students who voice issues of concern against their 1st amendment freedoms is another issue.  This is dictatorship.  We can do better!   The NAACP has complained about the scheduling of these meetings, but that too has fallen on deaf ears. It appears as if Superintendent Hite has something to hide by scheduling these meetings at times to minimize concerned parents.  The time has come to impeach William Hite EdD, a fight for the future of our kids and their education.    

Corruption is the biggest enemy the public schools of Prince George County have; it is linked to so many other problems that challenge the schools and communities in the county.  

“Don’t ever give up,” one parent said recently. “When you fight against corruption, corruption fights back.” “They want you to back off.”  We agree!

Fighting corruption is first and foremost, about establishing the rule of law, so this has been the primary focus of Reform PGCPS Sasscer team’s anti-corruption campaign.

In a county that has seen very few convictions for fraud or corruption before the beginning of our reform campaign; we are yet to see any actions from the county concerning these issues. Cases brought up by several employees will be heard in the Federal and Circuit Courts in the following weeks and months. Stay informed and put on the pressure!   

Prince George County’s reform efforts will end up being a success because they are home-grown; they are supported by the Prince George County’s people, and by some current Prince George County’s leadership. Prince George County’s citizens are sick and tired of being known the world over as scam artists. In credible polling throughout the county, the fight against corruption in public schools is measured as among the electorate’s top concerns, next to food and healthcare for their families.

But corruption fights back.

The process for identifying corrupt officials is open and transparent. However, those against whom we have laid charges use the resources they have stolen to fight back. They own radio and television stations, newspapers, email system, websites, and can hire the best lawyers. But they cannot run away from the facts, nor ultimately from the court of public opinion.

We have proven that we can tackle corruption on our own—but we are still asking for help and support from a wide range of citizens across the County and throughout the United States and abroad to guarantee that these efforts do not falter.

As Prince George’s citizens go to the polls to elect a new council member in a few days and in the future including 2012, we can only offer one piece of advice: whomever you choose, make sure that they are willing to wage a war against corruption in Prince George County’s public schools. Excuses made by those who collaborate with corruption, such as “it is not just me,” should no longer be tolerated. The same is true for all elected officials in the state of Maryland. We must get to a point where there is zero tolerance for corruption as the everyday way of life.

 The money confiscated from former county executive Mr. Jack Johnson that has been returned to the county government is money that ought to have been originally spent on healthcare and development. We hope the new county leadership will use it to improve our health sector, among other initiatives. Maybe one day those who are involved in corruption in Prince George County – Maryland will be treated like pariahs in all decent and civilized gatherings. Maybe then we can bid a permanent farewell to state and county kleptocracy across Prince George County – Maryland.

 Lastly, it is our hope that by making such critical self-help information available to students, civil servants and publicly exposing state and county workplace injustices we can propel a CHANGE to improve the state and county government workplace culture.   Wrongdoing within the state and county sector continues to impact public program administration fairness, safety and efficiency.   Notably, the cost of discrimination to the public, the taxpayer, remains in the $100,000,000 millions of dollars.   To better protect our citizens, we must protect our state and county workers and the students.   For the state and county government’s treatment of its workers and students is inextricably linked to the quality of goods and services it renders to the public.   Without question, employees who work for the state and county sector serve on America’s first line of defense with regard to protecting our state and the county.

Hite’s corruption.

PGCPS Corruption fights back.

Superintendent William Hite operates as if he is a sole administrator of the schools. The law which established the board of education has not provided for sufficient checks and balances within the board of education (BOE) against the Superintendent who is the treasurer, the secretary to the board of Education and the CEO all rolled into one! If the Chairman of the BOE operates without the effective input of other members of the board of education, and is not under the supervision of another organ of government, such as the county council to question his activities, then abuse and the impunities which we complain about will continue.

