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- May 5, 2017
- 3 min read
Two More Dems Join City Race
The Democratic field for Frederick city alderman just got a bit more crowded. Todd Anderson and Roger Wilson announced their plans to run for city office this week.
Anderson, who filed to run Friday, said in a press release that he wants to be a city alderman because he sees "a sense of complacency at city hall." The issues he believes require immediate attention include, " making smart decisions on new growth"; "reducing barriers to economic development"; and "including residents from all over the city."
The nine-year resident of Frederick, pictured left, is the Director of Management Consulting at HeiTech Services, Inc., in Landover, MD. A formal announcement event is upcoming, he said. Find his website, Anderson for Frederick,here.
Although he has not yet filed to run, Wilson, pictured right, is moving forward with an official campaign announcement on May 13. Wilson, Frederick County's Government Affairs & Public Policy Director, ran unsuccessfully for state delegate 3A in 2014.
If elected, Wilson will still be able to keep his job at the county, according to information from the Frederick County Attorney's office. His campaign announcement is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on May 13 at the Deerbought Community Association Club House. Read more about it and register here.
Anderson and Wilson bring the number of Democrats for alderman to eight. Five will be selected in the primary to move on to the general election. Alderman Michael O’Connor and former Mayor Jennifer Dougherty, also Democrats, have filed to run for mayor. So far, no Republicans have filed or announced a run for either mayor or alderman.
The deadline to file to run for the primary is July 3. The primary election is Sept. 12. Early voting is Aug. 25 - 26. The general election is Nov. 7, with early voting on Oct. 27 - 28.
Baltimore School: Test or Else!
A Baltimore City school sent a robocall to parents in April, warning them that students who skipped standardized testing would be excluded from school activities like the prom and field trips.
The Common-Core-related PARCC testing is scheduled for April 19 to May 18 at the Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology. On Apr. 20 at 4:30 p.m., 430 students and 476 parents, including some duplicates, received this automated call, according to documents obtained from Baltimore City Public Schools:
Hello FAET parents and students. This is a reminder that PARCC testing is underway. PARCC testing will run from April 20th until June 5th. Students scheduled to test should be on time every day. Parent's please ask your students for the PARCC schedule that was sent home today. Students who do not test WILL NOT be allowed to participate in any Quarter Four activities (field trips, prom, etc). Please call 443- 642-5616 if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you and enjoy your evening.
On Apr. 27 the school’s Principal Tawney Manning sent a retraction to the Apr. 20 call:
"Hello, this is Principal Manning calling from Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology to correct information we sent previously about the PARCC assessment. The State of Maryland requires students to take PARCC tests. However, students will not be penalized if they do not participate. Please make every effort to ensure your child is in school on time on the day of PARCC testing. If your child is absent, please expect a staff member from the school to follow up with you regarding a make-up date."
School administrators often encourage students to take the multi-day tests because skipping the test can affect the school’s federal accountability rating. Federal law requires a 95 percent participation rate. PARCC testing for high school students is a graduation requirement.
Frederick County Public Schools does not punish students who do not take the tests, according to FCPS spokesman Michael Doerrer. “PARCC is one option as a graduation requirement, but there are other ways to graduate that don’t involve taking a test.”
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