Board of Education Pays $153,379 Salary of Private School Director

Once again, the salary information released from Montgomery County Public Schools shows that the Board of Education continues to pay the salary of a private school director/principal.  The MCPS Operating Budget is apparently so flush with cash that there is money in the budget to fund the full time position of a private school director/principal.

The director/principal of the George B. Thomas Saturday School is paid out of the MCPS Operating Budget to run a private school that operates outside the oversight of the public school system.  No data, audits or accountability exists over this private school program, yet public school funding is being diverted to pay for the full time principal of this school.

How does funding the position of a private school director/principal align with the purpose of the Maryland Maintenance of Effort law that applies to the funding of public schools?

Maryland’s “maintenance of effort,” enacted by the General Assembly, requires that counties maintain the same amount of funding for education per pupil each year. The maintenance of effort name derives from the concept that a county is maintaining a level effort towards education funding from year-to-year. 

What other private schools have their staff funded out of the MCPS Operating Budget?   

https://www.saturdayschool.org/about-us/