Friday, October 16, 2009

Books or Burritos?

Just listen to the most recent Board of Education meetings, and you'll hear lots of talk about their mission to boost student achievement. Ask to speak at a community forum, or give testimony at a regularly scheduled BOE meeting, and you'll likely be asked whether your topic directly relates to the "Strategic Plan." So everything MCPS administrators do during their workday, on employer time, and paid for by taxpayer dollars must have a direct relationship to the educational mission of Montgomery County Public Schools, right?

Help me out here. How do Burritos fit with the goal to "raise the bar and close the gap?" They must have some relationship, or we taxpayers wouldn't have bought so many of them, courtesy of the employees in the Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Schools and their American Express purchasing cards.

Baja Fresh is a chain of Mexican-themed fast food restaurants, with several outlets in Montgomery County. The restaurant has a menu featuring burritos, tacos, and salads. Luckily for those underfed administrators, Baja Fresh offers dine-in, carry-out, and "Party Packs." Why hassle telling people to bring their own brown bag lunch for a daytime get-together when you can have the taxpayers buy you a "Fiesta in a Box:" maybe a Burrito Party Pack for $39.95 or a "make your own fajita" kit for $54.95! They'll even make it easy for you: Major Credit Cards Accepted!

1/11/07 Executive Leadership Team $219.30
1/17/07 Secondary Learning Centers $152.12
2/21/07 Churchill Work Group $187.94
3/21/07 Dep. Leadership Team $173.25
6/26/07 MK's goodbye $107.65
6/28/07 Executive Leadership Team $197.94
7/16/07 DMAAC $152.80

So, it remains to be seen whether the dollars spent on Baja Fresh meals have increased achievement. On thing is for sure, those Baja Fresh meals definately have the potential to boost waistlines. According to the website, one "Chicken Baja Burrito" has 790 calories and a staggering 38 grams of fat!

At this point, I'm sure you're wondering, "But what if the folks at 850 Hungerford don't LIKE Italian or Mexican food? Don't they ever have meetings with just coffee and donuts, or cheese and cracker? And what do they do about Birthday Parties?"

Tune in tomorrow for "Giant Food: It's not just a grocery store, it's a Supplier!"

1 comment:

  1. And what are the students doing without? At Cannon Road Elementary School they are doing without musical instruments for their band class.

    Anyone have any spare instruments around? MCPS won't supply the kids instruments for class. Here is what they need:

    Violin
    Flute
    Clarinet
    Cornet or Trumpet
    Trombone

    If you would like to donate any of the instruments, let us know at contact@Parentscoalitionmc.com

    Yes, you paid your taxes, but the money went to feed the administrators and now the kids need your help!

    ReplyDelete

If your comment does not appear in 24 hours, please send your comment directly to our e-mail address:
parentscoalitionmc AT outlook.com