We are extending our discussion on education public policy one more week to take time to look at LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS being set as 2020 sessions at city/county halls and state assemblies begin-----so, too the global banking 1% TALKING POINTS presented by 5% freemason/Greek players like HOGAN/RUTHERFORD----and the far-right wing global banking CLINTON/OBAMA neo-liberals.
In Maryland global banking 1% is using the KIRWAN COMMISSION to install WORLD BANK/IMF ONE WORLD ONE ONLINE JOB TRAINING. As always these 'commissions' which hand a few people the power of changing state and local public policy-----mirrors that education policy from UNITED NATIONS---NOT ALL-AMERICAN.
There are a few major points to make about this MARYLAND approach to installing DARK AGES education--we will start with the policy of creating an 'INDEPENDENT-------OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL' at city level with changes in CITY CHARTER ----and state level.
'Aug 17, 2019 · “It’s well meaning,” he said of the Kirwan plan. “But the fiscal ramifications may be beyond the realm of what’s realistic.” William “Brit” Kirwan, chairman of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, at the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines'.
TRANS PACIFIC TRADE PACT REQUIRES ALL SOVEREIGN NATIONS CEDE POWER TO A GLOBAL CORPORATE TRIBUNAL ----REGARDING OVERSIGHT AND LEGAL RULINGS AGAINST GLOBAL CORPORATIONS.
This is why our Baltimore and Maryland legislators are re-writing local, domestic agencies tasked with this same OVERSIGHT.
KIRWAN COMMISSION with NANCY KING for one is pretending to get tough on what was massive Federal and state education funding FRAUDS AND CRIMINALITY these few decades-----BUT NOT REALLY.
'Nancy J. King, Kirwan Commission member and chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, reflect the current state of affairs: “I love all the stuff that’s in Kirwan. I just don’t know how we’re going to pay for it all.”[4] King’s remarks were included in news of a Maryland Center on Economic Policy report, which outlines suggested ways to change the state’s tax systems in a way that would generate the $1.9 billion the state would need to contribute annually by 2020 to fully implement the Kirwan report recommendations.[5] Such changes would help recoup the lost investment in schools following the 2008 recession and the resulting increase in educational inequities'.
What this COMMISSION sets as policy is clearly creating the conditions state and local for UNFUNDED MANDATES------AKA-----not to be afforded. Again, our public K-12 is being told FIND THE MONEY ANYWAY YOU CAN.
Hmmmmmm, 'well meaning'-----OH, REALLY???
Telling parents and students this money is for MORE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM has been used since CLINTON era as FAKE NEWS.
Hogan Thumps for Accountability in Final Kirwan Commission Recommendations
By
Danielle E. Gaines
-
November 27, 2018
Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., pictured with Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford, is pressing for education accountability measures in the final Kirwan Commission package. Photo by Josh KurtzAs a commission charged with re-thinking Maryland’s education policies prepares for a lengthy public hearing, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) is advocating for strong accountability measures once again.
Hogan sent a letter to House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) Tuesday asking that the presiding officers ensure that the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education’s final recommendations include “strong academic and administrative accountability measures.”
The panel, commonly called the Kirwan Commission, has been meeting for two years to recommend changes to state funding and an expansive list of policies including early childhood and career-focused education programs, teacher salaries and accountability measures.
Neither Miller nor Busch sits on the commission; the legislative leaders also do not formally control the final contents of the report, which are being drafted and edited by commission subgroups. The Senate president’s office said Tuesday it did not have comment on the letter and no one from the speaker’s office was immediately available to discuss it.
The letter did not include specific recommendations Hogan would like to see in the commission’s report but outlined the policies he has championed in the past and has promised to promote in the future.
Hogan signed the commission’s first batch of preliminary recommendations included in a 2018 General Assembly bill but lamented the Legislature’s failure to pass bills outlining his own educational priorities.
Hogan introduced a bill last year that would have created an inspector general position for education with the power to issue subpoenas and hold hearings, but the measure was not voted out of committee.
In September, Hogan established through executive order an Office of Education Accountability that is responsible for analyzing, coordinating and providing recommendations on procurement, child abuse, neglect, safety, grading, graduation requirements, assessments, educational facilities and budgets. The office is also accepting anonymous tips about violations in schools and is developing criteria for investigating accusations of fraud, abuse, waste and unethical conduct in the state’s 24 school districts.
Hogan plans to reintroduce the inspector general legislation in January.
The Kirwan Commission’s work continues as Maryland school funding is set to see a dramatic increase after voters approved a “lockbox” proposal that will phase-in a plan to dedicate casino gambling revenue to supplementary education funding.
“But providing record funding for our schools isn’t enough. With this historic investment of state taxpayer money our citizens, parents, teachers, and especially our students have the right to expect and deserve more accountability, better local management, and the strongest oversight possible,” Hogan wrote to the legislative leaders.
The governor’s letter cited ethical lapses in some state school systems including criminal convictions, grading irregularities and procurement problems.
Drafts of the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations include plans for an independent oversight body that would coordinate, monitor, and evaluate implementation of the commission’s recommendations. The oversight panel would disband at the end of an implementation period.
If the recommendation is included in a final report, the oversight board would be chosen by the governor, speaker and Senate president, and would have the authority to require other state agencies and local school systems to respond to requests for information, changes to policies or implementation plans, and recommendations to withhold funding.
The commission will hold a public hearing in Annapolis on Thursday, with time set aside for organized groups to testify at 3 p.m. and members of the public to testify beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sign-up details are on the commission’s web page.
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BIG GOVERNMENT today means GLOBAL CORPORATIONS AND GLOBAL 1%-----the opposite of big government with lots of public input and fully staffed public agencies like our our schools.
BIG GOVERNMENT with a global corporate tribunal---means someone and the helpers are going to have to EARN 50 MILLION dollars a year with benefits rather than our local SCHOOL PRINCIPAL getting a little more than our classroom teachers.
BIG GOVERNMENT as global education corporations require GLOBAL CEOS also getting several million dollars a year instead of local public education agency leaders who may get $100,000 a year.
BIG GOVERNMENT as global education corporations will decide that HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS be the one's with the best MOOCS----ONLINE EDUCATION PLATFORMS. This will make a few MILLIONAIRES of MOOC winners while the rest of staff are PART-TIME TECHNICIANS plugging in online MOOCS.
INDEED, THIS WILL REDUCE STUDENT AND TEACHER FREEDOM ----AND ELIMINATE THE PARENT VOICE.
“The cost of compliance and implementation of the recommendations will be exorbitant,” said James Shuls,Ph.D., author of the report. “Some policies will reduce student and teacher freedom and many will simply not work as they are intended.”
Kirwan Commission on Education Puts Government Too Far into Classrooms
Jun 25, 2018
ROCKVILLE, MD (June 25, 2018) —
Recommendations from Maryland’s Kirwan Commission on public education reform would dramatically increase government spending and bureaucracy while delivering questionable results for Maryland students and families. That is according to a new study from the Maryland Public Policy Institute that analyzed interim recommendations from the Kirwan Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education.
“While the Kirwan Commission’s full title includes the word ‘innovation,’ little about their recommendations is innovative,” said Christopher B. Summers, president and chief executive officer of the Institute. “Rather, they would create a bureaucratic top-down system that regulates everything from teacher training to pre-school. Maryland must instead encourage freedom in public education, not standardized tests and administrative fiat.”
Institute’s Analysis of the Kirwan Commission’s Interim Report:
Maryland Already Invests Big in Education: The commission’s recommendations would lead to a significant spending increase, yet Maryland already ranks 6th in the nation in teacher salaries and 10th in the nation in per-pupil spending, according to rankings from EdBuild. From 1998 to 2014, Maryland increased education operating expenses by $3.8 billion in inflation adjusted dollars – a 45% increase. The question is whether Maryland students, families, and taxpayers get value from this investment.
