Extracts from Glenn's  Response to the Frederick County Teachers Association questions

Why do I want to be on the Board of Education? What experience best prepares me to be a member of the Board of Education?

I want to become a member of the Board of Education , because I believe that I can complement the Frederick County school system, by utilizing my talents of brainstorming, motivational speaking, working as a team with the BOE and the BOC, and other state officials by being an active listener (sending and receiving).

I am confident that my vast experience with my education, employment history, and my organizational/ community involvement, along with being a part of the Frederick County school system for five years, and working with the special educational needs children, along with the many product management techniques that I have used successfully as a senior officer in many corporations will complement the Frederick County Board of Education toward being second to none.

Should maintenance of effort (MOE) be the ceiling in the county's funding of education, or should it be the floor. Do I think MOE should be waived by the state during economic downturns?

That depends upon how (MOE) for funding is defined. I know the difference between operating expenditures and capital expenditures. We're always going to have cycles in our economy! We may not get out of this down turn for a few years, so we're all going to have to work as a team to insure that the Frederick County school system is maintained using processes and projects that create the end product, which are our children, teachers, support staffs.

Recruiting and retaining high-quality employees is critically important to our success as a school system. It is made more difficult by our proximity to higher paying counties and high price living in Frederick County . Please describe your plan for recruiting new instructional staff and keeping our experienced staff here.

When I went to grade school, I attended several one room school houses, that had 8 grades with 1 teacher for six years. The teacher that was assigned to work at this 1 room school house with only a wood stove, and little supplies. Their main concern was working with what they had to provide each child with the best education, so that they could move on.

Imagine 1 teacher having to plan for teaching 8 grades with approximately 30 students? These individuals were called to their profession of putting out a great product!

My plan is to continue to work as a team to recruit the best candidates from colleges, that have the real calling to be a great teacher. Our experienced staff will stay here only if they are treated as great teachers and not micromanaged by the many administrators in our school system.

The cost of health care is rising dramatically. What would you take to continue to provide quality health care benefits, while keeping the costs affordable to members of the board?

The first thing I would do is to consider with working with in teams would be to consider insurance pools that involve all the county employees.

We don't need a special commission to come up with a plan.

What are my top three priorities for the Frederick County schools? How would you address these priorities?

My top three priorities for the Frederick County schools are:

1. incorporate 'brainstorming' and 'active listening' training sessions for all principals, assistant principals, teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, special education teachers and special education assistants, and all support staff. (Using the DR.. Crawford-slip method)
2. Eensure that all iIEP's are processed with the parents, guidance counselors, teachers, and teacher assistants, are completed in a timely manner.
3. Provide the substitute teachers' with real class-room plans for periods for which they are substituting, along with a 'class room disruption form to be handed out to the disruptive students.

I would address these above priorities in the following manner.

1. I would utilize the Crawford-slip methodology in the training sessions, working in the above listed teams mentioned.
2. incorporate the project planning techniques for each IEP, identifying the necessary items listed on page 2 - (major concentrations) in the FCPS policy manual.
3. incorporate this substitute teachers' plans and class room disruption form in the FCPS policy manual. This form would be handed to each disruptive student's to be completed in full and turned in to the principles office, with a copy for the teacher that is being substituted for. This form is user-friendly. A copy of such a form will be submitted with this

questionnaire.

Teachers do not have adequate time to meet the increasing demands put upon them by the school system. Increasing parent contact, adapting to new technology, addressing changes in curriculum, and analyzing student data take ever larger chunks of their planning time and an increasing amount of time at home, often to the detriment of planning for ongoing instruction.

What ideas do I have to streamline, prioritize and reduce the non-instructional work required of teachers.

A plan is for an event or events. All the items listed on page 2 require a team to develop these plans, utilizing the project management steps for each process, project, and the product (which is the children)

What ideas do I have to ensure the adequate use of existing school space to avoid overcrowding in some schools while unused classrooms exist at other schools?

Planning administrators of the highest level should identify the inadequacies and make recommendations to the Board of Education . However, all of the project management techniques for processes, projects, and products must be the deliverable to the Board of Education . I'm sure there will be sufficient knowledge on each end to work as a team.

How do you see the need to renovate older schools fitting into the capital budget improvement plan? How should the renovation needs of older buildings be prioritized?

All capital budget items should be prioritized by the capital budget team to include possible redistricting if necessary, using risk management and other project management techniques in the planning process for capital projects. This is done by projections of people moving into Frederick County , or moving out of Frederick County . This plan is based upon the economic conditions of our county, city, and state. (Along with future forecast.)

What is my view of the construction of the new FCPS building in downtown Frederick?

This is an easy question. Any person who has taken a course in accounting 101, should know the difference between operatining expenditures and capital expenditures. Most families work on an operating budget for their everyday expenditures for their homes and automobiles. There was a lack of transparency and openeness in the decision making of this project. Those moneys taken from the operating budget to build this building should be returned to the operating budget!

Can I think of any existing programs that the BOE currently offers that should be abolished or scaled back? How should the BOE assess the effectiveness of its pograms and initiatives? How should the BOE determine when and how new initiatives should be enacted?

I believe that if I was a member of the BOE, I would be open minded to every suggestion. I would first of all list all the current programs that are in place, then with a team prioritize each to whether they are usable or not. The BOE should assess the effectiveness of each program on its own merits. Is it needed to enhance our children’s education, then absolutely is will meet the criteria to be effective. The BOE should also utilize the same criteria mentioned in the previous sentence, for any enactment of initiatives presented or currently in use.

What changes, if any, should be made when congress reauthorizes the elementary and secondary education act? Specifically what changes, if any, should be made to no child left behind provisions? How should the school systems meet the current requirements of this law? How does meeting nclb requirements fit into the BOE budget?

No child left behind should be just what it says! There should be no question about all of our children are in the hands of our school systems'. There is no way in hell, I can sit here and tell you that I made it through a one room school house without any technology, and that we as teachers and stewards of our children’s destiny. I never dreamed that in the 1960's that I would

be working on the luna module, nor in the 1970's and 1980's working on computers 1/10th the size of a computer in the 50's and 60's., nor did I realize that in the 1980's that I would be working on automatic teller machine software and hardware, and engineering software

and hardware. We are so blessed with the technology breakthrough of persons like bill gates, and apple software guru., along with many other now multi millionaires, like the 25 year old that started Facebook. Etc. etc. we can as a team should, and get it for our children.

What is your opinion on negotiating multiyear bargaining arrangements on salary and benefits? How would you ensure funding if this approach is used?

Everything can be negotiated! However, we must consider any approach that will be taken, will carry risks, along with benefits. At one particular moment in time, or for a specific "special education child, or even a child with less motivational skills, we have to look at maybe the benefits will outweigh the risks. However, without performing a risk assessment and utilizing the project management techniques for the overall product - our children, we are more at risk in making any snap judgements in any funding matter.