Category Archives: Breakfast and corruption

Montgomery teacher starts petition against MSA.

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A petition started by a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher calling for the state not to administer the Maryland School Assessment tests this school year has gained hundreds of signatures from around the state.

Tiferet Ani, a social studies teacher in the Quince Orchard cluster, said that with the county — and state — implementing the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers test and no longer looking to the MSA tests to track student progress, she thinks it is a waste of time and resources to administer the annual test to elementary and middle school students this year.

PARCC, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards, will be fully implemented in the school system next school year.

As of Friday afternoon, about 400 people had signed the Moveon.org petition titled “Cancel the MSA.” >>> Read More Gazzette

>>> Attend Common Core protest at MSDE…on November 18, 2013. Call your elected officials now and the media. Demand changes due to Maryland State Board of Education leaders involved in corruption and abuse of power. (video)

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 Dr. Lillian Lowery, Dr. Charlene Dukes time to get a clue!

And the rest of the parents, teachers, and TAXPAYERS of Maryland – after you’ve signed the petition, contact your lawmakers, the state board of education, and the governor. This is a waste not only of time but of YOUR tax dollars

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

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In our opinion, We aver and therefore believe Maryland State Board of Education President Dr. Charlene Dukes shown here has demonstrated a culture of corrupt leadership style and continues “an integrated pattern of pay to play” and manipulation during her tenure.

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Stakes are high – PG Superintendent.

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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

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Let your vote Count on November 6, 2012

Finally, the time has come.

On Tuesday November 6th, 2012, US citizens in PG County will officially vote for new Board of Education members and political leaders.  (See our endorsements) Above all, We will re-elect President Barack Obama for another four-year term. The campaign has been issue based. It has been about the issues that the ordinary citizens faces and continuous to face.

It has been a campaign about all of us not just some of us. It has been a campaign about what unites us, not what divide us. It has been a campaign that defines the leadership that Prince George’s County citizens deserve. It has been a campaign that propels Prince George’s County citizens to greater heights. It has been a campaign that strives to create opportunities for everybody. It has been a campaign that plans to create innovation, transformation, change and transparency.

We  have travelled all over this county and from Oxon Hill to Laurel, Seat Pleasant to Forestville,  District Heights to Hyattsville, the indignity of poverty is evident, It is clear that PG Citizens lack basic needs and most schools are in terrible shape. The number of homeless children continues to rise sharply and Prince George’s County Board of Education chairperson refuses to address the issues heads on. The chairperson has chosen to surround herself with corruption while using her husband to do her leg work. The Morally dead situation must come to a stop  on Tuesday November 6 2012  after the election. Voters on that day will retire the current board chairperson promptly with others.

Otherwise, And unless we change our mentality unless we change the manner in which we define leadership and unless we change poor leadership for good leadership, things will remain the same. This election season we must vote out the Board chairperson for engaging in acts of corruption. (Read more Washington post).

The world is changing. We must choose to either maintain the status quo or elect new and fresh leadership that will change the history of our county. Leadership which is not based on corruption is better than one which is based on manipulations as seen in the past three years under the current leadership. It’s time!

Yes we can!

Reform Sasscer Movement for Prince George’s County – Maryland.

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Below are our endorsed candidates for Prince George’s County Board of Education  2012 Elections.

David Murray -School Board Candidate  District 1

Micah Watson – School Board Candidate  District 4

Raheela AhmedSchool Board Candidate  District 5

Carletta Fellows – School Board Candidate District 7

Edward Burroughs – School Board Candidate District 8

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Faith Jackson – (Harvard Bound) shows leadership.

Student Board Member Faith Jackson (Pictured above)

A very interesting BOE meeting took place on June 28, 2012 in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). The day began with Student Board member Faith Jackson expressing her frustration with education in PGCPS District and the corruption within the system. Faith Jackson’s speech is within the first half hour of this video. So please take a closer look. ~~> BOE Video.

For those who do not know Faith Jackson, She is a Charles H. Flowers High School (Mecca of Excellence) graduate who is Harvard-bound. Before choosing Harvard, Faith Jackson worked very hard under difficult circumstances while balancing many things such as, being the voice of thousands of students in BOE,extra curricular activities and the academics. At the end of the academic year, She had to choose between Harvard,Yale & Princeton universities among others. Finally,she choose Harvard University. In addition, Faith who was Charles H. Flowers High School Valedictorian for 2012 graduation class also participated in Soccer and swim teams in PGCPS. She will be remembered for many things among them, showing great courage while under pressure from some of her colleagues in the board. By the time of going to the press, she was under threat of retaliation for making the above speech. The BOE has been undergoing transformation under a watchful active citizenry both from within PG county and around the world. See top priority list here ~~> PGCPS priority for incoming BOE

