The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page B3

THE SUN MARYLAND THURSDAY 04.27.2006 3B Vote delaYed on restructuring City school board calls plans for nine low-performing schools incomplete and flawed Campbell asked whether those candidates are certified. Chinnia said the system is working with the state to have their certifications approved. "Our people will be fully certified upon entering the schools," said Peter Kannam, executive director of Baltimore's New Leaders program. "But you don't know that," Campbell shot back. Chinnia said yesterday that the three candidates who would go to restructuring schools are certified.

Hettleman criticized the system's plan to implement at Morrell Park ElementaryMiddle a program run by the Fund for Educational Excellence, which Copeland headed before she became schools CEO. The program works with teachers and principals on professional development, but Hettleman said it does not reform a whole school. Copeland said the program has a record of improving student performance. Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy would work with the Atlanta-based Southern Regional Education Board to implement a high school reform program focusing on preparing students for specific careers.

sara.neufeldbaltsun.com School No. 237, based on student achievement data. The school board must approve the restructuring plans and submit them to the state by May 8. Instead of approving the plans Tuesday, the board will convene a meeting next week. "We take seriously our responsibility," said school board Chairman Brian D.

Morris. "If it takes more time, it takes more time." Under the proposal, the principals at Harlem Park and Robert Poole middle schools would be suspended, and central office administrators would take their places until the schools close in 2008. Both schools were slated to close as part of an effort to operate more efficiently. The principals at Canton, Thomas G. Hayes and Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts would be replaced with new principals being trained through New Leaders for New Schools.

New Leaders for New Schools is a national nonprofit seeking to combat the country's principal shortage by training dynamic candidates in an intense yearlong program. In Baltimore, it is expected to produce 40 new principals over three years, with the first candidates ready to be put in charge of schools this summer. But at Tuesday's school board meeting, member James W. school board meeting. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Law, nine city schools must restructure if students did not show adequate progress on state standardized tests that were administered last month.

The test results are not available, but system Chief Academic Officer Linda Chinnia said that most of the changes likely would be implemented regardless of the scores. The schools can restructure in a variety of ways, including replacing staff members and converting to a charter school. The city system was planning use the least severe restructuring option, hiring an administrator called a "turnaround specialist" to work with the principal, in seven of the schools. The state rejected that plan, saying more drastic action is required. At two of the schools, Canton Middle and Thomas G.

Hayes Elementary, the city system was planning to require all staff members to reapply for their jobs, a reform that the state had deemed acceptable. However, system officials now want to replace only the principals at those schools. Selected staff would be replaced at AshburtonNathan Pitts ElementaryMiddle School and Highlandtown Elementary BY SARA NEUFELD SUN REPORTER The Baltimore school board has postponed a vote on plans to restructure nine low-performing schools, saying the plans that school system officials presented this week are incomplete and riddled with problems. Board members were especially upset that administrators presented the plans which involve replacing principals at several schools and requiring some teachers to reapply for their jobs only orally, not in writing. Member Kalman R.

"Buzzy" Hettleman said he would not approve the plans "based on faith." Schools Chief Executive Officer Bonnie S. Copeland said the system was waiting to learn how the Maryland State Department of Education wants the plans formatted. System officials said all of the restructuring changes they are proposing are on a list of options outlined by the state, which must approve the plans after the school board does. But board members said the system must pick the reforms that are best for children. "Because MSDE put something on a list, that is not a reason to choose it," member Diane Bell McKoy said at Tuesday night's 2 city police officers are indicted in theft and bribery cases Two Baltimore police officers have been indicted in separate cases on charges of theft, extortion and bribery, the city state's attorney office announced yesterday.

Officer Walter Jackson-Hill, 35, of York, was indicted on theft, bribery, extortion and obstruction of justice charges stemming from allegations that he took bribes from a suspect in a felony drug case in return for failing to appear at the man's criminal trial. Prosecutors said that Jackson-Hill received bribes payments of $400 and $750 from the girlfriend of a man he had arrested. Officer Che Jackson, 35, of the 3800 block of Cassandra Road in Randallstown, was indicted on one count of felony theft. The indictment alleges that Jackson removed a set of 20-inch rims and four tires from a 2000 Cadillac Deville that was seized during a shooting investigation. The tires and rims were found on Jackson's 1999 Cadillac Deville, prosecutors said.

Both men are scheduled for arraignment May 24. The indictments are the latest in a string of corruption allegations against city police officers. Three members of the Southwestern District's Flex Squad are facing a May rape trial stemming from a woman's account of being assaulted in the station house. Two detectives have been accused by federal authorities of robbing drug addicts and pressuring dealers to share their profits with them. NICOLE FULLER Boy arrested on gun charge A 16-year-old Severn boy was arrested yesterday after taking a loaded handgun to Old Mill High School, Anne Arundel County police said.

