Interim Superintendent Mamie J. Perkins today announced the names of 21 people who will serve on Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Equity and Achievement to examine issues related to achievement and discipline gaps and make recommendations to narrow disparities that exist among student groups.
“As I looked to put this commission together, I wanted people with experience in dealing with the many issues that surround achievement, opportunity, and discipline gaps both inside and outside of our school system,” Mrs. Perkins said. “I believe that experience is critically important because the more lenses through which we can view these issues, the more strides we can make in addressing what is the single biggest challenge facing our school system today. I am incredibly grateful that these individuals have chosen to invest their time investing in the future of our children.”
Commission members are:
- Rev. Carletta Allen, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Annapolis
- Anthony Alston, Executive Director of Equity and Accelerated Student Achievement, AACPS
- Betty Collins, Director of Instructional Leadership Support, Montgomery County Public Schools
- Dr. Virginia Dolan, Coordinator of Behavioral Supports & Interventions, AACPS
- Mike Durso, retired principal and current Board of Education member, Montgomery County Public Schools
- Irma Holland, Annapolis resident, Director of Clinical Education at Anne Arundel Medical Center, and original signer of the Office for Civil Rights complaint alleging disparate treatment of African-American students by AACPS
- Monique Jackson, Director, Office of Continuous School Improvement, AACPS
- Daryl Jones, Anne Arundel County Councilman, District 1
- Dr. Kathryn Kubic, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and former Executive Director of the Instructional Data Division, AACPS
- Dr. Dawn Lindsay, President, Anne Arundel Community College
- Helen Mateosky, Principal, Hillsmere Elementary School
- Enrique Melendez, former member, Board of Education of Anne Arundel County
- Dr. Elizabeth M. “Betty” Morgan, former superintendent, Washington County Public Schools; 2010 National Superintendent of the Year; and former executive director of GradNation, a dropout prevention program run by America’s Promise Alliance
- Dr. Yvette Mozie-Ross, Assistant Provost, University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Janine Robinson, Regional Assistant Superintendent, AACPS
- Jack Smith, former superintendent, Calvert County Public Schools; 2013 Maryland Superintendent of the Year; and current Chief Academic Officer, Maryland State Department of Education
- Pete Smith, former Anne Arundel County Councilman, District 1
- Mary Tillar, Assistant Superintendent for Advanced Studies and Programs and former Executive Director of Special Education, AACPS
- Jim Todd, Principal, Old Mill High School
- Teresa Tudor, Senior Manager of School and Family Partnerships, AACPS
- Solon Webb, member, Board of Education of Anne Arundel County
In addition, UMBC President Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III and Mrs. Perkins have agreed to serve as informal advisers to the commission.
“This is a very talented and diverse group of individuals who represent a broad array of areas, and I believe they will lend a great deal to the discussion of how to move our school system forward and create better outcomes for all of our children,” Mrs. Perkins said.
The commission will meet at least four times this school year, with the first meeting to occur in mid-September on a date to be determined.