In recent days, Teachers, staff and students have seen some students being victimized at Largo – Laurel High Schools for expressing their thoughts on the current events involving some administrators. This is not fair to, Students who have been victimized for expressing their views. Children have rights too! Many of these students are aware of the adulterous relationship involving Mr. James Smallwood, – Assistant Principal and two teachers he supervised. (See the blog here). Many students observed and heard what appeared to be “noises of passion” coming from his office during and after work hours. The same thing applies to Principal Dwayne Jones and Ms. Debra Toppins who have been an item for years creating a conflict of interest. The change in policy to suspend students who talk about these issues appears to emanate from the superintendent Hite and it’s misuse of policy to hold on to power. Similarly, William Hite’s desire to hold onto power has gone so far as to create AN OFFICE OF CONSTITUENT SERVICES, which happens to be nothing more than a political tool to spread propaganda to the citizens of Prince George’s County on how “Good Dr. William Hite Jr. is”. The same office is also being used as a tool for cover up.

There are many other issues we have with Superintendent Hite among them is; scheduling of Board of Education meetings during the middle of the day at 1pm when most parents are working. Chasitating staff and students who voice issues of concern against their 1st amendment freedoms is another issue. This is dictatorship. We can do better! The NAACP has complained about the scheduling of these meetings, but that too has fallen on deaf ears. It appears as if Superintendent Hite has something to hide by scheduling these meetings at times to minimize concerned parents. The time has come to impeach William Hite EdD, a fight for the future of our kids and their education.

Corruption is the biggest enemy the public schools of Prince George County have; it is linked to so many other problems that challenge the schools and communities in the county.

“Don’t ever give up,” one parent said recently. “When you fight against corruption, corruption fights back.” “They want you to back off.” We agree!

Fighting corruption is first and foremost, about establishing the rule of law, so this has been the primary focus of Reform PGCPS Sasscer team’s anti-corruption campaign.

In a county that has seen very few convictions for fraud or corruption before the beginning of our reform campaign; we are yet to see any actions from the county concerning these issues. Cases brought up by several employees will be heard in the Federal and Circuit Courts in the following weeks and months. Stay informed and put on the pressure!

Prince George County’s reform efforts will end up being a success because they are home-grown; they are supported by the Prince George County’s people, and by some current Prince George County’s leadership. Prince George County’s citizens are sick and tired of being known the world over as scam artists. In credible polling throughout the county, the fight against corruption in public schools is measured as among the electorate’s top concerns, next to food and healthcare for their families.

But corruption fights back.

The process for identifying corrupt officials is open and transparent. However, those against whom we have laid charges use the resources they have stolen to fight back. They own radio and television stations, newspapers, email system, websites, and can hire the best lawyers. But they cannot run away from the facts, nor ultimately from the court of public opinion.

We have proven that we can tackle corruption on our own—but we are still asking for help and support from a wide range of citizens across the County and throughout the United States and abroad to guarantee that these efforts do not falter.

As Prince George’s citizens go to the polls to elect a new council member in a few days and in the future including 2012, we can only offer one piece of advice: whomever you choose, make sure that they are willing to wage a war against corruption in Prince George County’s public schools. Excuses made by those who collaborate with corruption, such as “it is not just me,” should no longer be tolerated. The same is true for all elected officials in the state of Maryland. We must get to a point where there is zero tolerance for corruption as the everyday way of life.

The money confiscated from former county executive Mr. Jack Johnson that has been returned to the county government is money that ought to have been originally spent on healthcare and development. We hope the new county leadership will use it to improve our health sector, among other initiatives. Maybe one day those who are involved in corruption in Prince George County – Maryland will be treated like pariahs in all decent and civilized gatherings. Maybe then we can bid a permanent farewell to state and county kleptocracy across Prince George County – Maryland.

