PTA Sponsors Union Rally

The following flyer is being distributed by PTA's in Montgomery County, Maryland. It shows the county wide PTA organization (MCCPTA) as a sponsor of a teachers union (MCEA), support personnel union (SEIU), and administrator union's (MCAASP) rally on April 6, 2010, at the Montgomery County Council building in Rockville, Maryland.

The flyer shows that it was authored by Tom Israel. Tom Israel is the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA).  The flyer lists school related services that will be eliminated if $137 million is cut from the proposed MCPS budget. Where did that list come from? When the Board of Education met earlier this week Superintendent Jerry Weast reported that no decisions had been made about what would be cut from the FY11 proposed MCPS Operating Budget. 

Weast told FOX5 that he: 

"promises to try to protect programs-- despite a budget $137 million less than what the Board of Education requested. He says the school system will work to  avoid furloughs."

Is it required that the cuts listed on the union/PTA flyer would happen if $137 million was cut from the MCPS proposed budget? No.

Could $137 million be cut from the MCPS proposed budget without impacting classrooms? Yes.

Is anyone looking closely at the MCPS budget and evaluating options in light of the dire financial situation our county finds itself in?

What could be trimmed without impacting the educational experience for our students?

Any suggestions?

April6flyer
Correction to flyer: Please note that the administrator's union is actually the Montgomery County
Association of Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (MCAASP).