A longer school year, foreign language instruction in elementary school and extra pay to lure talented teachers to the neediest schools were among the issues proposed and debated by candidates for Howard County's Board of Education at a forum this week.

Three seats on the nonpartisan, seven-member school board are at stake in the Nov. 4 election. The six candidates for those seats are incumbents Ellen Flynn Giles, an editor from North Laurel, and Janet Siddiqui, a pediatrician from Clarksville; and challengers Diane Butler, a community activist from Ellicott City; Allen Dyer, a lawyer from Ellicott City; Betsy Grater, a retired teacher and business owner from Ellicott City; and Di Zou, a college student from Glenwood.

All of the candidates except Zou attended an Oct. 13 forum sponsored by the county's League of Women Voters, the PTA Council of Howard County, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the Association of Community Services.

Giles and Dyer agreed that county officials should revisit the idea of a dedicated, sustainable source of funding for the schools' capital projects, including the possibility of a transfer tax.

Dyer said a strain on the school system's capital funding contributed to what he called "bad decisions," such as the board's decision to renovate 43-year-old Mt. Hebron High School rather than replace it with a new facility.

Butler said she believes the system's annual per pupil expenditure of $12,650 is bloated. She called for the elimination of programs not directly related to teaching.

"There are a lot of things we do with our money that aren't educating our children," she said.

Siddiqui and Giles disagreed with Butler's assessment of the system's operating expenses. Siddiqui said the largest expense is teacher salaries, calling teachers the "biggest asset we have, the backbone of our school system."

Giles also said the operating expenses are justified. "We spend now, or we pay later," she said. "We owe it to our children to do absolutely everything we can do to prepare them."

Many issues addressed

In response to questions, the candidates addressed a wide array of issues and offered an equally wide array of opinions.

Dyer proposed a system under which the school board would offer the most talented teachers a financial incentive to transfer to academically needy schools.

Grater said many parents are not tapping into existing support and resources in the school system because they are not publicized well enough. She also said she thinks merit pay for successful teachers is a good idea, but that the criteria for the extra pay shouldn't be based on test scores alone.

Butler and Dyer both said they believe the county "teaches to the test" too much.

"We need to teach students to think," Butler said, adding that children need to develop critical thinking and study skills.

Dyer criticized the premise of the state-mandated High School Assessments -- end-of-course tests in 10th-grade English, algebra, biology and government required for graduation starting this year.

"I think the Howard County board should stand up to (the state board) and say, 'Hey, let's stick with the requirement that a diploma is for the kids who show up to school, take classes and pass them,'" Dyer said.

Siddiqui said the system does not currently offer enough language options and should consider adding more Asian and Middle Eastern language classes, while Butler and Dyer said they'd like to see foreign language instruction begin in elementary school.

Grater and Giles said a longer school year or longer school days should be considered to help U.S. students compete with their peers from other countries whose school year is longer than 180 days.

"It seems the whole philosophy needs to be looked at," Grater said of the typical U.S. school calendar, which was originally planned around an agrarian lifestyle.

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user comments (9)

user regina says...

It was unfortunate that the LWV forum did not accept questions from the audience. That is why some folks go, so they can get their specific questions answered. I would have loved to have gotten candidates to speak up on their opinions about whether Creationism (labeled "Intelligent Design") should be taught as an alternative to Evolution. It is my opinion (this opinion is shared by many) that Intelligent Design should not be taught in Science class along with Evolution. Evolution is actually scientifically-based. Intelligent Design is not, it is based on faith. Diane Butler, one of the candidates for School Board, has said that she believes that Intelligent Design should be taught as an alternative to Evolution. I believe that Intelligent Design is a controversial topic, and could be covered in Social Studies classes, but it is NOT a Science. Diane Butler home-schools her own offspring, so I guess she has more leeway in what she teaches, but our public school children should not be taught Intelligent Design as if it were a fact. We have citizens of all different backgrounds and faiths. It is wrong to teach one faith's beliefs as fact, just because it is what we personally might believe. Doesn't Diane Butler remember "Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al., Case No. 04cv2688" Federal Court found that: Teaching intelligent design in public school biology classes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (and Article I, Section 3 of the Pennsylvania State Constitution) because intelligent design is not science and "cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents." Intelligent Design is just Creationism given a different name. I do not want someone on OUR School Board who wants to invite another court battle because she wants to teach Creationism as an alternative to Evolution. For that reason, I hope that Diane Butler does NOT get onto Howard County School Board.

Posted 11:23 AM, 10.17.08 | Permalink

user dianebutler says...