Kirwan Will Grow the Bureaucracy: The commission’s recommendations will empower the state and local government bureaucracy foremost. The Commission calls for a new state office of oversight, a new commission, more task forces, and new state authority to regulate teachers and students. Teachers will have less freedom to be creative and schools across the state will become homogenized.
Pre-K Expansion Offers Mixed Results: The commission calls for a significant expansion of pre-K programs, which would cost taxpayers billions, yet evidence from other states suggests caution. In Tennessee, students who did not attend pre-K surpassed their pre-K peers in learning gains by second and third grade. Pre-K can benefit families, but a wise initial step would be to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs before requiring taxpayers to pay for an expansion.
Maryland Encourages Administrative Bloat: While the number of teachers has increased 36 percent from 1992 to 2015, the number of administrative staff grew by 60 percent. Despite increasing funding for public education, a growing share of tax dollars now supports administrative staff with no teaching responsibilities.
“The cost of compliance and implementation of the recommendations will be exorbitant,” said James Shuls,Ph.D., author of the report. “Some policies will reduce student and teacher freedom and many will simply not work as they are intended.”
Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform:
Increase Teacher Pay Through Efficiencies Elsewhere: Investing in quality teachers is appropriate, yet teacher pay increases lag behind benefit increases and total operating expenditures. Maryland must reform pension obligations and eliminate administrative bloat and reinvest the savings in pay raises for high performing teachers.
Remove Ineffective Teachers: The commission emphasizes improving professional development but fails to address tenure and dismissal of low-performing teachers. Economist Eric Hanushek has shown that removing the bottom five to eight percent of teachers and replacing them with a teacher of average quality would help the U.S. rise to the level of the top countries in the world in math and science.
Introduce Market Based Pay for Teachers: Market-based pay allows teachers to earn more money by teaching in high-need subject areas, high-need schools, or by being a highly-effective teacher. Currently, most districts pay the physics teacher on the same pay scale as the elementary school teacher. Market-based pay would demand a higher salary for the high-need physics teacher.
The report’s author, James V. Shuls,Ph.D., is an assistant professor and the graduate program director of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. The full report can be found at mdpolicy.org.
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The article just posted began with good criticism of KIRWAN COMMISSION-----but it ends with BAD education policy stances. KIRWAN is a far-right wing, global banking CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA---NEO-LIBERAL as too is MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE. This media outlets lets us know how bad these commission directives will be----but then it follows with recommendations which MIRROR the goals of KIRWAN COMMISSION.
'Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform':
This policy institute claiming to work for PRINCIPLES OF FREE MARKET---LIMITED GOVERNMENT KNOW the KIRWAN COMMISSION goals are just that------we will have no domestic, sovereign free market---but global corporations will be able to compete for a footprint in US FOREIGN ECONOMIC ZONES. FREE MARKET used to mean our local, domestic economic gave opportunity and access to all US 99% WE THE PEOPLE.
SOUTH KOREA---CHINA---INDIA----RUSSIA----TURKEY----NIGERIA---are those foreign free-market economics tied to TRANS PACIFIC/ATLANTIC TRADE PACT---this is what MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE is referring.
'About the Maryland Public Policy Institute:
Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org'.
KIRWAN COMMISSION as too BALTIMORE CITY HALL are both creating bills moving control of OVERSIGHT---whether education or criminal justice----to the UNITED NATIONS INSPECTOR GENERAL-----this would eliminate both BALTIMORE'S and MARYLAND'S power through OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIVE GENERAL.
IGO - Inspector General’s Office © UNHCR/S.Kritsanavarin, May 2008
The Inspector General’s Office (IGO) provides the High Commissioner with independent assurance and oversight of UNHCR’s activities and operations. The IGO conducts investigations into misconduct, as well as inquiries into matters that present, or may present, a high risk to the organization. It also performs meta-analysis of oversight findings, and provides advice and reports to senior management.
Through strategic oversight and investigation services, the work of the IGO helps deter fraud and abuse and improve the efficiency of our programmes and operations. It contributes to the integrity of the organization and its accountability towards people of concern, host communities, donors and other stakeholders.
Anyone concerned by potential wrongdoing is encouraged to speak up and contact the IGO.
In particular, fraud, corruption, sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment are considered misconduct, whether by UNHCR personnel, partner staff or vendors/contractors.
The mandate of Strategic Oversight is to strengthen the organization-wide response to oversight findings and facilitate coherence of all oversight functions by ensuring there is no gap or duplication. This service is in charge of meta-analysis of findings, recommendations on significant matters requiring management action, communication and coordination with external bodies.
Strategic Oversight manages the relationship with the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), which provides internal audits. It also acts as focal point for the UN Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and as Secretariat for the Independent Audit and Oversight Committee (IAOC).
The Investigation Service is responsible for receiving and looking into allegations of misconduct by UNHCR personnel, partner staff, vendors or contractors. Where appropriate, the IGO will conduct an investigation to determine the facts.
Definition of misconduct
The United Nations defines misconduct as “any failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules or other administrative issuances, or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant.”
Definition of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA)
The United Nations defines sexual exploitation as “any actual or attempted abuse of position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially, or politically from the sexual exploitation of persons of concern”, and sexual abuse as “the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force, or under unequal coercive conditions.”
Reporting misconduct or SEA
Anyone can contact the IGO if they have concerns or information about possible misconduct or sexual exploitation or abuse by any UNHCR staff member or other person working directly with UNHCR. Anyone can contact the IGO if they have reason to believe that a staff member of other person associated with UNHCR has not behaved correctly.
More information on how to make a complaint or report SEA.
Disciplinary action
If the investigation finds the staff member failed to comply with UN Staff Regulations and Rules or the standards of conduct expected of a UN civil servant, then the IGO will send a report to UNHCR’s Division of Human Resources and Management (DHRM). It is the responsibility of DHRM to determine the appropriate administrative response, such as possible disciplinary action. Depending on the type of misconduct, the disciplinary action can include dismissal, demotion or written censure.
___________________________________________
The article just posted began with good criticism of KIRWAN COMMISSION-----but it ends with BAD education policy stances. KIRWAN is a far-right wing, global banking CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA---NEO-LIBERAL as too is MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE. This media outlets lets us know how bad these commission directives will be----but then it follows with recommendations which MIRROR the goals of KIRWAN COMMISSION.
'Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform':
This policy institute claiming to work for PRINCIPLES OF FREE MARKET---LIMITED GOVERNMENT KNOW the KIRWAN COMMISSION goals are just that------we will have no domestic, sovereign free market---but global corporations will be able to compete for a footprint in US FOREIGN ECONOMIC ZONES. FREE MARKET used to mean our local, domestic economic gave opportunity and access to all US 99% WE THE PEOPLE.
SOUTH KOREA---CHINA---INDIA----RUSSIA----TURKEY----NIGERIA---are those foreign free-market economics tied to TRANS PACIFIC/ATLANTIC TRADE PACT---this is what MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE is referring.
'Office of the Inspector General | Baltimore City Law Departmentlaw.baltimorecity.gov/office-inspector-general Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was created as an oversight authority that could effectively investigate at all levels of City government, while remaining autonomous, independent and insulated from political influences. The scope of authority and powers of inquiry vested in the OIG are, by necessity, quite broad'.
Baltimore City HALL has written bills which will end this CITY CHARTER agency filled with LOCAL people and hands it to UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL CORPORATE TRIBUNAL.
EDUCATION FUND FRAUDS WENT WILD DURING CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA WITH NO OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
How will these GLOBAL JUSTICE TRIBUNALS provide avenues for local citizens to protect that EDUCATION FUNDING?
