Have you ever taken a look at the money Superintendent Jerry Weast spends on outside law firms? Well you aren't alone. The Board of Education doesn't review these charges either.
So once again on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, as 20 teachers are laid off and services are cut for students, the Board will approve a one month litigation bill of $98,235 to outside law firms without discussion. That brings the FY10 total legal fees to outside law firms up to $1,077,525.
Note that MCPS does already employ their own in house counsel and has the services of the County Attorney at their disposal.
So once again on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, as 20 teachers are laid off and services are cut for students, the Board will approve a one month litigation bill of $98,235 to outside law firms without discussion. That brings the FY10 total legal fees to outside law firms up to $1,077,525.
Note that MCPS does already employ their own in house counsel and has the services of the County Attorney at their disposal.
Could this bill be reduced? Of course. MCPS could use their own in house attorneys and save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and keep teachers in classrooms. But that would require the Board of Education exerting oversight over the spending habits of the Superintendent, and that could be harmful to their political careers. That would be a "tough decision."
Special education legal fees for March year-to-date are a whopping $547,772, This amount is 35% higher than the same period last year.
ReplyDeleteThe grand total of special ed legal fees year-to-date (and remember, there is still April, May, and June to go) is already 26% higher than the budgeted amount.
Maybe if Jerry Weast wasn't so busy eliminating special education programs and services, he wouldn't be spending so much money fighting parents.