Breaking News: Monocacy Parents Save School

This evening, a unanimous MCPS Board of Education rejected Superintendent Jerry Weast's sudden announcement to close Monocacy Elementary School.

Superintendent Weast's recommendation to close the school had been based on surprise enrollment data and a timeline that would have closed the school by next summer.

Board members rejected Superintendent Weast's proposal based on its violation of MCPS' Core Values and its failure to follow the Baldridge process for community involvement.  The proposal was seen as "disrespectful" to the community and creating an "awkward" situation for Board members. 

Board member Berthiaume made the point that long term decisions should not be made in order to support short term operating budget savings.

Board member Barclay said that these types of decisions "erode the trust the community has in us" and alluded to the surprise announcement made a few years ago to close programs. (That would have been Weast's surprise announcement to close the Secondary Learning Centers and the Kingsley Wilderness Center.)

UPDATE:  Video - Barclay: "I see a train wreck"