KIRWAN COMMISSION IS USING EDUCATION FUNDING AND POLICY TO MAKE THIS CONNECTION TO UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL---AS TOO BALTIMORE CITY HALL LED BY DORSEY.
City Council bill would make Baltimore inspector general independent from mayor
By Luke Broadwater
The Baltimore Sun |
Mar 19, 2018 | 11:05 AM
Isabel Mercedes Cumming is Baltimore's inspector general. A City Council bill seeks to grant her office independence from the mayor. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey has submitted legislation to make the city’s inspector general independent from the mayor’s office — a move he says is needed to alleviate concerns that the current system protects high-ranking officials.
“The city needs a watchdog and it needs to have real independence and teeth,” Dorsey said. “This is a bill that went through a lot of deliberation to really create independence and autonomy.
Dorsey’s bill — which has six of 14 other council members signed on as co-sponsors — is a charter amendment, which means voters would have to ratify it in November if it passes.
The proposal would create an independent panel that would hire the inspector general to a six-year term. Only the panel — which would be composed of appointees of the mayor, council, city comptroller, state’s attorney, General Assembly and the deans of the city’s law schools — could remove the inspector general.
That would be a departure from the current system in which the inspector general reports to the city solicitor, who reports to the mayor.
Dorsey’s bill is consistent with recommendations included in a recent Abell Foundation report written by former Baltimore Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. and former City Solicitor George Nilson, who argued for more independence for the agency — which has been criticized for busting low-level employees committing fraud, waste and abuse but not higher ranking managers.
The office was created in 2005 by an executive order issued by then-Mayor Martin O’Malley. The idea was to establish an independent, internal watchdog to investigate city operations.
But Pearre and Nilson wrote that the executive order does not shield the office from interference by mayors or their senior staff.
To guarantee full independence, they recommended recasting the office with a City Council ordinance that would prohibit mayoral administrations from firing an inspector general except for cause. In addition, they recommended six-year terms for the position, creating a community oversight panel and prohibiting certain officials from interfering with investigations.
Nilson said in an interview Monday that the office could be set up better.
_____________________________________________
KIRWAN seen here in earlier US PUBLIC EDUCATION policy is MOOC------GLOBAL ONLINE EDUCATION CORPORATIONS----as UNITED NATIONS placed MOOCS as part of GLOBAL CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY for JOB TRAINING as education. Global education corporations will have those $50 million a year owner ------several million a year EDUCATION CORPORATION CEO-------and those MILLIONAIRE highly qualified TEACHERS who we will be told created the BEST MOOC.
This C-SPAN is our US national government media outlet.
KIRWAN as head of a MARYLAND EDUCATION REFORM COMMITTEE today-----would be working for those same GLOBAL PRIVATE NEO-LIBERAL EDUCATION CORPORATIONS complete with that UN-LEVEL tribunal as being the ONLY ONES able to investigate PRIVATE PROPRIETARY CORPORATE K-UNIVERSITY schools. Our US 99% WE THE PEOPLE lost much of our funding for public K-university through FRAUDS of CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA ---used to grow global education corporations. BRICK AND MORTAR education buildings gone with the wind-----ONLINE GLOBAL INTERNET OF THINGS-----the only source of EDUCATION/JOB TRAINING in town.
How do we locally provide oversight and accountability of KIRWANS' higher funding formulas money which will soon go ONLY to GLOBAL EDUCATION CORPORATIONS-----Maryland Assembly and Baltimore City Hall KNOW this will not be done.
City Council bill would make Baltimore inspector general independent from mayor
By Luke Broadwater
The Baltimore Sun |
Mar 19, 2018 | 11:05 AM
Isabel Mercedes Cumming is Baltimore's inspector general. A City Council bill seeks to grant her office independence from the mayor. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey has submitted legislation to make the city’s inspector general independent from the mayor’s office — a move he says is needed to alleviate concerns that the current system protects high-ranking officials.
“The city needs a watchdog and it needs to have real independence and teeth,” Dorsey said. “This is a bill that went through a lot of deliberation to really create independence and autonomy.”
Dorsey’s bill — which has six of 14 other council members signed on as co-sponsors — is a charter amendment, which means voters would have to ratify it in November if it passes.
The proposal would create an independent panel that would hire the inspector general to a six-year term. Only the panel — which would be composed of appointees of the mayor, council, city comptroller, state’s attorney, General Assembly and the deans of the city’s law schools — could remove the inspector general.
That would be a departure from the current system in which the inspector general reports to the city solicitor, who reports to the mayor.
Dorsey’s bill is consistent with recommendations included in a recent Abell Foundation report written by former Baltimore Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. and former City Solicitor George Nilson, who argued for more independence for the agency — which has been criticized for busting low-level employees committing fraud, waste and abuse but not higher ranking managers.
The office was created in 2005 by an executive order issued by then-Mayor Martin O’Malley. The idea was to establish an independent, internal watchdog to investigate city operations.
But Pearre and Nilson wrote that the executive order does not shield the office from interference by mayors or their senior staff.
To guarantee full independence, they recommended recasting the office with a City Council ordinance that would prohibit mayoral administrations from firing an inspector general except for cause. In addition, they recommended six-year terms for the position, creating a community oversight panel and prohibiting certain officials from interfering with investigations.
Nilson said in an interview Monday that the office could be set up better.
“You could look at the track record. We had four inspector generals in eight years,” he said. “It’s a good idea to have an inspector general with as much independence as is reasonable.”
However, Nilson said he disagreed with the idea that inspector generals typically probe only low-ranking employees under the current system. He said he never saw political interference with an inspector general while he was city solicitor under two different mayors, and he pointed out former inspector generals have investigated agency heads and even a chief of staff.
“There wasn’t an occasion when I was the solicitor when the substantive path of an investigation or the outcome was jeopardizing the employment of the inspector general,” he said.
Isabel Cumming, who was recently hired as the city’s first female inspector general, said she already expects to operate without political influence. She nevertheless supports the legislation.
Cumming called the bill a “very positive step” and said it is consistent with national standards for how inspector general offices should be run.
“Trying to strengthen the independence of the inspector general is always a positive,” she said. “If you look at inspector generals throughout the United States, independence is crucial.”
Cumming said she had some questions about some proposals in the legislation, such as a clause that would make the inspector general the director of the city’s ethics board. She said she would prefer establishing a memorandum of understanding with that panel, rather than assuming an administrative role.
She said she is in the process of staffing up her office, including hiring a deputy next week and advertising for two new investigators.
“I will have a full staff within the next month,” she said.
Lester Davis, a spokesman for City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, said Young favors strengthening the office, even though he hasn’t signed on as a co-sponsor.
“He’s always been for strong investigatory powers,” Davis said.
City Councilwoman Sharon Middleton, who is the vice president of the council, said she was looking forward to hearing more about Dorsey’s proposal.
“I have an open mind about the concept,” she said. “I’m always open for new and innovative ideas. We do have trust challenges in the city. I just want to see what points come out at the hearing.”
_____________________________________________
KIRWANS' EDUCATION COMMISSION with unfunded mandates for funding everyone knows Baltimore and Maryland cannot afford------comes already with recommended TAX HIKES------as this MAYOR pretends this will not happen on his watch. DORSEY who is handing all oversight and accountability to the UNITED NATIONS to protect private global education corporations from PUBLIC SCRUTINY----knows TAX HIKES will be steep-----
What KIRWAN as DORSEY in Baltimore have as goals is this:
UNFUNDED EDUCATION MANDATE----NO MONEY IN PUBLIC COFFERS FORCES FURTHER TIES OF OUR US PUBLIC K-UNIVERSITY TO GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS----GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS WANT THE GLOBAL 2% WATCHING THAT EDUCATION MONEY.
