Baltimore County, by all accounts, has really lost its way in the past five to ten years. The previous superintendent was incredibly hostile to the teachers, foisting initiatives that the county could not afford and was not ready to implement. He ruled the county like his own personal fiefdom, awarding fat contracts to friends giving us pointless educational tools, spending money on such frivolities rather than on students. The new superintendent is young (30 years old!) and seems to have enthusiasm, but his lack of experience is showing in some questionable early decisions. He is also continuing the trend of running the schools from the "top down" rather than "bottom up" by forcing decisions on the entire county that may not work at specific schools.
The curriculum staff at central office is out of touch with what is happening in the trenches, and has lost any and all contact with what teaching students is like. This head in the clouds attitude means that curriculum does not meet student needs and is poorly designed; be prepared to essentially throw away the county curriculum and write your own.
Finally, unlike almost every other county in the state teachers are required to do daily duties as well as after-school duties. Expect to find yourself standing in the rain taking tickets at a football game, or wasting your planning period three times a week to stand in the cafeteria. While this may seem like nitpicking, losing 90 minutes a week of planning to these duties is HUGE, especially as class sizes grow and it becomes harder and harder to keep up with grading demands.
