True or False: The MCPS budget is so tight that teachers have to buy their own classroom supplies.
Well, it's true that teachers buy their own classroom supplies, but it isn't because there is no money available. Money is available and administrators always know where to find it when they need it. They just open the "magic drawer of money" and shop 'til they drop. Teachers don't have the luxury of the "magic drawer of money".
Today's example is an administrator that decided to purchase an electronic voting system for the recent student elections. This was the first time that an electronic voting system was used for the student election. This was a new purchase.
There is no record of this procurement being discussed or voted on in Board of Education minutes. Yet, this procurement probably cost at least $7,000, probably more based on the size of the election.
That's thousands of dollars that aren't going to go to classroom needs, spent by an administrator without Board of Education discussion or approval.
How does the public know about this procurement? Because the company that supplied the electronic voting product is now using MCPS in their advertising.
How do we know what this procurement might have cost? Because another customer discussed the cost of this product in a news article.
Some interesting details:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentaffairs/pdf/smob/elections/memo/Memo.pdf
The Office of Special Education and Student Services collaborated with the Office of the Chief
Technology Officer to develop alternative election process options. MCPS contracted with
VoteNet, a secure, online voting system, to conduct the April 25, 2012, SMOB election.
AND,of course, a press release:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.prweb.com/releases/eballot_online_election/Votenet_Solutions/prweb9492055.htm
Students have always used electronic voting systems. It is true that this year it was using an online program, but in past years students have used the official election electronic voting systems (the same ones the voters use during primaries and presidential elections). Therefore I believe those are much more high tech and cost more to use.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know what SMOB elections normally cost (in previous years)? Do you know?
You are making it seem as if using the previous years' machines are free, but of course they are not.
Budgets run on facts, not on what one person might believe. The voting machines used in past SMOB elections came from the Board of Elections. That's a public entity that has already purchased voting machines with taxpayer dollars. The Board of Elections budget does not show any income from the rental of voting equipment. The Board of Elections is not a for-profit company.
DeleteIf you - anonymous 5:41 - "believe" that the Board of Elections rents out voting machines to MCPS, then do a public information act request for the contract and invoices. Prove what you "believe".
What we know today is that taxpayer dollars were spent on an online voting service run by a private for-profit company when in past elections county equipment was used for the same purpose.