These education policy structures as too the OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL here in Maryland are happening in YOUR NECK OF WOODS.
April 5, 2013
Open Learning and the Future of Education
Panelists talked about the impact of online teaching on higher education, focusing on massive, open online courses (MOOCS).
They discussed the benefits of MOOCs including accessibility and low costs, as well as their potential for decreasing the quality of education. The program included questions from audience members
REAL LEFT SOCIAL PROGRESSIVES have shouted that MOVING FORWARD is killing our US NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY-----TRANS PACIFIC TRADE PACT one avenue----but as we see in our local BALTIMORE CITY HALL-----here is just that pathway. Different arguments for and against RE-WRITING OUR BALTIMORE CITY CHARTER-----always bring in our PUBLIC K-12 and funding oversight being done by global UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL----not this local OIG.
This discussion of 2020 ELECTION VOTER REFERENDUM -----sees the end of a LEGISLATIVE LEGAL SCHOLARS determining constitutionality-----city charter legal stances.
'Several authorize bond money for parks and schools and affordable housing.
Another gives the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) greater independence from the mayor'.
What FAKE NEWS MEDIA and 5% freemason/Greek player TALKING POINTS do to hide these goals----is make this about this population group hates this population group-----pretending this hand-off to global JUSTICE agencies will IMPROVE our rights and freedoms.
THIS IS EDUCATION PUBLIC POLICY----VERY, VERY CRITICAL CHANGING DEFINITIONS OF LOCAL AND DOMESTIC GOVERNMENT TO ONE WORLD ONE GOVERNANCE US COLONIALISM.
BALTIMORE couldn't meet the education funding requirements from the DEBACLE that was THE BILLION-DOLLAR SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE BOND
'
'A state panel is recommending the city pay $329.4 million more for education over the next 10 years'.
by Mark Reutter5:32 pmOct 26, 2018
A legal scholar caught in the quicksand of a City Hall power grab
Ballot Question G gives Baltimore’s mayor and council president control of Legislative Reference – and places its longtime director in jeopardy
Above: Avery Aisenstark, director of Legislative Reference, says Ballot Question G would undercut the independence of his agency. (Fern Shen)
Election ballot questions are to most voters what food ingredient labels are to most cooks – probably important, but pretty darn technical and rarely worth reading closely.
With the November 6 general election coming into focus (early voting began yesterday), Baltimore voters are being asked to authorize nearly a dozen such ballot questions.
Several authorize bond money for parks and schools and affordable housing. Another gives the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) greater independence from the mayor.
Then there’s Question G, which critics say will do the opposite of providing accountability and transparency in legislation before the City Council
Voting “yes” on Question G will allow the mayor, Catherine Pugh, and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young to reconfigure the Department of Legislative Reference and place its long-serving director, Avery Aisenstark, under their control.
Key Role in Government
While obscure to the general public, Legislative Reference plays a key role in city government.
Its staff of four both drafts and reviews ordinances and resolutions sought by the administration and by Council members. When technical and procedural questions come up on controversial bills, Legislative Reference is asked to make a ruling.
Its 73-year-old director has gained a reputation as a man not afraid to tell elected officials that a bill or amendment is unconstitutional or needs to be re-crafted, as demonstrated in a recent bill-drafting session for Zeke Cohen’s lobbyist reform bill.
“We love Avery. . . [but] he knows there is a need for evaluative tools for improving his office.” – Young spokesman Lester Davis.
Set up in 1906 as an independent body, the office is governed by a board of directors that includes the president of Johns Hopkins University and the deans of the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore law schools.
Question G would replace this board with an “ad hoc” committee appointed by Pugh, Young and Comptroller Joan Pratt which, in turn, would advise Pugh and Young on the hiring, firing and reappointment of the director.
The civil service protections now afforded to Aisenstark (enshrined in the 1906 law setting up the agency) would end, and the position would become an “at-will” position subject to the whims of the mayor and Council president.
Aisenstark Speaks OutTo former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs, the ballot question “smacks in the face” of good governance and opens the door “to all sorts of legislative chicanery.”
“This job has attracted, since it was established, a handful of legal scholars who help draft bills that are constitutionally sound and protect the citizens of Baltimore,” Sachs said.
“How are you going to get that kind of candidate in the future if this job becomes an at-will appointment of politicians who may or may not be respectful of its nonpartisan purpose?”
Until today, Aisenstark has remained publicly silent about the measure. But he reacted angrily this afternoon to the assertion by Lester Davis, deputy chief of staff to Young, that he was in favor of Question G.
“He’s absolutely wrong,” Aisenstark told The Brew. “I am opposed to the ballot question, and I am very disturbed that none of the members of the Council, including the President, ever came to me about this. There’s no way that Mr. Davis could possibly speak for me. His assertions are a lie.”
In an earlier interview, Davis insisted that Question G is not a “get rid of Avery” measure hatched by his boss to gain control over the office.
Davis said former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had talked about the need to evaluate the head of the agency back in 2012, in part because its governing board rarely met.
Best Practices“We love Avery. He’s a professional,” Davis said, but “he knows there is a need for evaluative tools for improving his office. Everyone needs to be evaluated. It’s best practices in government. It should be celebrated that Baltimore is coming in line with best practices.”
And that’s the reason why Aisenstark supports Question G, Davis said. “Go talk to him. He’ll straighten you out.”
Criticism of Question G by Sachs and DLA Piper partner Shale D. Stiller in a Baltimore Sun op-ed is “completely misguided,” Davis continued.
“Just because the director would serve at the pleasure of the mayor and Council president does not mean he’s going to get fired. Elected officials in Baltimore don’t willy-nilly get rid of people. That just doesn’t happen. There is no precedent for that.”
During a Council hearing on the ballot question, Young made much of the same argument, arguing that everyone in government needs a boss and the Office of Council Services serves at his pleasure.
“Elected officials in Baltimore don’t willy-nilly get rid of people. That just doesn’t happen” – Lester Davis.
“The director really don’t report to anyone. And he has to report to someone,” Young told Legislative Reference analyst Nancy Ray. “Someone to do his evaluation. Someone to make sure that the staff is fully staffed. You are two positions down, OK? The director have to report to someone.”
Mayor Has PowersAisenstark said the Legislative Reference board, whose members include Pugh and City Solicitor Andre Davis, can convene at any time and evaluate his work.
“The mayor controls our budget through the Board of Estimates. The Council president is also on the Board of Estimates. Neither of them has suggested until now that they had issues involving my work product. Nor has any previous mayor and president I’ve worked for.”
According to Aisenstark, the City Council “pulled a fast one” in order to get Question G on the ballot.
The measure was originally part of a 29-page bill that was submitted to the Council as part of the mayor’s charter review commission.
The bill covered a multitude of topics, but an amendment passed by the Council’s Judiciary Committee deleted all of the bill’s provisions except those dealings with Legislative Reference. This bill formed the basis of Question G.
See YouTube video of the Council meeting that placed Question G on the ballot, starting at 29:50.
Young’s “Hot Thing”Even after the mayor signed the bill, Aisenstark said he was given assurances by City Solicitor Davis that the administration would draft a memorandum reinstating protections to his position for a limited period of time.
Now going on his 24th year as agency director, Aisenstark said he had expressed interest in continuing as director for another two years.
The memorandum was never forthcoming, according to Sachs, who said he tried to intervene with the city solicitor on behalf of Aisenstark and the independence of the office.
“I didn’t want to make this whole issue personal,” Aisenstark said this afternoon. “Because it’s institutional. Everybody [on the City Council] says we do good work. But those same people didn’t want to get in the way of the ‘hot thing’ that the president wanted.”