We have a real serious problem in this county because we have intelligent, involved students such as Ms. Jackson who want to do more to solve some of the issues within this system but they are often shuned off because of bad leadership within the school District, but then you have ignorant individuals who don’t do the research, who do not care about the students or the staff, who are basically ignoring everything, and too ignorant to know that the individuals they have elected some are too incompetent to ever make this school system as good as it could be. The Board Chairperson, Dr. William Hite Jr and chief legal counsel are the epicenter of the corruption in PGCPS. They are in turn supported by close collaborators whose mission is to cover up. Read more. We honestly wouldn’t be surprised if years from now, Ms. Jackson is one of those individuals who refuses to affiliate herself with this sorry excuse for a school system. Corruption is very bad cancer and we must say “No” to it at the first sight. Just look at what happened to former county executive Mr. Jack Johnson and his wife Leslie Johnson. Another example is former superintendent Andre J. Hornsby

What was so interesting about the majority of the meeting is that you see the video profiling Jackson, including her description about how she had to learn to work with the system after coming in expecting to change so much. Then you see the comment from the principal speaking to Jackson’s need to “temper her passion.” Following the profile, you hear Jackson, and young lady is ticked! LOL. We don’t blame her. Damn, we could relate, in dealing with the system many of us in the movement. At the end, when you hear the public comments, you can see the story unfolding, and know why Ms.Jackson finally had enough. She has had enough with them and now it was time to fight the corruption heads on. Dr. Hite who was sitting nearby did not acknowledge her after her speech.

Many people in PG County are not involved with the school system the way they should be doing. It’s sad, but what’s even more sad is that, most parents don’t even show up to PTA meetings to hold these individuals accountable. Not just because we got a bunch of minorities working in the schools, many of these parents assume these people really care about their kids. We applaud Ms. Faith Jackson for her courage to speak up about these issues. It took real temerity to go up in front of the Board and the Superintendent of schools to say what she said. She is already off to a great start because she has already figured things out at the age of 18 what grown adults have not figured out in decades of living here. Reform Sasscer movement is very proud of her achievements and wishes her success in every way possible and in her future endeavors. She is a great leader!

“We must always remember that, leadership can show up anywhere and at anytime.” said one parent recently after watching the above video. Faith is very honest and shown great candor in dealing with the current Board. She clearly demonstrated all is possible and set high standards too. The fact is that, this young lady is very brave beyond her years. History will judge her well and she has made a permanent mark in the PGCPS history books as we move forward. In the meantime, corrupt leadership starting with Dr. William Hite and others are starting to jump off ship one by one…. It’s time!

Top Priorities For The Incoming BOE in PGCPS.

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

  1. Restore sanity to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) discourse (Addressing corruption, nepotism and professional misconduct at Sasscer Administration Building).
  2. Evaluate unprofessional relationship between Dr. William Hite and various unions representing employees as well as some young female Principals.
  3. Review activities of previous nefarious Chief Legal Counsel Mr. Roger Thomas and previous nefarious Chief Human Resources Officer -Synthia J. Shilling (formerly Deputy Legal Counsel). These two cost the school system millions of dollars.
  4. Create a strong anti-discrimination and harassment policy in PGCPS. Obey state and federal laws.
  5. Access certification credentials held by senior management including Ms. Monica Goldson etc.
  6. Limit the purchasing power as exercised by Dr.William Hite when purchasing school system merchandize. (Who abused this power and was without oversight).
  7. Find ways to address and help reduce high suspension rate throughout the PGCPS District. Suspended students become a problem to the community.
  8. Examine closely all contracts over $10,000 signed off by Dr. William Hite Jr. and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs previously (Corrupt BOE Chair).
  9. Consider the following points as they impact the entire school District.
  • A.) Adding tighter campaign finance rules to avoid repeats of the Thatcher Campaign Donations Fiasco.
  • B.) Lobbying the County Council and the County Executive (Rushern Baker) to appoint an Inspector General (IG) to address waste, fraud, and abuse issues for all county agencies at Baker’s Office (including School Board). (These steps are necessary because an I.G. has not been appointed and there are an abundance of attorneys). Yes we can!
  • C.) Enforce the existing Codes of Ethics for all central office employees. Report infractions that go unpunished to MSDE.
  • D.) Report all concerns to MSDE so the state department is more accountable to us in enforcing state laws and policies at the local level.
  • E.) Ask tough questions about Ms. Elizabeth Davis, alleged lover to Tony Liberatore. His wife allegedly walked up on those two kissing at Sasscer. Ms. Davis does EEOC hearings/mediations. What are her qualifications and credentials for that role with such low morals? What connection did she have with Ms. Synthia Kucner?