Lastly, it is our hope that by making such critical self-help information available to students, civil servants and publicly exposing state and county workplace injustices we can propel a CHANGE to improve the state and county government workplace culture. Wrongdoing within the state and county sector continues to impact public program administration fairness, safety and efficiency. Notably, the cost of discrimination to the public, the taxpayer, remains in the $100,000,000 millions of dollars. To better protect our citizens, we must protect our state and county workers and the students. For the state and county government’s treatment of its workers and students is inextricably linked to the quality of goods and services it renders to the public. Without question, employees who work for the state and county sector serve on America’s first line of defense with regard to protecting our state and the county.

Some leaders in PGCPS – Heart of the problems in Schools.

This is to bring to the attention of the members of the legislative branch, as well as the general public about systematic corruption involving ASASP UNION with a blind eye of Superintendent William Hites Jr. The Prince George’s County Citizens have lost faith in the school leadership. Call your elected representatives now and the media. ~>Sign the petition~>  click Here

Root causes of the PGCPS problems – Dr. William Hite Jr.

OPINION AS PRESENTED BY STAFF AND STUDENTS

According to opinion of PGCPS staff, The Vice Principal at Largo High School, Mr. James Smallwood who also happens to be the current President of Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel (ASASP), is having an affair with the Testing Coordinator at Largo High school. He is also having an affair with an English Teacher at the same school. Something needs to be done urgently to remove him as an administrator within PGCPS.  Mr. James Smallwood is 61 years old, the Testing Coordinator is 36 and the English Teacher is 28.  The two ladies accidentally found out about each other this last school year.  The Testing Coordinator decided to confront the English Teacher.  Long story short, the English Teacher is now pregnant.  Mr. Smallwood is the former Principal of Forestville Military Academy in PGCPS and was demoted for this same type of nonsense there.

 The English Teacher’s name is Ms. Lisa McQuirter and the Testing Coordinator is Dr. Leelannee Malin.  Mr. Smallwood was a gym teacher when he started at Largo High school years ago and was later promoted to be Vice Principal.  We have known him for a long time.  Having known him for so long, we also know that he has been in a serious relationship with a white lady for over 20 years.  We only say this to show that he means no good to Dr. Malin or Ms. McQuirter. They are merely notches in his belt.  We find it unprofessional that he brings this to the work place. This behavior caused two women to confront each other like high schoolers.  The sad thing is that the students know all about it and make comments on facebook and tweet about it.

Ms. Simpson-Marcus the current Principal at Largo High School has shown blatant favoritism to him over the other administrators. We are sure that it is only because he is not only the President of the ASASP union, but Vice President of the American Federation of school administrators AFSA union.

Mr. Smallwood is denying fathering Ms. McQuirter’s baby. She is a decent person and we know she would not say it if it was not true.  She actually thought that she and Mr. Smallwood had a relationship.  She was proud of the fact that she was dating him and shared her happiness with several staff members this last school year. When she accidentally found out about Dr. Malin, she stopped seeing Mr. Smallwood.  Dr. Malin, however, follows him around like a little puppy dog and continues her relationship with Mr. James Smallwood.  She goes everywhere with him and they even showed up arm in arm for Largo High School prom last year.  Dr. Malin believes the lies that Mr. Smallwood tells her and flaunts her relationship with him to taunt Ms. McQuirter.  Ms. McQuirter says that the truth will come out until the baby is born and Mr. Smallwood takes a paternity test.  We feel sorry for Ms. McQuirter because she was totally taken advantage of by this man.  Mr. Smallwood has children older than Ms. McQuirter and we find it disgusting that he did this to her and now denies what he has done.

Many staff members at Largo High School have worked very closely with all the administrators and they are aware of the situation.  Many thought that Mr. Smallwood was a man with high standards because he was such a good administrator and worked hard.  However, we are all so surprised by all of this from him but it seems that, some of us clearly knew more than the rest.  He was always very professional with some of us. There were rumors about the affairs he had before; including with a guidance counselor and a science teacher at Largo High School, but it was never as blatant as now.  When we heard about the women at Forestville Military Academy, we knew, then, it was more than rumors.  One would think that with all the womanizing he is doing, he would use protection, (Condom).

