Among some teachers in Baltimore County, Superintendent Dallas Dance has a reputation of being part-Ninja. Amy Vaillancourt, who teaches at Carroll Manor Elementary School says he may show up in your class one day, and you won’t see him coming. "The first year he was in the county, I was in the middle of a lesson," Vaillancourt says. "I looked up and there he was. I was like 'Oh, my goodness.'"
Baltimore County's Board of Education holds a hearing Tuesday on Dance’s future. Dance wants to keep his job for another four years. But his leadership and some of his decisions have been controversial.
Vaillancourt and fellow Carroll Manor teacher Deborah Steelwright were at a gathering of county teachers and government leaders last weekend.
The teachers give Dance high marks for supporting what they call the total child. They say he understands that it takes more than teachers to provide a good education. Students need social workers, nurses and nutritionists as well.
But there are problems in the county schools. Steelwright has been teaching for 40 years. She says her current school is great, but supplies are short in other schools, so is support staff and classes are overcrowded.
"You can't address one-on-one individual needs and individualized instruction for children with, say 30 kids in the room," she says.
Both Steelwright and Vaillancourt support Dance keeping his job for another four years, saying he listens to teachers and addresses the problems. But not everyone is as enthusiastic.
Democratic State Senator Jim Brochin says Dance has turned a deaf ear to parents. For example, Dance changed the length of classes at Hereford High School over the objections of parents.
Brochin also objects to Dance’s idea that the school superintendent and school board are on the same team. He says the board should check Dance’s power, like the legislature checks the governor.
"I just think that he's encased himself with people who just say, 'Yes,' and I think he needs to be challenged more," Brochin says. "I don't think he should lose his job."
Brochin suggests Dance should get a shorter, two-year contract, rather than a full, four-year renewal. He says it would make Dance more accountable. But that would require a change in state law. Brochin says he could help make that happen.
County Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond says she would like Dance to be kept on, saying he has incredible insight on the direction the county schools should be headed. But, she says, Dance hasn’t articulated a clear message about that direction. She says teachers and administrators have told her they don’t know what the future holds when it comes to things such as testing and curriculum.
"I think that's the most important part," Almond says. "Because once you know what you're doing and where you’re heading, give us our marching orders and off we go."
It's the county Board of Education that will decide Dance’s future. One county official says the vote could be close. Chairman Charles McDaniels says he doesn't know where the board stands, but the decision will come in the next few weeks.