Follow Leggett's Lead

Guest Post: Open Letter to Montgomery County Council and Chief of Police

April 21, 2010

Dear County Council Members & Chief:

Once again, the "Chicken Little" hysteria arises in MoCo whenever any type of change (whether it is in-budget or out of budget) is proposed for our bloated, $2.2B school system. The latest hysteria is about possible cuts to the MCPD budget regarding EFOs. Ike Leggett proposes to cut the program by half. I applaud Ike's proposal. Here's why:

1. MCPS's budget is an obscene $2.2B. Let Jerry Weast absorb any and all costs associated with the EFO program. The EFO program is a silly overlay to an already bloated bureaucracy. MCPS already has at least 2 levels of bureaucracy in place to deal with discipline/criminal problems.

2. Jerry Weast 's first level of bureaucracy is the swollen ranks of overpaid administrators. He has arrogantly been increasing their numbers since 2005 while leaving the number of teachers at the same level for the past 5 years (~12K; www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Admin-growth-outpaces-teachers-in-MontCo-91553789.html). He currently has an army of 750 administrators whose pay scales range from $100K-$150K/yr.

3. A significant number of these 750 administrators are Vice Principals. Vice Principals are hired to handle all discipline/criminal problems. That is their primary duty. In all MCPS high schools, there is your Principal, your Assistant Principle, and then your 4 Vice Principles each assigned to 1 grade or graduating class for 4 years. (The 4 VPs are assigned to a class from freshman year on so that they can get to know the students in that particular class; it is MCPS strategy to have these administrators stay with 1 class so that they can identify potential problems.) That makes 6 administrators at a minimal cost of $660K/yr dealing with discipline/criminal problems at each MCPS high school.

(I won't mention the countless guidance counselors in the MCPS system who are also supposed to be getting to know their students and identifying troubled individuals as well. Many of those administrators are paid over $100K/year. At my own children's high school, there are 12 staff members in the guidance office alone.)

Multiply that $600k/yr by ~26 high schools in the MCPS system and you find that our friend Jerry Weast is already spending ~$15.6M/yr just on high school discipline/criminal problems. Remember that there are also Principals, Assistant Principals and Vice Principals who make no less than $100K/yr for every middle school and elementary school in MCPS. I am sure you can do the rest of the math.

4. Jerry Weast's second level of bureaucracy is his Dept. of School Safety and Security. He has an army of security guards (many former police officers and/or military) deployed at all middle and high schools anchored by Hellmuth's headquarters staff of 18 at Hungerford. My children's middle school has 2 security guards, which is typical of all MCPS middle schools, and their high school has 6 security guards--also typical.

While I don't have the actual salary ranges for your average MCPS security guard or Hellmuth's salary, I think you can estimate the total cost already to the MoCo taxpayer of Jerry's Weast's bureaucracy meant to deal with discipline/criminal problems. At my children's high school, there are 12 staff members between principals & security guards on site every day dealing with disciplinary situations. If you add the 12 staff members from the guidance office, then the grand total of MCPS personnel on site daily monitoring student safety becomes 22. Cutting the EFO program should have a negligible impact if the current MCPS staff in place are doing their jobs.

5. Finally, let us not forget the much touted Memorandum of Understanding between MCPS, MC police department and the State's Attorney's Office. It is an agreement/protocol that defines every agency's role whenever there is violence or crime at any MCPS school.

Let us not waste precious police hours with the EFO program. Insist that Jerry Weast and the school system use the resources they already have in place (principals, APs, VPs, guidance counselors, and security guards) and for which we, the taxpayers of MoCo already pay for. Follow Ike Leggett's lead on this issue.

Thank you.

Bea Bragan
MoCo Taxpayer
Parent of MCPS Students
Registered Voter