On the other hand, Mr. Dwayne Jones (the Principal of Laurel High School) who is the current secretary of ASASP union and a good friend of Mr. James Smallwood (both men are pictured below) is involved in an illicit affair with a security guard at Laurel High School (Ms. Deborah Toppins). The staff at Laurel High School works in fear of retaliation because of the obvious conflict of interest. Ms. Toppins boosts that she is a sworn police officer besides being a security guard and has connections with police officers elsewhere including Laurel Police Department.

Staff has complained so many times to Dr. William Hite Jr. (Superintendent – PGCPS) and Ms. Monica Goldson (Assistant Superintendent) about harassment and retaliation in various locations within the PGCPS School District. However, nothing seems to get done to address the hostile work environment fueled by these many illicit affairs.  It’s quite disheartening that so many staff members have lost faith in all of them.  Ms. Simpson-Marcus paid her favorite Guidance Counselor to attend a workshop in Las Vegas – Nevada that she did not attend.  It was brought to the attention of Dr. William Hite Jr. and the HSC, led by Ms. Monica Goldson.  They conducted an audit and found a lot of misappropriation of funds in this particular school.  Some of the staff members knew the auditor and he told them that with all the findings of his audit, Ms. Simpson-Marcus should have been fired.  Well, Dr. William Hite Jr. has kept everything under wraps and has since removed the auditor from Largo High School.  Nothing happened to Ms. Simpson-Marcus or the guidance counselor; it does no good to bring anything to the superintendent or the HSC led by the corrosive Assistant Superintendent (Ms. Goldson).  Besides, Ms. Monica Goldson is friends with Simpson-Marcus and other principals. She supports all their wrong doings.

 Larger Implications:

 Many staff members and students within PGCPS are harassed and retaliated against every school year. Their complaints are never addressed because the very leaders, who are supposed to help with their grievances, are involved in corruption. In order to see the circle of corruption cut off, we would like to see something done to address the issues this year. Please review the issues including the blog and Circulate widely to other stakeholders through face book, twitter etc. Call your senators, delegates and other elected officials.

 Corruption flourishes when someone has monopoly power over a good or service; has the discretion to decide how much you get or whether you get any at all, and where transparency and accountability are weak. So, to fight corruption we must reduce monopoly, reduce discretion, and increase transparency in many ways.

Corruption = Monopoly + Discretion – Transparency

Enhancing accountability means many things, and creative leaders use a remarkable variety of methods. One way to improve accountability is to improve the measurement of performance. Leaders can work with their employees and clients to create new systems for measuring the performance of agencies and offices—and then link rewards to results.

Accountability is also increased by inviting outside agencies to audit, monitor, and evaluate.

What about ethics and morality? Successful leaders set a good example. They sometimes create training programs for employees and citizens. Nonetheless, in the success stories I have studied, what might be called “moral initiatives” are not the key feature of the long-term reforms. The keys are systems that provide better incentives for imperfect human beings to perform in the public interest—and to avoid corruption.

Subverting Corruption

When corruption has become systemic, it resembles organized crime. It has its own parallel system of recruitment and hierarchy, of rewards and punishments, of contracts and enforcement. This parallel system has some inherent weaknesses. For example, in no country of the world are bribery and extortion legal. Therefore, they must be kept (somewhat) secret. The money gained must be hidden. One cannot openly recruit new members. The mechanisms for enforcement are illicit.

How can these corrupt systems be subverted? Obviously we cannot count on members of organized crime to clean themselves. Instead, we must analyze the corrupt systems and ask, “How might they be destabilized?” Who is “we”? It can be a new president and his or her team, or a new mayor or head of a public enterprise. But it can also be you and me as members of civil society. Around the world we see new examples of citizen activism, of business groups entering into “integrity pacts,” of intellectuals and journalists and religious leaders going beyond lectures and sermons to analyze corrupt systems and work together to subvert them.  Sign the petition~> click Here