Whistleblower: “Ethics Violation” in MD Superintendent Choudhury’s Ties to Firm Granted Half-Million Dollars in Exclusive Contracts

A former Maryland State Department of Education executive has come forward accusing State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury of impropriety regarding business dealings with a consulting firm awarded sole-source contracts totaling a half-million dollars.|“The State Board of Education should immediately open an internal investigation.  Blueprint is the most important initiative for our public education system. The bar should be set high for any contractual services supporting the program.  For Superintendent Choudhury to bypass proper vetting and grant a sole source, half-million dollar contract to a personal friend is at best unethical and reflects poor judgment.  The gross misuse of taxpayer funds puts Maryland’s Blueprint at risk and shakes the public’s confidence in the Superintendent.” 

What was State BOE President Crawford thinking when he hired scandal-ridden Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury?

History would be made when State BOE President Clarence Crawford hired Mohammed Choudhury as Maryland Superintendent, but not for the reasons you think.|Former colleagues who knew and had worked with Choudhury during his days as Associate Superintendent in the San Antonio public school system said they weren’t surprised by what was happening in the MSDE. 

“Complaints were filed against him in San Antonio.  He would railroad others, there were accusations of sexism.  His behavior is nothing new, makes me question the search process in Maryland,” said a source.

Fox 45’s Project Baltimore to Cover Informed Carroll’s Story on State Superintendent of Schools

The source, who has also spoken with Informed Carroll, has also confirmed they will be covering State Superintendent’s misconduct as reported last week by Informed Carroll, where the former executive and several other sources shared stories that described an organization in disarray.|Christ Papst of Fox 45 asks the source, “Had Project Baltimore had not done the story on those 23 schools in Baltimore City, with zero students who tested proficient in math, do you think that data gets changed?”

“I think the data would have stayed the same.  I think they’re trying to hide that the public school system is in worse shape than what we thought.” said the former executive.

Four Pinocchios: Former BOE Candidate Falsely Attacks Superintendent, Spreads Disinformation on State Education Blueprint

The fact is that the shift in resources based on “equity” metrics weren’t required of Carroll County Public Schools until Blueprint arrived.  CCPS currently operates under an “equal opportunity” model, where in order to accommodate the “equitable outcome” requirement of Blueprint without drawing from existing resources, CCPS requires an additional $6 million.