In Maryland global banking 1% is using the KIRWAN COMMISSION to install WORLD BANK/IMF ONE WORLD ONE ONLINE JOB TRAINING. As always these 'commissions' which hand a few people the power of changing state and local public policy-----mirrors that education policy from UNITED NATIONS---NOT ALL-AMERICAN.
There are a few major points to make about this MARYLAND approach to installing DARK AGES education--we will start with the policy of creating an 'INDEPENDENT-------OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL' at city level with changes in CITY CHARTER ----and state level.
'Aug 17, 2019 · “It’s well meaning,” he said of the Kirwan plan. “But the fiscal ramifications may be beyond the realm of what’s realistic.” William “Brit” Kirwan, chairman of the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, at the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines'.
TRANS PACIFIC TRADE PACT REQUIRES ALL SOVEREIGN NATIONS CEDE POWER TO A GLOBAL CORPORATE TRIBUNAL ----REGARDING OVERSIGHT AND LEGAL RULINGS AGAINST GLOBAL CORPORATIONS.
This is why our Baltimore and Maryland legislators are re-writing local, domestic agencies tasked with this same OVERSIGHT.
KIRWAN COMMISSION with NANCY KING for one is pretending to get tough on what was massive Federal and state education funding FRAUDS AND CRIMINALITY these few decades-----BUT NOT REALLY.
'Nancy J. King, Kirwan Commission member and chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, reflect the current state of affairs: “I love all the stuff that’s in Kirwan. I just don’t know how we’re going to pay for it all.”[4] King’s remarks were included in news of a Maryland Center on Economic Policy report, which outlines suggested ways to change the state’s tax systems in a way that would generate the $1.9 billion the state would need to contribute annually by 2020 to fully implement the Kirwan report recommendations.[5] Such changes would help recoup the lost investment in schools following the 2008 recession and the resulting increase in educational inequities'.
What this COMMISSION sets as policy is clearly creating the conditions state and local for UNFUNDED MANDATES------AKA-----not to be afforded. Again, our public K-12 is being told FIND THE MONEY ANYWAY YOU CAN.
Hmmmmmm, 'well meaning'-----OH, REALLY???
Telling parents and students this money is for MORE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM has been used since CLINTON era as FAKE NEWS.
Hogan Thumps for Accountability in Final Kirwan Commission Recommendations
By
Danielle E. Gaines
-
November 27, 2018
Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., pictured with Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford, is pressing for education accountability measures in the final Kirwan Commission package. Photo by Josh KurtzAs a commission charged with re-thinking Maryland’s education policies prepares for a lengthy public hearing, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) is advocating for strong accountability measures once again.
Hogan sent a letter to House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) Tuesday asking that the presiding officers ensure that the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education’s final recommendations include “strong academic and administrative accountability measures.”
The panel, commonly called the Kirwan Commission, has been meeting for two years to recommend changes to state funding and an expansive list of policies including early childhood and career-focused education programs, teacher salaries and accountability measures.
Neither Miller nor Busch sits on the commission; the legislative leaders also do not formally control the final contents of the report, which are being drafted and edited by commission subgroups. The Senate president’s office said Tuesday it did not have comment on the letter and no one from the speaker’s office was immediately available to discuss it.
The letter did not include specific recommendations Hogan would like to see in the commission’s report but outlined the policies he has championed in the past and has promised to promote in the future.
Hogan signed the commission’s first batch of preliminary recommendations included in a 2018 General Assembly bill but lamented the Legislature’s failure to pass bills outlining his own educational priorities.
Hogan introduced a bill last year that would have created an inspector general position for education with the power to issue subpoenas and hold hearings, but the measure was not voted out of committee.
In September, Hogan established through executive order an Office of Education Accountability that is responsible for analyzing, coordinating and providing recommendations on procurement, child abuse, neglect, safety, grading, graduation requirements, assessments, educational facilities and budgets. The office is also accepting anonymous tips about violations in schools and is developing criteria for investigating accusations of fraud, abuse, waste and unethical conduct in the state’s 24 school districts.
Hogan plans to reintroduce the inspector general legislation in January.
The Kirwan Commission’s work continues as Maryland school funding is set to see a dramatic increase after voters approved a “lockbox” proposal that will phase-in a plan to dedicate casino gambling revenue to supplementary education funding.
“But providing record funding for our schools isn’t enough. With this historic investment of state taxpayer money our citizens, parents, teachers, and especially our students have the right to expect and deserve more accountability, better local management, and the strongest oversight possible,” Hogan wrote to the legislative leaders.
The governor’s letter cited ethical lapses in some state school systems including criminal convictions, grading irregularities and procurement problems.
Drafts of the Kirwan Commission’s recommendations include plans for an independent oversight body that would coordinate, monitor, and evaluate implementation of the commission’s recommendations. The oversight panel would disband at the end of an implementation period.
If the recommendation is included in a final report, the oversight board would be chosen by the governor, speaker and Senate president, and would have the authority to require other state agencies and local school systems to respond to requests for information, changes to policies or implementation plans, and recommendations to withhold funding.
The commission will hold a public hearing in Annapolis on Thursday, with time set aside for organized groups to testify at 3 p.m. and members of the public to testify beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sign-up details are on the commission’s web page.
______________________________________________
BIG GOVERNMENT today means GLOBAL CORPORATIONS AND GLOBAL 1%-----the opposite of big government with lots of public input and fully staffed public agencies like our our schools.
BIG GOVERNMENT with a global corporate tribunal---means someone and the helpers are going to have to EARN 50 MILLION dollars a year with benefits rather than our local SCHOOL PRINCIPAL getting a little more than our classroom teachers.
BIG GOVERNMENT as global education corporations require GLOBAL CEOS also getting several million dollars a year instead of local public education agency leaders who may get $100,000 a year.
BIG GOVERNMENT as global education corporations will decide that HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS be the one's with the best MOOCS----ONLINE EDUCATION PLATFORMS. This will make a few MILLIONAIRES of MOOC winners while the rest of staff are PART-TIME TECHNICIANS plugging in online MOOCS.
INDEED, THIS WILL REDUCE STUDENT AND TEACHER FREEDOM ----AND ELIMINATE THE PARENT VOICE.
“The cost of compliance and implementation of the recommendations will be exorbitant,” said James Shuls,Ph.D., author of the report. “Some policies will reduce student and teacher freedom and many will simply not work as they are intended.”
Kirwan Commission on Education Puts Government Too Far into Classrooms
Jun 25, 2018
ROCKVILLE, MD (June 25, 2018) —
Recommendations from Maryland’s Kirwan Commission on public education reform would dramatically increase government spending and bureaucracy while delivering questionable results for Maryland students and families. That is according to a new study from the Maryland Public Policy Institute that analyzed interim recommendations from the Kirwan Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education.
“While the Kirwan Commission’s full title includes the word ‘innovation,’ little about their recommendations is innovative,” said Christopher B. Summers, president and chief executive officer of the Institute. “Rather, they would create a bureaucratic top-down system that regulates everything from teacher training to pre-school. Maryland must instead encourage freedom in public education, not standardized tests and administrative fiat.”
Institute’s Analysis of the Kirwan Commission’s Interim Report:
Maryland Already Invests Big in Education: The commission’s recommendations would lead to a significant spending increase, yet Maryland already ranks 6th in the nation in teacher salaries and 10th in the nation in per-pupil spending, according to rankings from EdBuild. From 1998 to 2014, Maryland increased education operating expenses by $3.8 billion in inflation adjusted dollars – a 45% increase. The question is whether Maryland students, families, and taxpayers get value from this investment.