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

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

12. Examine closely appointments of personnel –

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

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

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

14.  Review the following deals:

  • A.) Washington Plaza, lobbyist ties and campaign donations
  • B.) H-1B
  • C.) The 27 administrators currently in arbitration
  • D.) Lack of due process among ALL employees for hearings, terminations, etc under Mr. Roger Thomas, Synthia J. Shilling, and Mr. Jim Whattam
  • E.) OIA number of lawsuits and EEOC complaints. There are so many EEOC complaints, they now have outsourced to other field offices throughout the country.
  • F.) Review overlap of Legal Department for attorney duties for waste
  • G.) The Thatcher contract was a no bid contract, totally against BOE policy. It needs to be cancelled.
  • H.) The $90 million Dr. Hornsby left behind that has been squandered.
  • I.) A proper investigation needs to be launched ASAP to follow money trail involving Dr. William Hite Jr., Roger Thomas, Mr. Matthew E. Stanski, Ms. Synthia J. Shilling also known as Ms. Synthia Kucner, and co-conspirators.

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

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

17. Report any information to Miranda Spivack or Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post or NBC4 Prince George’s County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins so they may do a story on misappropriation of funds. (After the incident with Dr. Hornsby occurred, BOE policies/procedures were implemented to prevent a reoccurrence. These procedures have yet to be followed.

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

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

20. Investigate Office of Constituent Services which acts as a campaign tool for Dr. William Hite even after he left the system. This office does very little to promote the interests of the PGCPS. The said office was only created to promote William Hite’s personal agenda and the staff overpaid to sit around to help put out fires touching on Dr. William Hite. Several staff members were given huge raises with no justification by Superintendent Hite personally. In this regard, IT Help Desk and Constituent Services needs to be merged to avoid duplication of duties.

21. Investigate IT Department and the relationship between some BOE members connected to fired IT Director Mr. Pierre Dickson. Verify what damage caused by the said Director and his lover Ms. Shanita Anderson.

22. Investigate nepotism beginning with Dr. William Hite’s office for the following reasons;

  • A.) The Director of communications Mr. Briant K. Coleman is a close family member to second in command.
  • B.) Several Instructional Directors have spouses who are either Principals or administrators within PGCPS.
  • C.) The previous Director was fired to create room for the current Communication Director, who is family member of the Deputy Superintendent.
  • D.) Previous Director of Communication was unjustly terminated in pretext for raising a discrimination issue.(see attached ~> Breedon vs PGCPS Bd. of Ed Hite)
  • E.) Investigate Ms. Monica Goldson, Chief Operating Officer (COO). She has several relatives in high level positions beginning at Sasscer – HR and in various schools. As the chief operating officer (COO), She controls millions of dollars and reports to the chief executive officer or the superintendent of schools. She is also responsible for the PGCPS’s day-to-day operating activities, including revenue and sales growth; expense, cost and margin control; and monthly, quarterly and annual financial goal management etc. What did she do to Dr. Hite to get the job without qualifications?

Investigate, investigate and change things immediately.

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PGCPS Breakfast or Bribery?

Verjeana Jacobs (Pictured above) must be rejected in the polls this election season for practicing corruption.

It has come to our attention that the embattled Ms. Verjeana Jacobs  (Chairperson of the Board of Education – BOE) is throwing a breakfast for influential members of the board, parents and union members which includes school principals after her defeat in the primary elections.

The Reform Sasscer movement is exposing this scandal to show there is a conflict of interest and is cumulative. The scandal is being perpetrated by Dr. William Hite Jr. and Ms. Verjeana Jacobs to mobilize school Principals and the Presidents of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) into supporting a campaign for Ms. Jacobs using student funds in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) using illegal methods. In our view, this is a waste of tax payer money, bribery of the highest order and corruption. Why does Chairperson Verjeana Jacobs suddenly feel the need to have a community engagement breakfast with the unions and other leaders she has not reached out to in 6 years? On top of all, the event is taking place in an expensive restaurant. The invitation went out to PTA/PTO/PTSO Presidents, Vice Presidents and Principals in the entire PGCPS District on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at 4:07 PM. (see attached breakfast). This is an attempt to undermine the smooth political campaigns and pressure the Principals and the PTA Presidents at Tax payers’ expense. This is unacceptable. We demand an immediate investigation and a full reimbursement of the tax payer’s money.

We are astounded by the turn of events by Mrs. Jacobs and Superintendent Hite.  Why invite members of a union that did not endorse or support her after she was exposed for engaging in corruption in the last 6 years as the chairperson of the Board of Education in PGCPS?  The  reasons for her actions may include an effort to undermine the solidarity of the union or fear of exposure. She seem to have run out of steam!  The Board of Education, led by Verjeana Jacobs and the administration of Dr. William Hite has been in bed with some corrupt union members as well as the former county executive Jack John for sometime. Their relationship with both Leslie Johnson  and Jack Johnson  have been compromising the quality of service in Prince George’s County schools. “This is another attempt to interfere and break the union inorder to  maintain status quo” said one union staffer recently.  However, “It will not work!”, she continued to say.  Members of the public are fed up with what is going on in our schools  and they are too smart to take the bait. Mrs.Verjeana Jacobs, your desperation is showing and come November 2012, the voters will speak loud and clear. They will send you home packing for good!

Dr. William Hite Jr. (Pictured here) resigned from the PGCPS system this last summer.

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