by Andrew Ujifusa and Erin Cunningham | Staff Writers
The Montgomery County Council wants to spend a smaller share of the county's budget on the local school system.
However, council President Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said the reduction should not affect classroom instruction. The council, she said Monday, is expected to direct Montgomery County Public Schools to cut the money from a fund that pays for benefits for school system employees.
Ervin said education will continue to be a top priority for the county, but that the school system's proposed $2.2 billion budget was not affordable...
So Valerie Ervin thinks that cutting benefits for MCPS employees should not affect classroom instruction.
ReplyDeleteApparently Ms. Ervin is unaware that many MCPS teachers will either have to find second jobs or will have to work more hours at their current second jobs in order to make up for her proposed cuts to employee benefits.
Do the math Ms. Ervin. Teachers working more hours at second jobs equals teachers dedicating less time after their contracted hours to their students. If she thinks that classroom instruction won't be affected, she's living in dream land. All Valerie Ervin is doing is riding the current wave of misplaced resentment that's being directed at public employees, particularly public school employees. She has higher political aspirations (County Executive) and is using public school employees as her pawns in her political games.
Do the math? OK. A whole layer of administrators and their perks could be cut and a few other changes without impacting teachers at all.
ReplyDeleteOh, but the teachers Union keeps all the budget details a secret because they have a "confidentiality agreement" and sit at the secret budget table.
Who does that protect? The administrators, the no bid contracts, the credit card lunches and fun travel.
Valerie Ervin is right on target. No reason at all that classroom instruction needs to be impacted by budget changes. Valerie Ervin knows where the fat is in the MCPS budget. She was on the Board of Education.
Teachers, it's your choice. Support the secret budget and take your chances, or push for an open transparent budget process AT the Board of Education table and get the fat cut without impacting classrooms.
Nice try, but you didn't address what was posted above. You have your axe to grind about the "secret budget." It's all over this blog. Over and over and over again. That drum has been beaten worse than the Capitals in the playoffs. So be it.
ReplyDeleteMs. Ervin refuses to acknowledge that cutting MCPS employee benefits will have an adverse effect upon classroom instruction. All I can say is I hope the benefits cuts don't happen. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery County Parent probably won't like it when their children's teachers have to take second jobs outside the classroom and will therefore have less time to spend grading, lesson planning, meeting, sponsoring after school clubs and activities, etc.
Teachers like the secret budget process? Live with the results.
ReplyDeleteMs. Ervin and the rest of the Council know all too well that classroom instruction does not have to be impacted by the INCREASE in the MCPS budget for FY12.
They get it that the threats are hollow.
There are many teachers who are not pleased with the secret budget process. And when they speak, they don't hide behind anonymous postings.
Janis, you rarely address the true issue at hand.
ReplyDeleteIn the Gazette article, Ervin - who is no friend to teachers and obviously swayed by power - claims that "the council is expected to direct Montgomery County Public Schools to cut the money from a fund that pays for benefits for school system employees."
As 4:38 mentioned on 5/6, those deep cuts to paychecks will indeed affect instruction now and IN THE FUTURE, as these hasty decisions deter people from entering this profession.
You mention "a whole layer of administrators and their perks," but this is NOT what Ervin has in mind. May I suggest that YOU reread the article in the Gazette in order to get your facts straight?
The issue is totally addressed. MCPS has fat that can be cut without impacting classrooms. MCPS has a choice - either cut the fat on their own OR the Council will cut what they can from the specified budget categories that they control.
ReplyDeleteIt's up to the Apple folks. This sit at the secret budget table and make the choices. They can cut the fat in the budget or sit back and let the Council cut from their end.
As we have seen in the past, the Apple folks prefer to cut from classrooms and add Promethean Boards, no bid contracts, consultants, credit cards, travel and dinners out. That's the Apple choice.
Real school based employees with real names have spoken out that the secret budget table that the Apple participates in does not serve the best interest of school based positions that actually interact with students.
Valerie Ervin is Apple Ballot endorsed:
ReplyDeletehttp://mcea.nea.org/pdf/MCEACandidateRecommendations2010.pd
Of course MCEA endorsed her. Just examine what she CLAIMED to be her platform:
ReplyDelete"4.Teachers having the support they need every day to get their jobs done.
. Give teachers what they need to do their jobs well
. Continue to provide competitive pay and benefits to assure that MCPS draws and retains the best educators
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=305870&paper=70&cat=109
So it's now OUR fault that a politician has changed her tune?