Sources: New Superintendent To Reassign Top Schools Officials
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Two top officials under former Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston appear on their way to new assignments.
Chief Communications Officer Phyllis Reese and Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Human Resources Donald Peccia are expected to be reassigned from their current posts by new Superintendent S. Dallas Dance, according to sources who spoke to Patch on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the personnel moves.
Attempts to reach Dance and Peccia were not immediately successful.
When reached by phone on Thursday, Reese declined to provide much detail on her reassignment.
"I don't want to answer any questions at this point but I was not asked to resign," Reese said.
Reese faced criticism from state officials in March 2011 after failing to disclose the salary of then-deputy superintendent Renee Foose.
The reasons surrounding Peccia's move are not immediately known.
At a media round table on Monday, Dance listed internal and external communications as one of his main focuses for the new school year. He said that efforts to "amp up" communications will be seen moving forward.
"The community deserves it. Parents deserve it. Our students deserve it, and our employees deserve that," Dance said at the round table. "It's making sure that you know what's happening good with Baltimore County but also what are those areas we're looking to improve upon too."
Charles Herndon, a school system spokeman, would not confirm the reassignments stating that he can't comment on personnel issues. Herndon said announcements concerning changes in school administration staffing would be made in later months.
Patch also requested the salaries of Reese and Peccia, which Herndon said he would provide at a later date. Unlike the school system, Baltimore County government lists the salaries of all its employees on its website.
Patch county politics reporter Bryan Sears contributed to this article.
Matthew
8:05 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
Reese-154,778 (2010)
Peccia-165.395 (2010)
The Sun made BCPS salaries avalable via searchable database long ago. Those two fools basically account for six/seven teachers. You get get rid of both of them and no one would know.
Tim
12:04 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Sounds like a good trade to me.
FIFA_archived
12:15 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Can't comment on whether they are fools or not, don't know them. However, I would think that system is top heavy right down to assistant principals. Way too many chiefs, not enough indians, no insult intended towards natives.
LT guy
3:34 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Kudos to the new superintendent for easing Reese out. I dealt with her a few times. She did a poor job. I came away shaking my head at how she could have been chosen for the communications position.
Donna McDonough
9:19 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
Sadly teachers salaries are easily available. That would be fine to list steps etc, but not names and amounts. Teachers deserve some measure of respect.
FIFA_archived
12:07 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
The price you pay for the Freedom of Information Act.
Tim
12:08 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Exactly.
Bryan P. Sears
1:18 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
This issue frequently comes up when media post salary databases. Salaries and overtime of public employees are public record because they are paid for with taxpayer dollars just as contracts between governments and private corporations.
It's all part and parcel of being a public employee. Respect for any group of employees, or the lack thereof, is not part of the equation.
JDStuts
1:31 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
There shouldn't be any association with disrespect. Salaries are part and parcel of the agreement people make when the elect to enter public service. I understand how it can make outsiders uncomfortable but if it helps assuage any guilt a published teacher salary might not be a true indicator of their household net worth. Their spouse could be bringing in $1.5 million a year which is why the teacher is able to pursue their vocation.
Matthew
8:19 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
I don't find it disrespectful that they publish my salary. I find it disrespectful that Donald Peccia gets a 12k raise from 2009 to 2010, but we don't have money to put up whiteboards, ceiling mounted projectors, etc. I find it disrespectful that we can't pay safe schools monitors minimum wage to walk the halls, so I get to babysit the bathroom with a walkie talkie instead of planning quality instruction or grading papers. Good things there is 300k to waste on these pencil-pushing bureaucrats who wouldn't know education if it bit them on their hind end. It is this which I find monumentally disrespectful.
This system is broken. I hope Dr. Dance is willing to keep swinging the axe and right the course of this ship. I don't care how old he is. He will be judged on his merits; and right now, there is nothing bad to say.
RARE MARYLAND INDEPENDENT
8:35 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Keep Dancin Dallas - get rid of that dead weight!!!
Much more to do, but I like your start!!
JD1
12:09 am on Saturday, July 7, 2012
There are probably 100 more like these two who are pulling big salaries and have no impact. There's a ton of fat in the system that needs to go.
Bon
8:07 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012
they need to get rid of the high paying nothings that sit and make decisions(some of the bad),but don't step a foot in a classroom. I give teachers alot of credit for what they do.All the money that would be saved by doing this could be used to benefit the kids.teachers spend their own money on supplies because the budget is depleted midway thru the year.they need to regulate the pay for the aids in the classroom,they need to be payed according to yrs of service and experience.A aid that is a new hire makes the same pay as a aid that has been in the system for 10 yrs ,and makes the same pay as a a cafeteria helper.Some of the money saved from the top people needs to go to the people that actually work to make a difference