Weast: Board will do "damage to children"

Gazette: School board policy mandates heads-up on major program changes
by Marcus Moore

The county school board approved a policy on Tuesday that requires the superintendent to alert them to any major changes to school programs proposed in the budget before it is released to the public...

Under current practice, the school system's three employee unions and the County Council of PTAs are included in Weast's preparation of the operating budget, but the school board does not know what is in the budget until December...

In approving the new plan, the board also rescinded an older policy adopted in 1961, which required the superintendent to submit a list of proposed policy changes to the board by Sept. 30 of each year. Board members say that policy had not been followed.

Imagine...our elected Board of Education members want a role in determining MCPS program changes. Bravo!

Under two term President Nancy Navarro* the Board of Education was happy to be left out of the formulation of the MCPS budget and sat silently by as major program decisions were made in secret by staff, the three employee unions, and MCCPTA. But apparently the Shirley Brandman Board of Education wants program change decisions back at the Board table!

But will this new Policy be a meaningful change or will Superintendent Weast violate it just as he did the previous policy? Remember that Superintendent Weast said to make this Policy change would "do damage to children"!

*Ms. Navarro was not present at the Tuesday Board of Education meeting to vote on this Policy, and did not take advantage of the ability of Board members to participate in meetings via conference call, an innovation developed when she was Board President.