Skip to main content

Tick Tock

I woke up at five am, as I usually do, to write. It's 6:55 and I still don't have something to write about. Time's a-wasting! 
On my mind this morning:
HCPSS has sent out a survey asking for input on four proposals for changing school start times and none of the choices are any good. And there's "no none of the above" option, no "write in your own" option. Does this surprise me? No. There is a place for comments. That would be a good place to remind them that the American Academy of Pediatics recommends that school should begin after eight, preferably eight thirty, for everyone, not just teens.
Councilman Calvin Ball has submitted a resolution 
"calling on the Human Rights Commission to study the recruitment, hiring, retention,and promotion practices of certain units of the Howard County government, the Howard County Sheriff, and the Howard CountyPublic School System, submit a report and make recommendations; and generally relating to discriminatory practices in Howard County."
Blogger Bill Woodcock of The 53 hinted at something related to the Human Rights Commission just this week. Hmm.
County Executive Allan Kittleman is proposing something called One Howard. 
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman today announced #OneHoward, an initiative designed to promote community dialogue and reinforce the county’s shared goals of diversity and inclusiveness.
ScottE shares the press release here.
State Comptroller Peter Franchot continues to hold congenial "meeting of the mind" events in which attendees are predominantly white and male. What can I say? The pictures speak for themselves. A recent event was described in this way, "this is not the Democratic party machine." Okay, so what is it, then? I have my own problems with the Democratic Party "machine" but at least the people gathered around their table are a more inclusive bunch. 
New BOE members are to be sworn in on December 5th. The old order will soon give way to the new. Tick tock.








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...