Kirwan Will Grow the Bureaucracy: The commission’s recommendations will empower the state and local government bureaucracy foremost. The Commission calls for a new state office of oversight, a new commission, more task forces, and new state authority to regulate teachers and students. Teachers will have less freedom to be creative and schools across the state will become homogenized.
Pre-K Expansion Offers Mixed Results: The commission calls for a significant expansion of pre-K programs, which would cost taxpayers billions, yet evidence from other states suggests caution. In Tennessee, students who did not attend pre-K surpassed their pre-K peers in learning gains by second and third grade. Pre-K can benefit families, but a wise initial step would be to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs before requiring taxpayers to pay for an expansion.
Maryland Encourages Administrative Bloat: While the number of teachers has increased 36 percent from 1992 to 2015, the number of administrative staff grew by 60 percent. Despite increasing funding for public education, a growing share of tax dollars now supports administrative staff with no teaching responsibilities.
“The cost of compliance and implementation of the recommendations will be exorbitant,” said James Shuls,Ph.D., author of the report. “Some policies will reduce student and teacher freedom and many will simply not work as they are intended.”
Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform:
Increase Teacher Pay Through Efficiencies Elsewhere: Investing in quality teachers is appropriate, yet teacher pay increases lag behind benefit increases and total operating expenditures. Maryland must reform pension obligations and eliminate administrative bloat and reinvest the savings in pay raises for high performing teachers.
Remove Ineffective Teachers: The commission emphasizes improving professional development but fails to address tenure and dismissal of low-performing teachers. Economist Eric Hanushek has shown that removing the bottom five to eight percent of teachers and replacing them with a teacher of average quality would help the U.S. rise to the level of the top countries in the world in math and science.
Introduce Market Based Pay for Teachers: Market-based pay allows teachers to earn more money by teaching in high-need subject areas, high-need schools, or by being a highly-effective teacher. Currently, most districts pay the physics teacher on the same pay scale as the elementary school teacher. Market-based pay would demand a higher salary for the high-need physics teacher.
The report’s author, James V. Shuls,Ph.D., is an assistant professor and the graduate program director of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. The full report can be found at mdpolicy.org.
____________________________________________
The article just posted began with good criticism of KIRWAN COMMISSION-----but it ends with BAD education policy stances. KIRWAN is a far-right wing, global banking CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA---NEO-LIBERAL as too is MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE. This media outlets lets us know how bad these commission directives will be----but then it follows with recommendations which MIRROR the goals of KIRWAN COMMISSION.
'Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform':
This policy institute claiming to work for PRINCIPLES OF FREE MARKET---LIMITED GOVERNMENT KNOW the KIRWAN COMMISSION goals are just that------we will have no domestic, sovereign free market---but global corporations will be able to compete for a footprint in US FOREIGN ECONOMIC ZONES. FREE MARKET used to mean our local, domestic economic gave opportunity and access to all US 99% WE THE PEOPLE.
SOUTH KOREA---CHINA---INDIA----RUSSIA----TURKEY----NIGERIA---are those foreign free-market economics tied to TRANS PACIFIC/ATLANTIC TRADE PACT---this is what MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE is referring.
'About the Maryland Public Policy Institute:
Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org'.
KIRWAN COMMISSION as too BALTIMORE CITY HALL are both creating bills moving control of OVERSIGHT---whether education or criminal justice----to the UNITED NATIONS INSPECTOR GENERAL-----this would eliminate both BALTIMORE'S and MARYLAND'S power through OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIVE GENERAL.
IGO - Inspector General’s Office © UNHCR/S.Kritsanavarin, May 2008
The Inspector General’s Office (IGO) provides the High Commissioner with independent assurance and oversight of UNHCR’s activities and operations. The IGO conducts investigations into misconduct, as well as inquiries into matters that present, or may present, a high risk to the organization. It also performs meta-analysis of oversight findings, and provides advice and reports to senior management.
Through strategic oversight and investigation services, the work of the IGO helps deter fraud and abuse and improve the efficiency of our programmes and operations. It contributes to the integrity of the organization and its accountability towards people of concern, host communities, donors and other stakeholders.
Anyone concerned by potential wrongdoing is encouraged to speak up and contact the IGO.
In particular, fraud, corruption, sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment are considered misconduct, whether by UNHCR personnel, partner staff or vendors/contractors.
The mandate of Strategic Oversight is to strengthen the organization-wide response to oversight findings and facilitate coherence of all oversight functions by ensuring there is no gap or duplication. This service is in charge of meta-analysis of findings, recommendations on significant matters requiring management action, communication and coordination with external bodies.
Strategic Oversight manages the relationship with the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), which provides internal audits. It also acts as focal point for the UN Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and as Secretariat for the Independent Audit and Oversight Committee (IAOC).
The Investigation Service is responsible for receiving and looking into allegations of misconduct by UNHCR personnel, partner staff, vendors or contractors. Where appropriate, the IGO will conduct an investigation to determine the facts.
Definition of misconduct
The United Nations defines misconduct as “any failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules or other administrative issuances, or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant.”
Definition of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA)
The United Nations defines sexual exploitation as “any actual or attempted abuse of position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially, or politically from the sexual exploitation of persons of concern”, and sexual abuse as “the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force, or under unequal coercive conditions.”
Reporting misconduct or SEA
Anyone can contact the IGO if they have concerns or information about possible misconduct or sexual exploitation or abuse by any UNHCR staff member or other person working directly with UNHCR. Anyone can contact the IGO if they have reason to believe that a staff member of other person associated with UNHCR has not behaved correctly.
More information on how to make a complaint or report SEA.
Disciplinary action
If the investigation finds the staff member failed to comply with UN Staff Regulations and Rules or the standards of conduct expected of a UN civil servant, then the IGO will send a report to UNHCR’s Division of Human Resources and Management (DHRM). It is the responsibility of DHRM to determine the appropriate administrative response, such as possible disciplinary action. Depending on the type of misconduct, the disciplinary action can include dismissal, demotion or written censure.
___________________________________________
The article just posted began with good criticism of KIRWAN COMMISSION-----but it ends with BAD education policy stances. KIRWAN is a far-right wing, global banking CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA---NEO-LIBERAL as too is MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE. This media outlets lets us know how bad these commission directives will be----but then it follows with recommendations which MIRROR the goals of KIRWAN COMMISSION.
'Institute’s Recommendations for Public Education Reform':
This policy institute claiming to work for PRINCIPLES OF FREE MARKET---LIMITED GOVERNMENT KNOW the KIRWAN COMMISSION goals are just that------we will have no domestic, sovereign free market---but global corporations will be able to compete for a footprint in US FOREIGN ECONOMIC ZONES. FREE MARKET used to mean our local, domestic economic gave opportunity and access to all US 99% WE THE PEOPLE.
SOUTH KOREA---CHINA---INDIA----RUSSIA----TURKEY----NIGERIA---are those foreign free-market economics tied to TRANS PACIFIC/ATLANTIC TRADE PACT---this is what MARYLAND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE is referring.
'Office of the Inspector General | Baltimore City Law Departmentlaw.baltimorecity.gov/office-inspector-general Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was created as an oversight authority that could effectively investigate at all levels of City government, while remaining autonomous, independent and insulated from political influences. The scope of authority and powers of inquiry vested in the OIG are, by necessity, quite broad'.
Baltimore City HALL has written bills which will end this CITY CHARTER agency filled with LOCAL people and hands it to UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL CORPORATE TRIBUNAL.
EDUCATION FUND FRAUDS WENT WILD DURING CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA WITH NO OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
How will these GLOBAL JUSTICE TRIBUNALS provide avenues for local citizens to protect that EDUCATION FUNDING?
KIRWAN COMMISSION IS USING EDUCATION FUNDING AND POLICY TO MAKE THIS CONNECTION TO UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL---AS TOO BALTIMORE CITY HALL LED BY DORSEY.
