And why not approve this grant funding? It's $4,999,634 for "education." Isn't that a good thing?
In actuality, this is $4,999,634 for 12 administrators for MCPS. (See page Circle 9) A whole new office has been set up to fulfill the terms of this grant. But the grant funding is only for 3 years.
So what happens to those administrators after 3 years? Do they go back to local schools and teach in classrooms? Do they disappear?
Grants are great. But when they are creating more administrators instead of classroom teachers is that really something that MCPS can afford long-term? Will the County Council actually discuss the implications of their actions on this Agenda item?
How many grants for more administrators can MCPS afford?
Actually, only one of the positions you reference is an administrative one. The instructional specialists are not administrators. They are central office staff but they are paid on the teacher salary schedule. They were hired with the understanding that it is a 3 year rotating position (although to avoid the entire group ending at the same time, the first rotation is 3, 4, and 5 years) after which they return to the classroom or apply and interview for other positions within the district.
ReplyDelete@ 2:36
ReplyDelete1)Source? None cited. Do you want to make documents available that confirm your rumor? We will be happy to post them.
2) It's a 3 year grant! At the end of 3 years the money is gone. There is no year 4 or 5!
3) Sorry you can give positions outside the classroom what ever name you like, but the fact remains they are not classroom teacher positions. Central office staff? Administrators? All the same thing. All draining dollars away from classroom instruction.
Here's what the public knows about the people hired to work on the North Star/Pearson curriculum. This link was sited in the blog post. Watch the video. Nothing is said about temporary positions. Lots of clapping as multiple administrators are promoted to work on Project North Star for Pearson.
ReplyDeletehttp://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/06/weast-hires-staff-to-work-for-pearson.html
in re to "Nothing is said about temporary positions. . . "
ReplyDeletehttp://data.ed.gov/grants/investing-in-innovation/applicant/14937
Award length requested: 3 years
It is a 3-year project. However, given your lack of expertise in the educational arena, it's not suprising that you can't seem to understand how these projects are structured. By the end of the 3 years, the curriculum guides should be completed and made available to teachers (K-5). At that point, it's not necessary to have extra funding to implement the lessons at the classroom level.
Furthermore, to add to 2:36's response, instructional specialists are paid on a 12-month schedule at TEACHER'S pay. Administrative scales (APs, principals, coordinators, supervisors, etc.) are on a different salary scale.
You seem to have issues with those outside of the classroom. However, as is the case with other professions, people do move up into other positions. So why should teaching function in a different way?
-LCG
@LCG (That's not a full name - you can sign your comments with your full name from now on. Thanks.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for making my point. The money is only for 3 years. The positions are forever. The 2:36 comment is telling us that the positions extend past the 3 year funding. That means that the taxpayers will then be footing the bill for more administrators after year 3. My point exactly.
Moving up? Isn't teaching in the classroom the MOST important thing in a public school system? What about paying teachers MORE than administrators? How about rewarding teachers in the classrooms instead of rewarding teachers for leaving the classroom?
We need teachers teaching!
And one more time (sorry) for LCG who hasn't read the packet that was linked to this blog post - the County Council will approve funding for 1 Administrator and 11 Mid-Level Administrators. That equals 12 administrators.
What pay scale they are on is irrelevant to the fact that 12 administrator positions will be created. That's 12 administrator positions that after year 3 will have to be paid out of our taxes.
Not one of those positions will involve teaching children in a classroom - the purpose of our public school system.
The purpose of our public school system is - as established by our legislature - to provide a free public school system for all children.
Our public school system was not created to be a curriculum factory for the rest of the country.
Why do you assume I didn't read the report, Ms. Sartucci? YOU addressed points I didn't mention.
ReplyDelete1. Nowhere does it mention that the project extends beyond 3 years. (The request to use the funds has to go through the County Executive according to the Education Article of the Code of MD, and according to the County Charter the Council has to hold a public hearing on any proposed supplemental appropriation.)
2. Why are you assuming that 12 "new" employees will be hired for this grant? According to the reports, "With this grant, MCPS will continue its partnership with Pearson, LLC, to create an elementary grades curriculum that fully integrates the core subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics, with science, social studies, art, music, media literacy, and physical education." Already there are 9 content areas covered. There are 9 instructional specialists or more in these content areas. Any of them can shift into the grant position. It's been done before; it can be handled the same way again. Many people take on different roles in their career. Should all educators remain stagnant?
-LCG (Until you tell me that you have a degree in education, I will not add my full name to any post.)