Here was the question:
For each year since 2003, please provide:It is now July. Did the Board of Education provide that information to the Council?
- The number of requests for privately funded facility improvements MCPS has received;
- The number approved and disapproved; and
- A list of projects approved and disapproved.
NO! The Board of Education provided the Council with the list of approved projects only for FY 2011, FY 2012 and part of FY 2013. What happened to 2003 through 2010? Records lost? What about the disapproved projects? Shredded?
Even worse is that Council staff covers for the Board of Education by glossing over the failure to respond in the meeting packet (below) prepared for Councilmembers.
We are now seeing a clear pattern on the part of the Board of Education of ignoring Council Education Committee requests for information.
MCPS Surplus? Council questions go unanswered at hearing and hearing must be re-scheduled. Charter School? Council questions can't be answered and hearing must be re-scheduled. Facility Improvements from parents and private sources? See the packet below.
The Council's Education Committee is now in a pattern of re-scheduling hearings on MCPS topics because of the failure of the Board of Education and MCPS to show up and respond.
There is that entry for Westbrook's "various improvements" again. Can't wait to hear what Mr. Equity Warrior has to say about that! (or will he be out of town?)
ReplyDeleteCouncilmember Valerie Ervin must have been curious about “various improvements” at Westbrook too because at the Council Education Committee meeting yesterday she specifically requested more information about school foundations and their spending. Why didn’t the Superintendent submit this information to the Council when asked the first time? He was explicitly asked for a “list of projects”. I would not necessarily include a brand new outdoor classroom in the category of various improvements.
DeleteCurious? She's discuss them at the next cocktail party, but not in public.
DeleteIn the article "Perks for Public Schools from $300 to $1.1 Million" (posted a few days ago on this blog), the list of FY 2013 projects in Dr. Starr's memo is MUCH longer than what's shown in the packet for the July 22 Ed. Committee meeting. Why wasn't the full, updated list of FY 2013 projects included in the packet for tomorrow's meeting? Has the Ed. Committee seen the full list of FY 2013 projects?
ReplyDeleteThe lists aren't even the same. Which one is correct?
DeleteLarry Bowers, Donna Hollingshead, Lori-Christina Webb and Kathleen Guinan all went back to Crossway after the Council hearing.
ReplyDelete