Davon Odems of the 1700 block of Barnwood Court was charged as an adult with possession of a concealed deadly weapon on school property, possession of a handgun and carrying a concealed weapon. Shortly before 9 a.m., a teacher reported hearing one student tell another that a third student had a gun on school property, police said. A police officer stationed at the school searched the student's book bag and found the loaded 9 mm handgun inside, police said. The student said he was carrying the gun for protection from another student but did not elaborate, said Sgt. Shawn A.

Urbas, a police spokesman. Tony Ruffin, a schools spokesman, said administrators will investigate. Police are also investigating where the student got the handgun and who owns it. Teen charged in Carroll rape A 17-year-old Baltimore County teenager is being held at the Carroll County Detention Center on $500,000 bond after being charged in the rape of a Westminster woman, Carroll County Deputy State's Attorney David P. Daggett said yesterday.

Kenyon J. McCullough of the 3700 block of Campfield Road was charged as an adult Monday with second-degree rape, fourth-degree sex offense, second-degree assault and theft of less than $500 value, according to court documents. McCullough was taken to Carroll County on Tuesday night from the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School in Baltimore County, where he was being held on juvenile burglary charges, court documents say.

McCullough is charged with rape and assault during a party in the first block of Charles St. in Westminster in late January, according to documents. The woman was taken to Carroll Hospital Center, where she was treated, according to the Carroll County Advocacy and Investigation Center. LAURA MCCANDLISH DIGEST Wheelchair athlete to take part in marathon Tatyana McFadden, a Howard County wheelchair athlete who went to court last week and won an order giving her the right to compete in a track meet with other high school athletes, on Sunday will anchor the first relay wheelchair team to participate in the Frederick Marathon. McFadden, 16, a sophomore at Atholton High School, will complete the final 9.2 miles of the 26.2-mile race.

Her team will race alongside nondisabled participants. McFadden will be joined on the relay team by Deanna Free, a 16-year-old junior at Hereford High School in Parkton; Gail Gaeng, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Frederick; and Kel-sey Yost, an 18-year-old senior from Camp Hill, Pa. The relay team was assembled by coach Gerry Herman, co-director of the Bennett Institute, which is associated with the Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute. JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV AMY DAVIS SUN PHOTOGRAPHER A bit of nature Jasmine Harding (left) holds earthworms for examination by Alexus Roane (second from left), Cierrra Carter (center) and Allyson Wallace (right) during a native habitat rehabilitation project at Cross Country Elementary School in Baltimore. Pupils and teachers teamed up with Irvine Nature Center staff members and volunteers on the project.

Pride Inc. to continue selling ice cream at the Inner Harbor brary before classes end on June 13. SARA NEUFELD a.m. when it struck a curb. Police said that when the truck overturned, Carr was thrown and pinned under it.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger, Humberto Ramon-Yanez, 35, of Hyattsville was not injured, police said. TYRONE RICHARDSON day in a one-sentence e-mail to county school officials. Jon Omural had led the 100-student Chesapeake Science Point Charter School in Hanover until March, when he was removed by county public school officials after three teachers filed a grievance against him. School system officials investigated and met with Omural in recent weeks for a predisciplinary hearing.

School officials would not discuss the matter, but Omural said yesterday that he had been accused of discrimination against some teachers and staff members. ANICA BUTLER will be used for its capital campaign to re-rig the Pride of Baltimore II. The ship lost both masts while sailing off the coast of France last year, according to the group's Internet site. A city lawyer said the organization will sign a management agreement that spells out the terms of its food business. Officials with Pride of Baltimore did not return calls seeking comment.

JOHN FRITZE Pride of Baltimore the nonprofit group that sails a replica of a 19th-century clipper snip from the Inner Harbor, will continue to sell ice cream at a kiosk under a legal settlement approved by the Board of Estimates yesterday. The agreement, which requires the group to pay $25,000 in annual rent, ends the group's long-running battle with the city over its vending business on the waterfront. As part of the settlement, City Hall will make a $40,000 grant to the group that 'Reading Challenge' being announced Baltimore schools Chief Executive Officer Bonnie S. Copeland will announce her "Summer Reading Challenge" to city students today, part of a partnership between school and public library officials to ensure that all students have library cards. Copeland is planning to recognize all schools where at least 85 percent of students get a card to the Enoch Pratt Free Li- Recycling truck tips, killing driver The driver of a recycling truck was pinned under the vehicle and killed yesterday when it struck a curb and overturned in Ellicott City, Howard County police said.

