Matthew Santoni, The Examiner
2008-04-23 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

A breakdown in communication has hobbled Harford County’s high school reform program, Board of Education President Tom Fidler said, and he blamed Superintendent Jacqueline Haas and top administrators.

Teachers and school staff felt they had no input into the creation of the Comprehensive Secondary School Reform Program enacted two years ago, according to a study presented to the Board of Education on Monday night by Columbia-based Leadership Capacity Inc. But the board and school system administrators never got word of the discontent due to a breakdown in communication, Fidler said.

“There is a disconnect between Drs. Haas, [David] Volrath and [Gerald] Scarborough and our educators. Somehow that information is not filtering to the top,” he said, referring to the two assistant superintendents who helped lead the CSSRP. “Somehow, either in our schools or in this building, there is a failure in leadership.”

The study showed that though most school administrators felt they had a say in creating and implementing the CSSRP, far more teachers, supervisors, counselors and instructional support staff did not.

“A significant number of stakeholders believed the process was closed, with predetermined conclusions,” Leadership Capacity President Michael Hickey said. “That attitude, especially among teachers, speaks to a credibility gap that absolutely begs to be addressed.”

Haas said it appeared the communication breakdown began between the teachers and their immediate supervisors, which led to inaccurate information being passed “up the ladder.”

“When things get heated and busy, we sometimes do drop the ball on communication, and that’s something we’re going to be working on,” she said.

Fidler said principals and administrators had previously told board members the CSSRP had strong support. He wondered if the teachers were expressing concerns only in the anonymous survey.

Their honest and open participation are vital to refining the program’s implementation, he said.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com