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St. Mary's County Schools
With Patricia Richardson, superintendent
Friday, Aug. 31, 2001; 11:30 a.m. EDT
Patricia Richardson is superintendent of St. Mary's County Public Schools, which serve 15,000 students in 24 schools. She became superintendent in 1997 after having spent more than 20 years in county schools as a teacher, principal and administrator. In 2000, Richardson received the Outstanding Leader in Education Award from the University of Maryland.
Earlier this month, an expanded budget was adopted for the county school system. (Read the article.) The increase in funds will allow the county to hire assistant principals at Chopticon and Great Mills high schools and expand all-day kindergarten.
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washingtonpost.com:
Thanks for joining us today, Superintendent Richardson. How did the start of school go this week? What are you looking forward to this year?
Patricia Richardson: We had an excellent start thanks to the efforts of our staff and the community. We welcomed over 15,000 students into our schools this week. We are looking forward to increased student achievement as a result of our intensive summer training efforts. Over 70% of our teachers participated in these efforts. We also have several school construction projects initiated, including a major expansion and modernization of our Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center set to begin in November.
St. Mary's City:
What are you doing to combat the heinous notion that Leonardtown HS is "better" than the other two high schools in St. Mary's? You have probably seen the real-estate ads that say "Leonardtown School District." And over the years I've heard, "Whatever you do, don't let your kids go to Great Mills."
First of all, what a disgusting slap in the face for the teachers at both Great Mills HS and Chopticon HS! Their hard work counts for just as much as the work of their colleagues at Leonardtown.
Second, I think the whole notion of Leonardtown being "preferable" is due somewhat to racial prejudice but mostly to economic prejudice. Many people simply believe that their kids will do better in a school in a wealthier district. Again, this shows no recognition for the efforts of the teachers. I remember a redistricting hearing where some parents in Wildewood protested the idea of moving the community from Leonardtown's district to Great Mills' distict. What exactly did they protest? The idea that being in the Great Mills district would lower their homes' property values. Talk about misplaced priorities!
It's not your job as superintendent to keep property values high, but I feel it is your job to make sure that the school system doesn't treat any one school as a "flagship" school.
Patricia Richardson: Clearly, we are proud of each and every one of our 24 schools. Our teachers and staff work hard to create positive perceptions about their schools through their achievements and the achievements of their students. To date, all three high schools have undergone complete renovations and modernizations at a cost of approximately 20 million dollars each. We did this to ensure that every high school student, regardless of which school they attend has access to a high quality education.
Leonardtown, Md.:
Do you have a teacher shortage? How can I apply for a teaching job?
Patricia Richardson: We, like other systems across the nation, are experiencing a teacher and an administrator shortage. For information about applying for positions in St. Mary's County, you may call our Human Resources office at 301-475-4202. You may also visit our Human Resources website online for more detailed information about application procedures, benefits, and vacancies. We do encourage online applications available on our website at www.smcps.k12.md.us
Md.:
Why does school start before Labor Day? How does this affect attendance during the first week?
Patricia Richardson: Counties in Maryland must comply with the State's requirement for 180 student days. Each school system determines their own calendar. We have an established calendar committee comprised of parents, students, teachers, and administrators. This committee reviews required holidays, testing schedules, and other issues of concern to the community in developing this calendar. St. Mary's is currently one of 16 counties that resumes school prior to labor day. Because this has been our tradition, attendance is not significantly impacted.
washingtonpost.com:
What is your biggest accomplishment so far as superintendent?
Patricia Richardson: I consider my biggest accomplishment so far to be the building of an incredibly talented team of teachers, administrators, and support staff who are committed to increasing student achievement.
Reston, Va:
Ms. Richardson:
I am a Great Mills graduate and a member of Esperanza's first seventh-grade class. What efforts are being made to improve the quality of teachers and reach even the poorest performers of your student population? Students without a quality education and the ability to do critical thinking do not stand a chance in the current and future economy.
Patricia Richardson: It is great to hear from one of our graduates! We could not agree more about the need for students to engage in critical thinking. Over the past few years, we have focused on building educator capacity through expanded professional development opportunities. We have engaged in intensive recruiting efforts to select the most talented teachers to serve in our classrooms. We also provide mentors and many other support opportunities for teachers. These efforts ensure that teachers are able to meet the diverse needs of all of their students. These are the challenges that make working with students so exciting.