City Council bill would make Baltimore inspector general independent from mayor
By Luke Broadwater
The Baltimore Sun |
Mar 19, 2018 | 11:05 AM
Isabel Mercedes Cumming is Baltimore's inspector general. A City Council bill seeks to grant her office independence from the mayor. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey has submitted legislation to make the city’s inspector general independent from the mayor’s office — a move he says is needed to alleviate concerns that the current system protects high-ranking officials.
“The city needs a watchdog and it needs to have real independence and teeth,” Dorsey said. “This is a bill that went through a lot of deliberation to really create independence and autonomy.
Dorsey’s bill — which has six of 14 other council members signed on as co-sponsors — is a charter amendment, which means voters would have to ratify it in November if it passes.
The proposal would create an independent panel that would hire the inspector general to a six-year term. Only the panel — which would be composed of appointees of the mayor, council, city comptroller, state’s attorney, General Assembly and the deans of the city’s law schools — could remove the inspector general.
That would be a departure from the current system in which the inspector general reports to the city solicitor, who reports to the mayor.
Dorsey’s bill is consistent with recommendations included in a recent Abell Foundation report written by former Baltimore Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. and former City Solicitor George Nilson, who argued for more independence for the agency — which has been criticized for busting low-level employees committing fraud, waste and abuse but not higher ranking managers.
The office was created in 2005 by an executive order issued by then-Mayor Martin O’Malley. The idea was to establish an independent, internal watchdog to investigate city operations.
But Pearre and Nilson wrote that the executive order does not shield the office from interference by mayors or their senior staff.
To guarantee full independence, they recommended recasting the office with a City Council ordinance that would prohibit mayoral administrations from firing an inspector general except for cause. In addition, they recommended six-year terms for the position, creating a community oversight panel and prohibiting certain officials from interfering with investigations.
Nilson said in an interview Monday that the office could be set up better.
_____________________________________________
KIRWAN seen here in earlier US PUBLIC EDUCATION policy is MOOC------GLOBAL ONLINE EDUCATION CORPORATIONS----as UNITED NATIONS placed MOOCS as part of GLOBAL CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY for JOB TRAINING as education. Global education corporations will have those $50 million a year owner ------several million a year EDUCATION CORPORATION CEO-------and those MILLIONAIRE highly qualified TEACHERS who we will be told created the BEST MOOC.
This C-SPAN is our US national government media outlet.
KIRWAN as head of a MARYLAND EDUCATION REFORM COMMITTEE today-----would be working for those same GLOBAL PRIVATE NEO-LIBERAL EDUCATION CORPORATIONS complete with that UN-LEVEL tribunal as being the ONLY ONES able to investigate PRIVATE PROPRIETARY CORPORATE K-UNIVERSITY schools. Our US 99% WE THE PEOPLE lost much of our funding for public K-university through FRAUDS of CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA ---used to grow global education corporations. BRICK AND MORTAR education buildings gone with the wind-----ONLINE GLOBAL INTERNET OF THINGS-----the only source of EDUCATION/JOB TRAINING in town.
How do we locally provide oversight and accountability of KIRWANS' higher funding formulas money which will soon go ONLY to GLOBAL EDUCATION CORPORATIONS-----Maryland Assembly and Baltimore City Hall KNOW this will not be done.
City Council bill would make Baltimore inspector general independent from mayor
By Luke Broadwater
The Baltimore Sun |
Mar 19, 2018 | 11:05 AM
Isabel Mercedes Cumming is Baltimore's inspector general. A City Council bill seeks to grant her office independence from the mayor. (Lloyd Fox / Baltimore Sun)Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey has submitted legislation to make the city’s inspector general independent from the mayor’s office — a move he says is needed to alleviate concerns that the current system protects high-ranking officials.
“The city needs a watchdog and it needs to have real independence and teeth,” Dorsey said. “This is a bill that went through a lot of deliberation to really create independence and autonomy.”
Dorsey’s bill — which has six of 14 other council members signed on as co-sponsors — is a charter amendment, which means voters would have to ratify it in November if it passes.
The proposal would create an independent panel that would hire the inspector general to a six-year term. Only the panel — which would be composed of appointees of the mayor, council, city comptroller, state’s attorney, General Assembly and the deans of the city’s law schools — could remove the inspector general.
That would be a departure from the current system in which the inspector general reports to the city solicitor, who reports to the mayor.
Dorsey’s bill is consistent with recommendations included in a recent Abell Foundation report written by former Baltimore Inspector General Robert H. Pearre Jr. and former City Solicitor George Nilson, who argued for more independence for the agency — which has been criticized for busting low-level employees committing fraud, waste and abuse but not higher ranking managers.
The office was created in 2005 by an executive order issued by then-Mayor Martin O’Malley. The idea was to establish an independent, internal watchdog to investigate city operations.
But Pearre and Nilson wrote that the executive order does not shield the office from interference by mayors or their senior staff.
To guarantee full independence, they recommended recasting the office with a City Council ordinance that would prohibit mayoral administrations from firing an inspector general except for cause. In addition, they recommended six-year terms for the position, creating a community oversight panel and prohibiting certain officials from interfering with investigations.
Nilson said in an interview Monday that the office could be set up better.
“You could look at the track record. We had four inspector generals in eight years,” he said. “It’s a good idea to have an inspector general with as much independence as is reasonable.”
However, Nilson said he disagreed with the idea that inspector generals typically probe only low-ranking employees under the current system. He said he never saw political interference with an inspector general while he was city solicitor under two different mayors, and he pointed out former inspector generals have investigated agency heads and even a chief of staff.
“There wasn’t an occasion when I was the solicitor when the substantive path of an investigation or the outcome was jeopardizing the employment of the inspector general,” he said.
Isabel Cumming, who was recently hired as the city’s first female inspector general, said she already expects to operate without political influence. She nevertheless supports the legislation.
Cumming called the bill a “very positive step” and said it is consistent with national standards for how inspector general offices should be run.
“Trying to strengthen the independence of the inspector general is always a positive,” she said. “If you look at inspector generals throughout the United States, independence is crucial.”
Cumming said she had some questions about some proposals in the legislation, such as a clause that would make the inspector general the director of the city’s ethics board. She said she would prefer establishing a memorandum of understanding with that panel, rather than assuming an administrative role.
She said she is in the process of staffing up her office, including hiring a deputy next week and advertising for two new investigators.
“I will have a full staff within the next month,” she said.
Lester Davis, a spokesman for City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, said Young favors strengthening the office, even though he hasn’t signed on as a co-sponsor.
“He’s always been for strong investigatory powers,” Davis said.
City Councilwoman Sharon Middleton, who is the vice president of the council, said she was looking forward to hearing more about Dorsey’s proposal.
“I have an open mind about the concept,” she said. “I’m always open for new and innovative ideas. We do have trust challenges in the city. I just want to see what points come out at the hearing.”
_____________________________________________
KIRWANS' EDUCATION COMMISSION with unfunded mandates for funding everyone knows Baltimore and Maryland cannot afford------comes already with recommended TAX HIKES------as this MAYOR pretends this will not happen on his watch. DORSEY who is handing all oversight and accountability to the UNITED NATIONS to protect private global education corporations from PUBLIC SCRUTINY----knows TAX HIKES will be steep-----
What KIRWAN as DORSEY in Baltimore have as goals is this:
UNFUNDED EDUCATION MANDATE----NO MONEY IN PUBLIC COFFERS FORCES FURTHER TIES OF OUR US PUBLIC K-UNIVERSITY TO GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS----GLOBAL HEDGE FUNDS WANT THE GLOBAL 2% WATCHING THAT EDUCATION MONEY.
