At the December 13, 2010, Montgomery County Civic Federation Panel on Choosing a New MCPS Superintendent the discussion turned to audits of MCPS.
At one point the Maryland State Office of Legislative Audits report was mentioned with regard to the 1,400 American Express credit cards in use in MCPS. At that point in the discussion, Board of Education member Phil Kauffman reached into his wallet and pulled out his personal MCPS AMEX credit card and showed the audience. See the video below.
Why does a Board of Education member have a MCPS purchasing card? Board of Education members aren't in classrooms and aren't in charge of procuring individual items for school use. In this tight budget year can Montgomery County taxpayers really afford 1,400 +/- credit cards floating around MCPS?
Where is the audit that says that past abuses have stopped?
Here is what the purchasing cards are to be used for as stated in the MCPS Purchasing Card User's Guide:
Examples of permitted items include the following:
• Approved materials of instruction
• Books, periodicals, and newspapers
• Art supplies, glue sticks, and crayons
• Grocery items within documented limitations
• Sheet music
• Office supplies
• Computer cables and flash drives
• Audio/visual aids for students
• Stationery, such as specialized paper and pens and pencils
• School supplies, such as dry erase markers, paper towels, facial tissues, and band aids
• Clothing for needy students within documented limitations
• Storage containers for classrooms
• Approved software
• Landscaping items, such as bulbs, small trees, and supplies
What on this list needs to be purchased by Board of Education members?
Anyone ask about how some MCPS high schools are still using credit reclamation to allow students who fail a class to get credit without ever retaking the class and then using those credits to graduate?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: at the last special education advisory meeting I went to, that included several central office staff, I brought up that term specifically, and the administrators acted like they'd never heard of it and thought I was confused with the policy they'd just gotten rid of, where students can't flunk a class based solely on attendance.
ReplyDeleteIn order to really get to the bottom of this, I'm going to need a little more information! as in, an actual DOCUMENT that references what "credit reclamation" is, and how you go about doing it. Are there any memos to staff on "credit reclamation?"
Is there a difference between "LC'ing" a class and having credit reinstated (apparently that used to be possible within 10 days of the "LC"), and "credit reclamation?"
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that a student can FLUNK a class and then at some undetermined time later arrange to pass the class without retaking it?
Do students ever actually FLUNK classes anymore?
Yes, that is what I'm saying. Students can fail and in some cases later get credit without taking the class again.
ReplyDeleteTo my knowledge there is no document, memo or policy, but it is happening.
How can Phil Kauffman and other BOE members even think this is acceptable?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable!