Ervin, Knapp, Andrews: YES to terrazzo!

On April 22, 2009, the Montgomery County Council's Education Committee (Councilmembers Ervin & Knapp and Council President Andrews) approved community funded improvements to one elementary school in the amount of $154,640. The list of enhancements is here.

In attendance at the Council's Education Committee meeting was Superintendent Weast. In response to the discussion of these enhancements, Superintendent Weast stated:

"You have to remember this board is deeply committed to the policy of differentiation. And we spend $60 some million dollars in the areas where the poverty is most prevalent in the community. So the board's thumb, if it's on the scale, is the other way. These are just minor architectural modifications, not to the educational core, but to the exterior."

Superintendent Weast categorized these enhancements as "to the exterior", but the improvements to this school include:

• Terrazzo tile for the main entrance lobby
• Upgrade for sound and lighting systems on the stage
• Two glass backboards for basketball in the gym (This item was actually not approved by the Board of Education but went to the Council anyway.)

The following upgrades were not deemed to have needed Board of Education approval and are also interior enhancements. These enhancements were not presented to the Council's Education Committee:

• Two electronic message boards inside building $ 1,000
• Weather Bug Weather Station $6,500
• School graphics on the gymnasium wood floor $2,500

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These improvements were approved by the Navarro led Board of Education in a 6-2 vote* last summer. The Gazette reported on this vote in their article "School policy divides haves, have-nots". The memo from Superintendent Weast to the Board of Education can be found here.

*The 6-2 vote of the Board of Education was:
Voting FOR the improvements to one school were: Mr. Abrams, Mr. Barclay, Ms.
Brandman, (Mr. Moskowitz-student), Mrs. Navarro, and Mrs. O’Neill

Voting AGAINST were Ms. Cox and Dr. Docca