I would like to comment on that. Back during the primaries there was a group called Democracy for Howard County that asked all of the 8 candidates at the time to answer some questions. The exact wording was "Please answer "support" or "oppose" as appropriate for Questions #1-6." These questions were for the members who attended a meeting back in December or January to help them decide who to endorse. The candidates were not allowed to speak at the meeting. I think only 4 of the candidates even bothered to respond. Myself, Faenita Dilworth, Allen Dyer and Ellen Giles responded. This was one of my first responses to the many requests for information from the candidates and I was just getting my feet wet. I know now to try and qualify every thing I say. I responded very succinctly to the first 5 or 6 questions as that is how they were presented. Question #5 said "Do you support or oppose the teaching of creationism or what is called "Intelligent Design" as part of the curriculum in county schools?" Nowhere did the question say anything about it being in the science curriculum. Since my college studies were in Geo Physics I have heard many, many theories about the origin of our universe that have been brought forth in the scientific community. We teach many different theories even as history lessons. I think "Intelligent Design" has its place somewhere as one of these theories. I have obviously been misunderstood or misquoted which happens easily when the press and others pass your information from one place to the next. Part of the reason this is coming up now is because Allen Dyer has taken the list of responses that were given to DHC almost a year ago and has put them in a different document with misleading headings and without the original intent. I am quite shocked he would do this. I would imagine more questions will be coming. As to my home schooling my daughter, my daughter went to public school in California for years before we moved here. I was on the PTA and very active with the schools. I enrolled her in Howard County Schools the minute we got here. My daughter is very bright and it became apparent very soon that Howard County was not meeting her needs. She had been in a full gifted magnet program in California (with a second language) and no such program existed here. I took my daughter out of public school while I advocated for her with the school board. I also checked into private schools for her. She was accepted at Mc Donogh but we simply could not afford it. Discussions with the school board at the time did not go very well either. They did not have a program for my daughter and Sandra French actually admitted that the school board had totally failed my child. This process went on for over three years with my trying to get my daughter properly placed in public school. After three years I gave up and continued with my home teaching. My daughter started taking college classes a month after she turned 15 and now that she has turned 16 she is on the Dean's list for part time students (they will only let her take a certain number of classes due to her age) and a Schoenbrodt Scholar as well as an officer in the Honors Society. She is too young to send away to college yet and since I am able to teach her Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics we are working it out. There is a large community of children who do not have their needs met in public school and I would like to change that. EVERY child deserves the best education we can give them. My daughter does miss out on some things because I have to pay for her education myself. I hope this answers some of your questions about me. Diane Butler

Posted 3:45 PM, 10.17.08 | Permalink

user regina says...

In response to your (Diane Butler) response..... The Democracy for Howard County question was worded thusly: (5) Do you support or oppose the teaching of creationism or what is called “Intelligent Design” as part of the curriculum in county schools? Your answer was worded thusly: 5. I believe "Intelligent Design" should be taught as a different theory than "Evolution". In science we have many subjects that are taught theoretically, and I believe all sides should be offered to allow students to make up their own minds. I am unclear how you are blaming any misunderstanding on anyone other than yourself. As you can see, Democracy for Howard County's question did not mention "Science class" in their question. The response that Democracy for Howard County received from you mentioned "Science class" by your belief that Intelligent Design should be taught as 'a different theory than "Evolution' ". Please review your wording of your response, and explain how else people should have interpreted your response. I for one do not fault Allen Dyer for his dissemination of this information. He is publicizing the complete questions and answers of the three remaining candidate respondents to the Democracy for Howard County questionnaire. If you see any political ads on television, they often include small snippets of quotes of a candidate's opponent, which are then taken out of context by candidates to further their agenda. That is not what Mr. Dyer is doing. Reprinting your responses word for word, alongside the other candidates -- all responses are given full and equal treatment -- is helpful for people to decide who they want to vote for.

Posted 4:24 PM, 10.17.08 | Permalink

user laura says...

I would like Mr. Dyer and the board to consider that most of the needy schools have the highest talented teachers in them with highly talented support teachers, already. The less academic needy schools have talented teachers without as many support teachers.

Posted 3:11 PM, 10.20.08 | Permalink

user dianebutler says...

Regina, To be perfectly clear: I do not think In telligent Design should be taught in any way shape or form in a science curriculum and I never have. I do not want to teach Creationism as an alternative to Evolution. My answer to the question posed a year ago was obviously not phrased correctly. The history of civiliztion can not be taught without a working knowledge of the major belief systems over the last few thousand years. That was my point and I am very sorry if I represented myself any differently. I am very sorry for the confusion, but when things are taken out of FULL context they can seem different than what they are. I was being bombarded with questionaires and I did not fill this one out clearly. I hope you understand my position better now. I am a scientist at heart. Thank you for your concern and comments. Diane Butler

Posted 7:03 PM, 10.20.08 | Permalink

user regina says...

