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February 26, 2010

Dear Friends,

The following relates to the February 19th meeting about Articulated Instruction Module (AIM).

The House and Senate members of the Baltimore County Delegation met on February 19^th to discuss the AIM Program with Superintendent Joseph Hairston regarding the highly contested grading system.  This issue has raised a number of questions over the past few weeks and because of this, the Superintendent stated he would discontinue the mandatory implementation of the reporting component of this program. Upon further pressing, Dr. Hairston said the data collection aspect of the program has been suspended, then followed up by saying AIM’s reporting component would not be implemented.  This was seen as good news.

The issues noted were in regard to the amount of time our teachers would spend recording the student’s mastering of more than 100 specific skills collected on a per student basis and then recorded in a twelve page report.  It was indicated this process would take one and one half hours of input per student. The AIM program would have educators set classroom instruction aside to complete the data input.  Many see this process as duplicative in light of what has been required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Many questions were posed to the Superintendent about the development and copyright issues surrounding the creation of this program.  The Assistant to Dr. Hairston, Dr. Barbara Dezmon, has renewed her copyright six times, the latest in 2006 for the AIM Program.  This creates a questionable ethics issue.

I have joined in with other delegates in crafting a letter to the State’s Attorney’s office asking for an investigation.  If you would like a copy of the letter please let us know.

As I stated in the hearing: “This program has caused a lot of harm and I hope that there will not be any retaliation to those teachers and staff that were not supportive of this program. Teachers need more time to teach and less time on data collection and I hope this never happens again.”

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February 9, 2010

Dear Constituents,

Another week in Annapolis proved to be less then exciting and exposing more of our fiscal problems to come.

GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS

Bond bills are introduced each year that aim to support specific projects in the State. These capital projects must serve a wide spectrum of public purposes. The bonds that are issued are General Obligations bonds and are sold with a single coupon rate of 5% for 15 years. The debt service for the General Obligations bonds are funded almost entirely through property taxes. In Appendix F of the 2010 Budget Highlights has a worrisome note that the “Property tax collections are not expected to keep up with the debt service payments, thus requiring additional general funds effective in Fiscal Year 2011.” If the State of Maryland accepts more Bond Bills and increases our General Obligations, the funding of the debt service may increase property taxes. This year, Fiscal Year 2012, the O’Malley administration has provided $15,000,000 in the budget for Bond Bills.

Cutting back on grants and bonds when the State is facing debt service requirements that will out-pace property tax revenues is a sensible action to take.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

In 2009 the General Assembly passed an expansion of the Unemployment Benefits, HB 740 which will take effect in October 1, 2010. This expansion has caused many businesses to realize up to 300% increase in their bi monthly payments. Unemployment benefits are paid by the employer in the form of unemployment taxes, any increase in benefits necessitates an increase in taxes on business.

House Bill 740 expanded the Unemployment benefits to part time workers. The Department of Legislative Services Issue Papers, 2010 Legislative Session, states “Maryland employers will pay from the highest tax rate table for calendar 2010 due to the low balance of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.” When the funds are fully depleted, states may borrow from the Federal Government’s unemployment trust fund. The amount borrowed should be paid back within one year in order to prevent interest from accruing. Under the Obama plan states were required to amend their UI statute in-order to qualify for additional funds. These changes would include: (1) making part time workers eligible for benefits; (2) providing coverage to individuals who separate from work for compelling family reasons (illness of a family member, safety reasons due to domestic violence, change in spouse’s employment location); (3) providing Workforce Investment Act training benefits for at least 26 weeks in high demand industries; or (4) adding a $15 weekly allowance to UI payments for dependents.
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January 27, 2010

Dear Constituents,

I wanted to keep you updated on some of the topics as well as House/Senate Bills that were discussed this week.  I value your input and please continue to express your opinions on issues that are important to you.  Below are some of the “hot” issues for this week.

The Articulated Instruction Module Program (AIM)

On January 21^st the Baltimore County Delegation held a joint hearing regarding the AIM program.  It was the first time in sixteen years that both the House and Senate members met to discuss pressing issues affecting Baltimore County. The Aim program has been controversial. Teachers, PTA representatives and the Teachers Union have expressed their concerns about the amount of collected data required each quarter per student on top of what is currently required by the No Child Left Behind Act, Middle School Assessment (MSA) and High School Assessments (HSA).  It was stated that the data collection under this program would be an added layered on top of the time to satisfy the State’s requirements.  Superintendent Dr. Hairston of the Baltimore County School System scheduled an appearance before the Joint Delegation to discuss the program; unfortunately, Dr. Hairston could not attend the meeting because of physical therapy. The Baltimore County Delegation noted that the Superintendent could have rescheduled his appointment and been available to appear before this Delegation.   Mr. Ed Novak, Manager, Government & External Relations represented Dr. Hairston.  The program details were not known by Mr. Novak who was questioned vigorously by the Delegation.

Some points highlighted during the meeting are as follows:

The Teachers Union indicated that meetings were closed to its representative, in light of the open meetings law.

The PTA’s were highly concerned that classroom instruction would be limited due to the data collected and reported in a 12 page report card with 100 objectives per course. For a teacher with 100 students, the input per student is approximately 1.5 hours; it would take an additional 150 hours a year.

Teachers mentioned the potential of an ethic violation.  Dr. Dezmon, Assistant to the Superintendent, copyrighted this plan while working for Dr. Hairston on Baltimore County time.

