PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor                            H.B. 608

recommendation;), if any, had been implemented, and that planning, coordination, and
clear lines of responsibility were lacking on the part of the BCPS; and

WHEREAS, In Juno, 1994, the BCPS and MSDE mutually agreed to retain MGT
of America, Inc., a Florida consulting firm with experience in education issues, to
evaluate the BCPS' progress in implementing the Cresap recommendations; and

WHEREAS, In January, 1995, at a public hearing, MGT presented its report on
BCPS' progress revealing that 39 of the 53 major Cresap recommendations had not been
implemented and cited the major barriers to implementation as: no master plan for
implementation; confusion among school and central office administrators about the
Cresap report; inadequate, fragmented, poorly coordinated training efforts; sweeping
changes in senior level staff within the BCPS; and the disbanding of the BCPS groups
responsible for implementation oversight; and

WHEREAS, At the same public hearing, the superintendent of the BCPS
responded to the MGT report by implying that the Cresap recommendations were for the
purpose of providing guidance only and there was no intention of implementing all of the
recommendations to which the BCPS and MSDE earlier agreed; and

WHEREAS, The BCPS' poor management practices likely contribute to the
unacceptable level of student performance and efforts by private sector volunteers,
independent consultants, the MSDE, and the Maryland General Assembly have failed to
motivate action by the BCPS; and

WHEREAS, In April, 1995, the Maryland General Assembly included a provision
in the State budget bill withholding $5,873,943 from the Fiscal Year 1996 appropriation
for the State share of basic current expenses for the City of Baltimore pending receipt of
a report from the Maryland State Department of Education evaluating whether the BCPS
has made substantial progress in implementing the Cresap recommendations, including a
systemwide personnel evaluation system; and

WHEREAS, In January 1996, the State Superintendent, on behalf of the members of
the State Board of Education, reported that the Baltimore City Public Schools had not made
substantial progress in implementing the Towers Perrin/Cresap management reform
recommendations, including a merit-based, systemwide personnel evaluation system for
teachers, principals, and administrators; and

WHEREAS, The Fiscal Year 1996 State appropriation for education aid for
Baltimore City is $423.6 million, or 20 percent of the appropriation statewide; and

WHEREAS, $5,873,943 is the amount estimated to be 25 percent of Baltimore
City's expenditures for salaries, wages, and benefits for administration for the BCPS
Baltimore City Public Schools for Fiscal Year 1996; and

WHEREAS, The action of withholding $5,873,943 from the City of Baltimore is
consistent with provisions included in State budget bills to withhold up to 25 percent of
the salary of State administrators deemed to be responsible for poor compliance with
State laws, rules, and regulations governing fiscal administration practices; now,
therefore,

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF

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