Ms. Butler, I am still a little unclear about your comment that "but when things are taken out of FULL context they can seem different than what they are" Your answers were given "in full" without any edits, as I mentioned in a previous post here. You say that you were "bombarded with questionaires (sic) and I did not fill this one out clearly" -- I have two comments to this. Would you be willing to share all of these documents with voters wanting to be completely informed before deciding for whom to vote? Also, if you are elected to the School Board, will you be more careful and conscientious with the important work of improving our public school system? As someone who appreciates actual Science over Belief, can I ask for your solemn promise that you will NEVER want to connect "Intelligent Design" to any Science class? I believe that the only place for teaching Creationism (re-named as Intelligent Design) is in a class discussing multiple faiths equally, and their place in societies and how they've affected history and mankind. This is extremely important in this day and age, when Religions are acknowledged to be the cause of much conflict and war in the world. We must not favor one belief system over another when dealing teaching our children in public schools. Please remember that it was YOUR response that connected Intelligent Design to "Science class" - not the questionnaire.

Posted 1:44 PM, 10.27.08 | Permalink

user aldyer says...

Hello Laura, BOE Candidate Allen Dyer here. If elected to the Board of Education, I would urge the Superintendent to compile a public report on the allocation of our more experienced teachers and para-educators as an initial step in providing for a stronger focus of our resources on struggling students. The Superintendent's report would then provide a statistical basis for evaluation of your concerns regarding whether "the highest talented teachers [along with the most] highly talented support teachers" are already in the most needy schools. Concurrently, I would ask that all actions taken to eliminate the achievement gap be well documented and be promptly made public and placed on the web. The public schools belong to all of us and they are the promise of tomorrow. I hope to serve the public school students and all citizens by making sure everything the Board of Education does is properly reported and placed in the public domain so future members of the Board can build on our successes and avoid our mistakes. Thank you for your suggestion. Allen Dyer

Posted 7:25 PM, 10.27.08 | Permalink

user michellewood says...

regina, I can't help but think you are being disingenuous when you claim: “I believe that the only place for teaching Creationism (re-named as Intelligent Design) is in a class discussing multiple faiths equally, and their place in societies and how they've affected history and mankind.” Truth be told, I think you would oppose the mention of Intelligent Design in any class. Certainly it is your right to feel that way, but let’s just be honest about it. After all, how can you discuss Intelligent Design outside of the context of evolution? They are alternate/opposing theories to the origin of mankind, right? I don’t see any contradiction in Ms. Butler’s remarks, regardless of whether or not I agree with her. She didn’t say “science class” as you repeatedly quote. She said: “In science we have many subjects that are taught theoretically.” In other words, evolution is a scientific theory. She apparently doesn’t see a problem with informing students (in some class - she didn’t specify which) that some people believe the alternate, theologically based, theory of Intelligent Design and letting students make up their own minds about what they believe. If the topic of Intelligent Design comes up, it would also be appropriate to state that people of many faiths, as well as atheists, do subscribe to the theory of evolution. The schools must be neutral, but I don’t think a mere statement that some people reject the theory of evolution and favor the account given in the Torah/Bible/Qur’an amounts to prosthelatizing. As long as all students are taught and expected to understand the fundamental scientific basis of evolution, the school system has done its job. It is not the function of the schools to undermine students’ constitutionally protected freedom of religion by taking the position that intelligent design is either true or false. However, I see no reason why it can’t be handled in a neutral manner by simply stating that the theory exists. Having said all of that, I personally don’t think it is a necessary part of the school curriculum, because I think kids can learn about it in their places of worship. But I wouldn’t oppose it, nor would I support sanctions against any teacher for entertaining a discussion about the subject, because schools are supposed to be institutions of discussion and learning. I’m also curious about exactly how you propose that schools should instruct students about religion, because I sense some hostility in your statement: “This is extremely important in this day and age, when Religions are acknowledged to be the cause of much conflict and war in the world.” War has always been a part of human history. And, yes, religious differences have often been the root of war. However, would you also acknowledge that major world religions have been instrumental in defining the rule of law in most societies, putting an end to infanticide and human sacrifice, inspiring art and music, promoting fidelity, charity, etc.? Religious issues are so woven into our society, history, philosophy, etc. that they are often relevant to many academic subjects. How can you discuss World War II and Hitler without the mention of Judaism and religious persecution? Would such a statement be tantamount to promoting Judaism over other religions? Would telling students that some Catholic churches protected people who were being persecuted be equivalent to promoting Catholicism? Of course not, these are simply historical facts. Just as it is a fact that some people reject evolution as the origin of mankind because of their religious convictions.

Posted 10:44 AM, 10.28.08 | Permalink

user michellewood says...

And now that we have beaten that horse to death, I hope we can focus on issues that might realistically come before the school board. For instance, what will happen in the next round of redistricting, will policies be enforced fairly and equally to all citizens in this county, what will be done to close the achievement gap, what will be done to raise the performance levels of schools that are currently below the county and/or state average, which schools will receive needed renovations and when, will the board operate in a transparent manner, will the board give serious consideration to parents concerns and students needs or will it hide behind bureaucratic red tape, will the board learn to live within its means and what types of programs will be cut due to budget problems, etc.? If you think reform isn’t necessary, think again! Be sure to check out: http://reformhowardsboe.blogspot.com/.

Posted 11:00 AM, 10.28.08 | Permalink