The recent proposal to cut the magnet program at Eastern Middle School is the current poster child illustrating Dr. Weast's efforts to eliminate "Boutique" programs throughout MCPS, as mentioned during the April 14, 2009 Board of Education Meeting.
The topic was AP/IB High School programs, yet the Board discussion of this agenda item was filled with references to the middle school program at Eastern, and parents who expected MCPS to maintain a program that was by exam and invitation. Imagine that.
Thanks to SwitchedonMom for her recent "the 'More' Child" Blogpost with a link to the report of the Eastern Middle School Schedule Decision Reversal Group. I don't have current connections to the Eastern situation, so if you want to read more, go to the MoreChild blog for details.
This year its the Eastern MS magnet program in the news and in jeopardy; last year it was the Blair High School magnet. Additional cuts in teachers and class offerings are still plaguing the Blair Science, Math, and Computer Science magnet, despite promises from Marty Creel and MCPS that last year's cuts would be the last. Current students and alumni fear that Blair, and its sibling programs at Eastern and Takoma Middle School, may soon have nothing left to cut.
Next year? Your guess is as good as mine.
Magnet Mom, what cuts have been made in teachers and class offerings in addition to what was done last year? Just identifying specifics so they can be quantified when needed.
ReplyDeleteCross-referencing links to some 4/14/09 BOE meeting videos:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6XlYhtSKQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ0PSUDYTWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G1_4HbV3eY
Re: Grandprismatic comment
ReplyDelete1.5 staff members have been cut from the Blair magnet roster for next year. Ms. Ragan's classes will be taken over by Ms. Duval, but the FTE position will not remain in the magnet program. Mr. Donaldson is going part time, with the remainder of his spot eliminated.
Class offerings - only two sections of origins of science instead of three, robotics is likely eliminated, history of science is now an alternating year class with next year being the off year, and I am not sure what else at this time. Students with conflicting course requests previously could find another magnet elective as a replacement, but for September 2009 many of the courses are already filled, and students are told, sorry, no room for you, find something else.
A request by the Eastern Middle School Schedule Decision Workgroup for a stay of implemenetation of the class reduction decision was delivered to the Maryland State Board of Education and Attorney General today, with copies to the MCPS BOE and Superintendent. This stay is based in part on the fact that while the MCPS BOE denied the EMS parents' appeal in July, they have yet to provide any documentation for their decision. And this on top of the very inadequate response to the appeal by Dr. Weast. That response focused on the narrow question of whether the procedures that were followed can be defended because they did not breach the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) contract. The proper focus, in our view, is what system is best for the students of EMS. The MCPS Superintendent's complete failure to address that question, just as the decision-makers failed to do at every step of the process, demonstrates that they have failed to fulfill their obligations to those students and properly balance teacher and staff convenience with student harm.
ReplyDeleteWhat school or student would not benefit from an 8-period day? But MCPS cannot afford the cost of staffing all middle schools for 5 on 8 schedules. Instead, teachers at EMS were expected by the past two principals to work 6 out of 8 periods. The Schedule Decision Workgroup has written a case study for what not to do when making the case for extra resources: (1) Instead of acknowledging that the extra period, prep, etc. was not acceptable to staff, parents cried foul because "procedures" may not have been followed. And (2) testified to the Board that teachers were free to find work at another school where they would "only" have to work the contracted 5 periods. And (3) made the focus of the scheduling decision all about the magnet students instead of the under-achieving students or the school as a whole. If the EMS community can start making a case for why the 8-period day benefits all students, they may get more traction. Until then, please stop the madness and realize that in public school what is good for all students can be made to work for higher-achieving students.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said:
ReplyDelete"Until then, please stop the madness and realize that in public school what is good for all students can be made to work for higher-achieving students."
"What is good for all students"....more "one size fits all" thinking by MCPS. More trying to cram ALL round pegs in to pre-existing square holes.
We heard that same argument about the "good for all students" when Weast closed the secondary learning centers. His own Office of Shared Accountability report said that didn't work for the transitioned special ed kids.
The "round peg" argument just does not apply to the case that has to be made for staffing a middle school for a 5 on 8 schedule.
ReplyDeleteTo "Anonymous":
ReplyDeleteIs it your position, then, that all middle schools should be staffed exactly the same, no deviation, throughout the county?
If I were king, the middle schools with the highest needs would get added staffing - think the equivalent of focus schools (k-2) for grades 6-8. With that critereon, EMS would qualify for added staffing in spite of the magnet population, not because of it. Make sense?
ReplyDelete