Dr. Dezmon’s AIM program could benefit her directly with the profits of selling this program. The Dezmon Educational Strategies, LLC, has been copyrighted 6 times.

The AIM Program’s original purpose was to evaluate low performing students as a pilot program, but an emergency superintendent’s bulletin mandating the new program was issued December 18, 2009 for all Baltimore County Students.

The hearing was well attended but very disappointing because Dr. Hairston was not there to answer questions. It has been a very controversial issue in our school system because of the cumbersome, time consuming and redundant nature of the per student data collection contained in this AIM program.  By the end of the week Dr. Hairston said that he would discontinue the mandatory use of AIM.  A committee continues to work on issues raised by parents, teachers, and lawmakers who have been highly critical of the program.

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Elected officials from state legislatures across the country are participating in a unique program organized by the National Conference of State Legislatures.  I am delighted to join this effort which meets with students to teach them about American democracy and the importance of being engaged citizens.  Even though they are not old enough to vote, this program provides an interactive presentation to help children learn how government works and how their ideas count.

Schools in the 42nd District were sent letters outlining the initiative and inviting them to have their students participate.  I have visited numerous classes already and relayed my experiences as a legislator and taught how that plays a role in our representative democracy.  These presentations are designed to teach our young people that their ideas have value and they should become involved in the policy making process.  I engage with the students and outline what it is like to be a delegate, the process of making laws, the pressures of making challenging decisions, debates, compromise and responding to constituent concerns.

Some of the schools I have had the opportunity to visit include Hampton Elementary, Stoneleigh Elementary, Ridge Ruxton, Timonium Elementary, St. Paul’s School for Girls, Dumbarton Middle, Pikesville Senior, St. Pius and Calvert Hall.  It is fantastic to reach out into the community and provide a civics lesson to these future leaders.  The questions are priceless and the time we spend together has been great.  I really enjoy it and look forward to coming to other schools.

Delegate Susan Aumann was interviewed by Fox 45 in early October regarding the findings of recent Susquehanna River bridge inspections.  The two bridges that raised the most concern were Interstate 95 and Route 40.  These inspections discovered advanced water erosion (scour) around the pilings.  The bridge inspectors were asked to ramp up their inspection timeline due to the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis.  As a member of the Transportation and Environment Subcommittee, Delegate Aumann was asked how the State, with its $2+ billion dollar deficit was going to afford fixing new safety issues in light of the mounting rehabilitation projects currently on the Transportation Authority’s priority list.

The delegate said lessons learned from the Minneapolis tragedy and other bridge failures around the country compel us to redouble efforts to inspect these critical structures.  With the new information about the Susquehanna bridges, the Transportation Authority has moved the projects to the top of the list.  Coupled with the deterioration found on the Route 90 Bridge in Ocean City, which has resulted in its closure for several months, the importance of inspections becomes even more pronounced.  Transportation safety is a vital component of government’s responsibility to its citizens.

All of the identified repairs will be completed on the fastest schedule possible and the State will find the financial resources needed to complete the projects.  Since some of the effected roads are federal highways, the State will partner with the U.S. Department of Transportation to fully fund the repairs

The Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Senate President requested the 188 members of the General Assembly take furlough days to delay potential layoffs of state workers. I participated early this year, having four days of pay withheld and the savings returned to the General fund. In light of the continuing bleak financial picture for Maryland, I joined other State employees who were furloughed and had four additional days of pay deducted.

Revenue collection and estimates have been revised downward leaving a deficit of over $2.5 billion out of a $32 billion State budget. Economic recovery seems elusive, especially for those without work. With the unemployment rate at 10.2% nationally, I believe managed furloughs and salary reductions are appropriate but, it will not solve the long term issue. The State must change its approach to the budget dramatically and seriously focus on reducing spending.

While furloughs are preferable to layoffs during these difficult times, they are a small bandage on a huge problem – the failure to realistically organize our finances and live within our means. I believe additional furloughs are not part of a comprehensive solution to the State budget crisis.

Sue participated in the “Legislators Back to School” on the following dates:

September 29, 2009 – Hampton Elementary School – 60 5th graders

September 30, 2009 – Stoneleigh Elementary School – 100 5th graders

October 2, 2009 – Ridge Ruxton – helped Principal Bennett with unloading students arriving at school

October 13, 2009 – Timonium Elementary School – 65 5th graders

October 21, 2009 – St. Paul’s School for Girls – 30 8th grade students

The message this year has focused on how “Your Ideas Count”.

Earlier this year a number of Republican women from the Maryland Legislature formed non-profit group who’s mission is to train, recruit, mentor and support conservative candidates and build relationships with other stakeholders in the legislative process.

Two fundraisers have been held by the group netting approximately $10,000.  Also we held a dinner with women lobbyists, who also are severely outnumbered by their male counterparts, during the legislative session to branch out to other minority segments of the Annapolis political scene.

To learn more about this organization visit us at www.LadiesinLeadership.org

Also, see what The Gazette of Politics and Business had to say about the organization.  Read More

Join me at the Towson Area Fourth of July parade at 10:30a.m. along York Road and Burke Avenue.  Look for me in a red convertible, which will be driven by Kurt Aumann.

I look forward to seeing you there to celebrate the 74th annual Fourth of July parade!