Leonardtown, Md.:
Are you open to listening to student and parent concerns about school politics? If so what is the best way for an issue to be approached?
Patricia Richardson: I encourage an open dialogue with our parents and community members. For the last five years, I have held bimonthly parent forums to hear concerns, issues, and suggestions from parents. Not being sure of your specific issue, school concerns are normally brought to the attention of your child's teacher. If the concern cannot be resolved at this level, the next step is to discuss it with the principal. For system level concerns, you may call 301-475-4250 where your call will be directed to the appropriate department.
Washington DC:
Personally I find it rather funny that the whole "Leonardtown is a much better school" myth continues after all these many years. I believe it started because when Leonardtown opened, it was a modern, up-to-date looking school. Let's face it, by the early 80's Great Mills and Chopticon had both seen better days. However, with the recent renovations, they all appear to be modern, up-to-date facilities.
How would you, rather, how do you, deal with the notion that the schools in St. Mary's are inferior in all aspects to the rest of metro DC? I was in a meeting once and my boss shared a story of how she talked her brother-in-law out of taking a job in St. Mary's because the schools there are so hideously bad. As a product of that school system (1973-1985) I was a little stunned and didn't quite know how to respond. Any advice?
Patricia Richardson: I always appreciate the opportunity to hear from former students. As a rural county that has undergone dramatic change in the last decade, we have faced and continue to face the challenge of correcting misinformation such as you have shared. To ensure that our schools are providing high quality instruction to students, we look at a variety of indicators. For example, last year's seniors were offered more than 7.3 million dollars in scholarship money. Eighty-two percent of this class plan to attend either a two or four year college compared with only 67% in 1993. This year's dropout rate was less than 3% meeting the state standard. Our teachers are seeking National Board Certification. Our students and staff continue to receive numerous awards and recognitions for their achievements in academics, athletics, fine arts, and service to the community. We have modernized more than half of our 24 schools in the last 10 years, providing advanced technology and state of the art equipment in science labs, fine arts programs, and other areas. The best way to judge our schools is to actually visit with us. We are very proud of our schools and the progress we have made. We welcome the opportunity to have people experience our successes firsthand.
Mechanicsville, MD:
Dr. Richardson, I have known you since your days at Lettie Dent. You are to be commended for your many years of outstanding work in supporting the students of St. Mary's county. Wednesday, "The Enterprise" (our local paper) lead with the headline of SAT scores dropping at several of our high schools. While this makes great press and puts you and your staff under fire, I feel the "blame" lies elsewhere. The majority of these kids today just do not read books. I fondly remember your reading program at Lettie Dent.
The youngest of my three sons is a senior at Chopticon this year. While all three had/have decent grades their SAT scores are lower than I expected and much lower than mine were 30 years ago. I remember reading three or four books a week. My 73 year old Dad still reads all the time. None of my sons, and two are now in college, read books. Note that I have a library of over 500 books available to them. It is all TV and video time for these young men.
My belated point is that you and your staff cannot nor should not be held accountable for lower SAT scores. This generation of students has not made the effort to place reading a book as an important item in their lives. Keep your head up and don't take the blame for this one.
Sincerely,
GS
Patricia Richardson: Dear GS - Thank you so much for your support. Yes, as a former reading specialist, I agree that the more students read the better equipped they are to be successful with SATs, course exams and life in general. Regarding the SATs, as the Superintendent, since I shared in the glory last year when we achieved our highest SAT scores to date, I do have to take responsiblity for this year's scores. Rest assured, we have already begun to put action plans in place to help our students demonstrate higher performance -- the performance we all know they can show.
Washington DC:
If students are in class for 180 days, how many days are teachers in school?
Patricia Richardson: Teachers have 190 duty days. New teachers have 191 to provide for orientation. Many of our teachers, however, spend additional time in coursework, summer workshops, and other professional activities to enhance their teaching skills.
washingtonpost.com:
Thanks for joining us today, Superintendent Richardson.
Patricia Richardson: Thank you all for the opportunity to respond to your questions about St. Mary's County Public Schools and to share some of our successes.
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