Upper Marlboro  MD.

No enduring civilization – or great nation – has ever been built on lawlessness, or criminality.

“And you shall know the truth,

And the truth shall set you free.”

John 8:32

Although the process seems to have gone relatively well, it was Ms. Jacobs who spawned the winners. The sycophancy and corruption of her era are still ingrained in the political culture and are embodied by the rise of her allies from the previous election.

Against the backdrop of political intrigue, PGCPS struggles against exploitative practices by corporations some of which have no bid contract against the State law. A self-isolated middle class cruises in luxury above a sea of poverty in the west of Largo – Capitol Height, Seat Pleasant, Fairmount Heights etc .  Mitchellville MD’s bungalows and opulent hotels dazzle observer’s eye, while blinding it to the shacks, broken roads, unfinished projects, schools which are in failing shapes.

We are grateful that whoever becomes the new superintendent of PG schools is coming to office the same time as President Obama is in office for the second term. Above all they will assume power around the same time as Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church and President Xi Jinping of atheist China. Both have taken the reins of power and each will be in charge of over 1.2 billion people.

Will Dr. Alvin L. Crawley, Dr. Eric J. Becoats and Mr. Harrison A. Peters, the three candidates chosen as finalist, revive the schools, help reduce poverty, corruption, nepotism, professional misconduct,  assist the homeless youth and prioritize the interests of ordinary PG Citizens, parents who have children in the school system? We are very skeptical.

1. Dr. Eric J. Becoats is said to have left Charlotte-Mecklenburg in 2004, after he was accused of using school system property to conduct personal business, according to a 2010 report in the (Raleigh) News & Observer. (See Washington post)
2. Dr. Alvin L. Crawley interim superintendent has not demonstrated his vision for the system during his short tenure and several students have died during this period. He has also not addressed our top priorities and does not seem to be Technology savvy . Dr. Crawley is also tied to Dr. William Hite jr in a variety of ways after he was hand picked to succeed him in a suspicious manner.
3. Mr. Harrison A. Peters He became a chief area officer for the Chicago Public Schools in 2010, responsible for 12 high schools serving 11,000 students. He is the only finalist who does not have a doctorate, which is not required to be a superintendent in Maryland.  

Any hesitation not to challenge the selection process of the new superintendent in PG County school system would be a betrayal of the United States constitution and everything else that PG County citizens hold dear after what we have been through.

Ms. Verjeana Jacobs and company, you are free to appoint your friends who qualify, but we ask you not to appoint sycophants. Many are singing praises to you now but they don’t mean it. You need someone who will have the courage to tell you when you are naked.  And the fortitude to remind you of your human frailties should you think you are god! You have acted like God in the last several years and conspired in variety of ways including Washington plaza fiasco in which the county lost millions of dollars. The list is endless…..

In this International Year of Water Cooperation, make us shout with joy, as Ronald Reagan [1911-2004], US 40th President said, “Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement…” Let this be our sputnik moments and help resolve grievances throughout the PG county system. We cannot move on as a county if we have grievances simmering in our closets.

PGCPS has never enjoyed a truly proper leadership and the democratic culture in PG County is not always transparent.  It would have been nice to see a diverse set of candidates including women and other minority groups even if the number would be limited to ten. Our wish is to see more interviews and an extension for recruitment of other candidates.  The process should include Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, this way, the Board makes a proper decision which is not based on selfish and egocentric values.  A new law which we advocated for was adopted by PG delegation in Annapolis in 2013 tries to decentralize power and set up checks and balances with procurement matters within the office of the County Executive.  However, this is not enough but it is a beginning for PG county.  Also House Bill HB1107  was established this year FOR the purpose of establishing the Task Force on the Membership and Operation of Prince George’s County Board of Education; We support this bill. PGCPS Board of Education does not and it is very suspicious why they do not support it. We hope the bill passes in both chambers.  It offers a chance to roll back the entrenchment of the Dr. William Hite legacy. Only then, finally, might the county silence a motto Dr. Hite once embraced, without a trace of irony: “L’état, c’est Moi.”

Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County

“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