Wow, the man is getting PAID on the way out. He must have some fans.

I've llived in Prince George's County since 1961. Worked in the county as well.

Kevin Maxwell could have worked in a district with far fewer headaches and for more money. His eyes were open when he took the job. He wanted the job and he has implemented and supported some great initiatives during his tenure. The "distractions" written about happen frequently in large urban school systems. We are naive to expect perfection. We don't expect perfection anywhere else. Kevin Maxwell had institutional history in this county that only one or two other superintendents ever had. That alone is remarkable and instrumental in providing support to schools and communities. If someone mentioned a school in Ft. Washington, Maxwell didn't ask, "Where is that?"

Hornsby went to jail. Deasy left education, Hite went to Philly for more money. Maxwell STAYED! He provided great stability in a huge, urban school district. He is beloved by so many people in this county and elsewhere. He can be hired almost anywhere he chooses. He did not resign. He agreed to "transition," which involves a negotiation. He can remain in the job and if fired, he might sue and win. He has not broken any Maryland laws and his contract is solid on that. The media can foment controversy and citizens can moan and wail away. Due process still prevails and Kevin could even be awarded damages. The Board of Ed knows the law and they know what can happen. Meanwhile, Dr. Maxwell should be reviewing his resme.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if part of the issue with judging Maxwells tenure is that PGC residents just expect more than they did in the past. Were there actually more issues going on under his time or did they just garner more attention than the previous Superintendents because people expected him to come in and magically fix a broken system.

He clearly made some mistakes...including calling serious problems "distractions" but I think we are kidding ourselves if we don't acknowledge that he was significantly better, and made a more positive change, than the previous 4 leaders did combined.

I think losing head start funding is a pretty big deal. the abuse scandals and the poor response resulting in tons of teachers out of the classrooms for months during the school year are also big deals. The graduation rate scandal. And these are just scandals, and doesn't even begin to touch basic public school services like the continued understaffing of bus drivers and the inability to provide reliable, timely and safe bus transportation for our children.

I have lived in the county for 14 years and have been in the public school system for 5 years. If this is significantly better then we need to raise our standards.

Also he was paid significantly more, so our expectations should be higher.

Also, our property taxes are no lower than our neighbors in Montgomery County and Northern Virginia. Why should our expectations be so low?