These education policy structures as too the OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL here in Maryland are happening in YOUR NECK OF WOODS.
April 5, 2013
Open Learning and the Future of Education
Panelists talked about the impact of online teaching on higher education, focusing on massive, open online courses (MOOCS).
They discussed the benefits of MOOCs including accessibility and low costs, as well as their potential for decreasing the quality of education. The program included questions from audience members
REAL LEFT SOCIAL PROGRESSIVES have shouted that MOVING FORWARD is killing our US NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY-----TRANS PACIFIC TRADE PACT one avenue----but as we see in our local BALTIMORE CITY HALL-----here is just that pathway. Different arguments for and against RE-WRITING OUR BALTIMORE CITY CHARTER-----always bring in our PUBLIC K-12 and funding oversight being done by global UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL----not this local OIG.
This discussion of 2020 ELECTION VOTER REFERENDUM -----sees the end of a LEGISLATIVE LEGAL SCHOLARS determining constitutionality-----city charter legal stances.
'Several authorize bond money for parks and schools and affordable housing.
Another gives the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) greater independence from the mayor'.
What FAKE NEWS MEDIA and 5% freemason/Greek player TALKING POINTS do to hide these goals----is make this about this population group hates this population group-----pretending this hand-off to global JUSTICE agencies will IMPROVE our rights and freedoms.
THIS IS EDUCATION PUBLIC POLICY----VERY, VERY CRITICAL CHANGING DEFINITIONS OF LOCAL AND DOMESTIC GOVERNMENT TO ONE WORLD ONE GOVERNANCE US COLONIALISM.
BALTIMORE couldn't meet the education funding requirements from the DEBACLE that was THE BILLION-DOLLAR SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE BOND
'
'A state panel is recommending the city pay $329.4 million more for education over the next 10 years'.
by Mark Reutter5:32 pmOct 26, 2018
A legal scholar caught in the quicksand of a City Hall power grab
Ballot Question G gives Baltimore’s mayor and council president control of Legislative Reference – and places its longtime director in jeopardy
Above: Avery Aisenstark, director of Legislative Reference, says Ballot Question G would undercut the independence of his agency. (Fern Shen)
Election ballot questions are to most voters what food ingredient labels are to most cooks – probably important, but pretty darn technical and rarely worth reading closely.
With the November 6 general election coming into focus (early voting began yesterday), Baltimore voters are being asked to authorize nearly a dozen such ballot questions.
Several authorize bond money for parks and schools and affordable housing. Another gives the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) greater independence from the mayor.
Then there’s Question G, which critics say will do the opposite of providing accountability and transparency in legislation before the City Council
Voting “yes” on Question G will allow the mayor, Catherine Pugh, and City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young to reconfigure the Department of Legislative Reference and place its long-serving director, Avery Aisenstark, under their control.
Key Role in Government
While obscure to the general public, Legislative Reference plays a key role in city government.
Its staff of four both drafts and reviews ordinances and resolutions sought by the administration and by Council members. When technical and procedural questions come up on controversial bills, Legislative Reference is asked to make a ruling.
Its 73-year-old director has gained a reputation as a man not afraid to tell elected officials that a bill or amendment is unconstitutional or needs to be re-crafted, as demonstrated in a recent bill-drafting session for Zeke Cohen’s lobbyist reform bill.
“We love Avery. . . [but] he knows there is a need for evaluative tools for improving his office.” – Young spokesman Lester Davis.
Set up in 1906 as an independent body, the office is governed by a board of directors that includes the president of Johns Hopkins University and the deans of the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore law schools.
Question G would replace this board with an “ad hoc” committee appointed by Pugh, Young and Comptroller Joan Pratt which, in turn, would advise Pugh and Young on the hiring, firing and reappointment of the director.
The civil service protections now afforded to Aisenstark (enshrined in the 1906 law setting up the agency) would end, and the position would become an “at-will” position subject to the whims of the mayor and Council president.
Aisenstark Speaks OutTo former Maryland Attorney General Stephen Sachs, the ballot question “smacks in the face” of good governance and opens the door “to all sorts of legislative chicanery.”
“This job has attracted, since it was established, a handful of legal scholars who help draft bills that are constitutionally sound and protect the citizens of Baltimore,” Sachs said.
“How are you going to get that kind of candidate in the future if this job becomes an at-will appointment of politicians who may or may not be respectful of its nonpartisan purpose?”
Until today, Aisenstark has remained publicly silent about the measure. But he reacted angrily this afternoon to the assertion by Lester Davis, deputy chief of staff to Young, that he was in favor of Question G.
“He’s absolutely wrong,” Aisenstark told The Brew. “I am opposed to the ballot question, and I am very disturbed that none of the members of the Council, including the President, ever came to me about this. There’s no way that Mr. Davis could possibly speak for me. His assertions are a lie.”
In an earlier interview, Davis insisted that Question G is not a “get rid of Avery” measure hatched by his boss to gain control over the office.
Davis said former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had talked about the need to evaluate the head of the agency back in 2012, in part because its governing board rarely met.
Best Practices“We love Avery. He’s a professional,” Davis said, but “he knows there is a need for evaluative tools for improving his office. Everyone needs to be evaluated. It’s best practices in government. It should be celebrated that Baltimore is coming in line with best practices.”
And that’s the reason why Aisenstark supports Question G, Davis said. “Go talk to him. He’ll straighten you out.”
Criticism of Question G by Sachs and DLA Piper partner Shale D. Stiller in a Baltimore Sun op-ed is “completely misguided,” Davis continued.
“Just because the director would serve at the pleasure of the mayor and Council president does not mean he’s going to get fired. Elected officials in Baltimore don’t willy-nilly get rid of people. That just doesn’t happen. There is no precedent for that.”
During a Council hearing on the ballot question, Young made much of the same argument, arguing that everyone in government needs a boss and the Office of Council Services serves at his pleasure.
“Elected officials in Baltimore don’t willy-nilly get rid of people. That just doesn’t happen” – Lester Davis.
“The director really don’t report to anyone. And he has to report to someone,” Young told Legislative Reference analyst Nancy Ray. “Someone to do his evaluation. Someone to make sure that the staff is fully staffed. You are two positions down, OK? The director have to report to someone.”
Mayor Has PowersAisenstark said the Legislative Reference board, whose members include Pugh and City Solicitor Andre Davis, can convene at any time and evaluate his work.
“The mayor controls our budget through the Board of Estimates. The Council president is also on the Board of Estimates. Neither of them has suggested until now that they had issues involving my work product. Nor has any previous mayor and president I’ve worked for.”
According to Aisenstark, the City Council “pulled a fast one” in order to get Question G on the ballot.
The measure was originally part of a 29-page bill that was submitted to the Council as part of the mayor’s charter review commission.
The bill covered a multitude of topics, but an amendment passed by the Council’s Judiciary Committee deleted all of the bill’s provisions except those dealings with Legislative Reference. This bill formed the basis of Question G.
See YouTube video of the Council meeting that placed Question G on the ballot, starting at 29:50.
Young’s “Hot Thing”Even after the mayor signed the bill, Aisenstark said he was given assurances by City Solicitor Davis that the administration would draft a memorandum reinstating protections to his position for a limited period of time.
Now going on his 24th year as agency director, Aisenstark said he had expressed interest in continuing as director for another two years.
The memorandum was never forthcoming, according to Sachs, who said he tried to intervene with the city solicitor on behalf of Aisenstark and the independence of the office.
“I didn’t want to make this whole issue personal,” Aisenstark said this afternoon. “Because it’s institutional. Everybody [on the City Council] says we do good work. But those same people didn’t want to get in the way of the ‘hot thing’ that the president wanted.”
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