Alan David Carr, 41, of Baltimore was driving the truck on Buckskin Lake Drive near Folly Quarter Road about 8:15 Charter school's ousted director quits The ousted director of a beleaguered Anne Arundel County charter school resigned yester- Westminster rally protests tax rate rise, higher fees Yesterday's numbers and recent drawings. MARYLAND 410-230-8980 Day Daily 571 Pick 4 4755 Night Daily 115 Pick 4 9742 Bonus Match 5 04 10 23 27 3405 Multi-Match Apr. 26 07 09 2125 28 38 Multi-Match: There was no winner for last night's $800,000 jackpot. Saturday's drawing will be worth an estimated $850,000. DELAWARE 302-736-1436 Day Daily 750 Play 4 9186 Night Daily 312 Play 4 8744 Lotto, Apr.

26 01 07 22 26 28 30 VIRGINIA Day Daily 499 Day Pick 4 9602 Day Cash 5 02 05 13 33 34 Night Daily 589 Night Pick 4 5346 Night Cash 5 13 19 25 28 32 Win for Life, Apr. 26 12 15 16 22 25 4134 WEST VIRGINIA Daily 3 285 Daily 4 4479 Cash 25, Apr. 25 03 06 17 18 21 23 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 202 678 3333 Day Lucky 360 D.C.4 0809 Night Lucky 330 D.C.4 7675 Rolling Cash 5 03 07 1123 35 Daily 6 05 2122 28 33 3709 MULTISTATE GAMES MegaMillions, Apr. 25 01 20 32 37 3909 Powerball, Apr. 26 12 2426 48 5514 Hot Lotto, Apr.

26 10 14 27 28 3814 MegaMillions: There was no winning ticket for Tuesday's jackpot. Friday's drawing will be worth an estimated $30 million. try to scale back the budget, from $8.5 million in construction projects that were first considered to $4.6 million proposed now. To finance those capital projects which include road overlays, a new water pipeline for drought emergencies and a new water treatment plant debt service payments on the $4.7 million borrowed in fiscal 2005 are up 62.5 percent, Ferguson said. In other action, the council approved the creation of a full-time city administrator position, with a $100,000 salary for fiscal 2007.

The council plans a hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. Monday at the new Westminster fire station on John Street. A hearing on the water and sewer rates will take place at the May 8 council meeting, when members are also expected to vote on the budget. Iaura.mccandlishbaltsun.com stein, as the group moved inside to attend the meeting. "Now, they dump on us what they were unable to fix in the past." The council's five members appear to support both measures.

One would raise the property tax rate from 40 cents per $100 of assessed value to 46 cents. The city's last increase was a 4.8-cent rise four years ago. The other measure would raise water and sewer rates for the first time since May 2000. A household would be charged $22.32 per quarter for up to 6,000 gallons, compared with the current $18.60. For sewer services, the rate would rise from $21.20 per quarter to $25.44, based on 6,000 gallons of water consumption.

Mayor Thomas K. Ferguson spoke at the rally, defending the increases and explaining that the city's expenses have increased $3.4 million over the current fis cal year, which ends June 30. Implementing the property tax and water-and-sewer increases would just about make up that 34 percent increase in expenses, he said. Salaries make up the bulk of the increases in the $27.3 million proposed budget, which devotes 43 percent to employee costs, Ferguson said. About $8.2 million of the budget would go to salaries and another $3.6 million to benefits and other payroll expenses.

About $550,000 has been set aside to raise salaries on par with other municipalities and industries. "City employees are our single largest expense and most valuable asset," Councilman Robert P. Wack. "I don't think citizens of Westminster would want us to run our city in a way that treats employees unfairly." Ferguson said at the meeting that capital costs have been cut to BY LAURA MCCANDLISH SUN REPORTER About two dozen Westminster residents rallied outside City Hall last night to protest a 15 percent increase in property tax rates and 20 percent increase in water and sewer fees, which the City Council introduced last night as part of its proposed $273 million budget for the next fiscal year. Protesters complained that they are being unfairly asked to bear the burden of recent annexations, rising government staff salaries and expensive consultant fees.

Amid the rising costs, crime has increased on streets such as Pennsylvania Avenue and Main Street, said rally organizer Rebek-ah Orenstein, who served on the council from 1991 to 1995. "I've watched this council borrow, borrow, borrow," said Oren Pick 4 Pick 4 3229 9872 NEW JERSEY Pick 3 972 Night Pick 3 753 Cash 5 Pick 6, Apr. 24 06 11 14 23 24 05 24 27 28 33 37 PENNSYLVANIA 877-282-4639 Day Daily 618 Big 4 3419 Night Daily 448 Big 4 6319 Cash 5 06 07 12 17 35 Lucky for Life, Apr. 24 05 111424 29 37 Match 6, Apr. 25 02 20 32 3435 44.