I wish to personally recommend the following changes to the 2014 Draft Board Member Compensation and Expense Standards.
1) Monthly posting to MCPS' website of approved expenditures by the members of the board of education and the chief of staff for the board of education. A link to these expenditures should remain on the home page of the MCPS website. Transparency is key to establishing the restored public trust that the board is seeking through establishing these rules.
2) Ongoing policy of exempting the high school member of the board of education from traveling to out of town meetings, including the pre-approved National School Board Association meetings. When school teachers are buying their own school supplies and volunteer PTA members are working diligently to also pay for basic supplies necessary to support academic activities, there should be no place in the MCPS budget to send the teen member on trips that may ultimately cost $1500-$2000. The learning experience they receive while sitting on the board is sufficient. As Dr. Starr often notes, we have a sacred obligation to the taxpayers to save money.
Thank you,
Therese Gibson President Montgomery Blair High School PTSA
Please note that I sent the previous comments directly to the Board of Education, and simply wanted to repost those comments on the Parent Coalition blog.
At what point are the people of the Parents Coalition going to realize a very small margin actually cares about what you say? You blow smoke and speak ill of the BOE but the truth is none of you are capable of being one of them. Is it going to take the general election when the incumbents win for you to realize you're accomplishing nothing?
The "very small margin" right now is the Office of State Prosecutor's criminal investigation into the expense account spending of the Board of Education. A few months ago the "very small margin" was the Apple Ballot and SEIU that each dropped their endorsement of Christopher Barclay. Last week the "very small margin" was the Editors of the Gazette.
You are right, that's not much, but we'll take it.
To the Board of Education:
ReplyDeleteI wish to personally recommend the following changes to the 2014 Draft Board Member Compensation and Expense Standards.
1) Monthly posting to MCPS' website of approved expenditures by the members of the board of education and the chief of staff for the board of education. A link to these expenditures should remain on the home page of the MCPS website. Transparency is key to establishing the restored public trust that the board is seeking through establishing these rules.
2) Ongoing policy of exempting the high school member of the board of education from traveling to out of town meetings, including the pre-approved National School Board Association meetings. When school teachers are buying their own school supplies and volunteer PTA members are working diligently to also pay for basic supplies necessary to support academic activities, there should be no place in the MCPS budget to send the teen member on trips that may ultimately cost $1500-$2000. The learning experience they receive while sitting on the board is sufficient. As Dr. Starr often notes, we have a sacred obligation to the taxpayers to save money.
Thank you,
Therese Gibson
President
Montgomery Blair High School PTSA
Please note that I sent the previous comments directly to the Board of Education, and simply wanted to repost those comments on the Parent Coalition blog.
ReplyDeleteTherese Gibson
At what point are the people of the Parents Coalition going to realize a very small margin actually cares about what you say? You blow smoke and speak ill of the BOE but the truth is none of you are capable of being one of them. Is it going to take the general election when the incumbents win for you to realize you're accomplishing nothing?
ReplyDeleteThe "very small margin" right now is the Office of State Prosecutor's criminal investigation into the expense account spending of the Board of Education. A few months ago the "very small margin" was the Apple Ballot and SEIU that each dropped their endorsement of Christopher Barclay. Last week the "very small margin" was the Editors of the Gazette.
DeleteYou are right, that's not much, but we'll take it.