1. In December 2010, MCPS produced a list of vendors that received over $25,000 in FY10 as required by a new law passed in Annapolis. Included on that list of vendors was a consultant that is paid $30,000 a year to work in the Study Circles program. The Parents' Coalition asks: “Can’t we find highly qualified volunteers to conduct Study Circles?”
Of course, we can. Savings: $30,000. Impact to classrooms: $0.
2. In addition, the Director of the Study Circles program is paid a salary of $107,144 to run this program. It appears that the Director is only a part-time position as this same person is also listed as working for a national organization as a Senior Associate. How and when was this position created? Did other people apply for this position?
Can this position be eliminated and filled by a community volunteer or another full-time staff member? Yes. (In fact a number of the Study Circles staff are AmeriCorps participants. One of the Parent Community Coordinators in the office is paid a salary of $81,807.84. Is there really a need for more than one paid staff member for this program?)
Savings: $107,144. Impact to classrooms: $0.
Total suggested cuts to the MCPS budget this week that would not impact classrooms: $137,144.
Please send your ideas for ways to trim the MCPS budget without impacting classrooms to: contact at parentscoalitionmc.com
According to p. 2-12 of the budget, the part-time contractor position is being eliminated http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/FY2012/superintendent/pdf/2.DeputySuperintendent.pdf
ReplyDeleteHowever, it would be good to know how many of the 22 FT positions in the Family and Community Services Department connect with student performance. While the Parent Outreach Coordinators provide one-on-one support for non-English speaking families and have that function, I wonder if the county can do without telephone customer service assistance, tracking volunteer hours, study circles, and Parent Academy classes in this awful budget year. To the tune of nearly $2 million that could otherwise help preserve class size and student achievement, they may have to.
@ anonymous
ReplyDeleteThank you!! Glad to have someone reading the budget! Please let us know what else you find!
With regard to the above post, the budget doesn't show a $30,000 Consultant position being eliminated. Some funds are being eliminated from this office. The $30,000 position above is a Consultant position that is approved by the Board of Education and would be included in the Consultant line item for this office.
Go to page 2-13 at your link above and see the FY12 request for $86,502 in Consultant funding for this office. There isn't a $30,000 reduction in that line item. That is where we would see a change if the position above was eliminated.
Of course, this begs the question - what other Consultant services are used by this office and are they really necessary for student achievement?