...While it is important for MCPS and the Rock Terrace community to work together moving forward, Bowers said, MCPS will not release a copy of the school system’s investigative report to the public. Bowers said not even a redacted copy of the report would be made available to the parents.
Dana Tofig, a spokesman for MCPS, said that because the investigative report is a personnel matter, it will not be provided to the Montgomery County Board of Education. The report will ultimately go to Bowers, he said, and will only be viewed by those who conducted the investigation for MCPS...
Read full article at: The Sentinel
How is this possible?? There are parties/parents that have been wronged and they need to know what happened. The general public has a stake to make sure their dollars are not misspent in all parts of MCPS. I guess transparency as defined by MCPS can be described as circling the wagons. Of course, they want to move forward and avoid further controversy, but I hope this culture-style is defeated. I don't have children in the system now, but I would still be interested in hearing the results of the investigative report. I still pay taxes for school services.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that Larry Bowers (MCPS Chief Operating Officer) is hiding?
ReplyDeleteThere is no escaping the fact that the school used this methodology to convert public dollars into unaccounted for cash. We are not debating whether this was wrong, it was. The discussion is only whether it was done with evil intent, and this secret report holds keys to answering that question.
Is it possible that this scheme of funneling the students wages through "inappropriately" (if not illegally) established private bank accounts and then used to fund school operations was set up under his direction or that of other MCPS Senior Management?
MCPS Chief Operating Officer Larry Bowers is the person who receives all of the local school Audits and is in charge of local school finances. He's the MCPS official that read the 2011 Rock Terrace Audit and did nothing.
DeleteThe buck stops with the Superintendent. He is in charge of supervising staff, and he has failed to do that.
I think the public may assume that since MCPS will not release its findings to the public, or even to the elected Board of Education members, there is something very terrible in the report.
ReplyDeleteI would agree. By holding back the facts in the investigative report, MCPS increases suspicion. Apparently, Mr. Bowers is willing to accept this risk. In fact, MCPS has been quite adept at concealing information not only to the public but even to the County Council. And, that is why I have been so concerned about the arrogance of that system. Imagine what a single family goes through to challenge MCPS decisions and no wonder the system usually wins. I truly believe MCPS has "bullied" many families and even the teachers. I also agree with Janis-the buck stops with the Superintendent.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Aug 3, I respectively disagree. Starr is hired by the elected members of the Board of Education. Superintendent candidates also meet with the elected county council members and the elected County Executive. The voters of this county elect those board members and county officials. The buck stops with you, the voter.
ReplyDeleteHi Paula-Not much disagreement with your presentation. However, once the selection process is completed, the Superintendent makes the critical decisions as does any CEO in Corporate America.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks, I see your point and agree somewhat. The significant difference is any CEO in Corporate America is using private funds and running a private company. Here the Superintendent's funding is 100% taxpayer dollars, local, federal and state monies combined. That is the difference. Public funding.
ReplyDeletelas escuelas publicas deben ser cerradas, estos@paran sentados esperando su cheque , y solo se ponen a trabajar cuando ase enteran q' los padres vienen a supervisar a sus hijos .
ReplyDeletees el tiempo de de unrnos todos los padres de familia, para q' cierren las escuelas publicas, hace mucho tiempo q'no imparten educacion........es tiempo decir basta de abuso a nuestros hijos.....porque tenemos q' llamar para avisar q' vamos a ver anuestros hijos?........tiempo de hacer cambio en el sistema educativo.
ReplyDelete