According to the web site of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), the schedule for the St. Mary’s County superintendent search looks like this:

Screening Begins - March 11, 2005
Initial Interviews - Early May
In-County Interviews - May 23-26, 2005

Based on this schedule we should know how many candidates there are. However, MABE is unwilling to share that information with anyone but the Board of Education, and there has been no official word from the Board of Education as to exactly how many candidates there may be. This is the open process we were promised.
Ordinarily, when information on a topic is not available, we believe that the School System has the information. This time, it can’t (or at least it shouldn’t) be the school system that has the information. So why is the Board of Education not telling us how the search is coming?

Could it be because they have already selected the new superintendent?
If they have already selected the new superintendent, then we all know who it will be - Dr. R. Lorraine Fulton, currently Interim Superintendent.

So I have a suggestion for how to select the Superintendent. Let’s use the Three Strikes method. Consider how this could apply to our Interim Superintendent.

There would be one good thing about having Dr. Fulton as Superintendent. She already is familiar with our community and who the important players are. St. Mary’s County is not like other places, and the years Dr. Fulton has already spent in St. Mary’s County could help her deal more effectively with our community’s idiosyncracies.

On the other hand, it is possible for an outsider to come to St. Mary’s County, catch on quickly, and do a good job. Consider Bill Scarfia, current president/CEO of the St. Mary’s Chamber of Commerce. He caught on quickly and has helped the Board of the Chamber of Commerce grow an active, vibrant Chamber.

So I have a suggestion for how to select the Superintendent. Let’s use the Three Strikes method. Consider how this could apply to our Interim Superintendent.

1. Dr. Fulton handled the appeal of the Palko mess at Mechanicsville Elementary School.

Strike one!

2. Dr. Fulton went to Annapolis for the annual beg-a-thon, a time when school systems present their priorities for supplemental capital funding from the State. With priorities from the Board of Education of 1) Money to complete Margaret Brent 2) Money to complete Carver Elementary School 3) Approval for a new elementary school, Dr. Fulton said the #1 priority was approval for the new elementary school.When Senator Dyson addressed the Governor, he said Margaret Brent and Carver were top priorities. It’s a good thing he was there to keep the money flowing.

Strike two!

3. In spite of the education studies which tell of the many ways that smaller schools are better than large ones, and tell how smaller schools have less truancy, discipline, and violence, and in spite of the School System’s need for a Safe School Task Force and a Great Mills Improvement group (suggesting schools are already too big) Fulton leads the School system to propose a new capital plan with 3 oversize, 646 student elementary schools along with renovating Leonardtown to hold 613 students, instead of 4 smaller, more student friendly elementary schools along with a 501 student renovation. The reason given for choosing the plan for larger schools was "to meet APF" (adequate public facilities provisions of the zoning ordinance which, when there is no school capacity, requires development to stop until planning approval is received.)

Dr. Fulton handled the appeal of the Palko mess at Mechanicsville Elementary School.

Strike one!

Her staff even proposes a hurry up writing of education specifications for Leonardtown so that they can have planning approval by September 2005 and meet APF as soon as possible. No mention was made of improving student learning.

Strike three!