Mathemtatics, Economics Objective Mastery at North Avenue?

Baltimore Sun, April 10, 2007: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.marbella10apr10,1,3611627.column

Again BCPSS has budget problems. Not a few years after 50 some million dollars "disappeared" off the books, the new $1.2 billion budget submitted by BCPSS last week is filled with errors. $6 million allotted to a program without any employees. Initiatives reported to cost $18 million that actually cost $31 million. ISTs employed without salary. Obviously, when such miscalculations or lack of calculations occur in other billion dollar industries, consequences are incurred. Yet, Mayor Dixon said that the reevaluation of the budget would not be done via a line-item measure is too little time for that. Too little time? The budget that was submitted full of holes was submitted late. So, why aren't BCPSS officials learning from their mistakes? Why are the funds that back the education of this city so erroneously misplaced year after year? Greater Baltimore Committee (brought in to advise BCPSS on its financial mishaps years ago (1992 at the latest)) President Donald Fry finds it frustrating, saying these problems have been identified and steps suggested to correct them yet action is rarely taken and complacency continues among those who run BCPSS. Startling? Or, not surprising?

This article tries to pen the blame of the problem on the lack of consistency at the head of BCPSS. And while there is some truth to that, I take an opposite approach. An analogy: Tearing the colorful petals off of a plant creates the appearance of the plant's death. Change in the plant seems visible to all who care to look. But, later, after some time, after you forget to look at the plant, the petals grow back as the roots and the stem of the plant still remain alive and thriving. At BCPSS, flowers are torn from their stems at a high-frequency and with good reason; but, rarely are the people who actually make up BCPSS held accountable for their mistakes and inactions. Only the figurehead faces the sword. Everyone else knows they are usually safe and can afford to continue in their complacent approach to education. Today this complacency is a mess of a budget. Last year it was a mess of a curriculum. Each time only one or two are held accountable for their errors and those who never spoke up, who never made sure the best decisions were made, are given another free pass. Baltimore City, it appears through this article, can't afford to keep giving free passes, unless they are expecting free work from ISTs.