New report says Montgomery County Public Schools wasted millions on electric buses

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — In 2022 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was touting itself as one of the leading school districts in America regarding electric buses.

It signed a contract a year earlier with Highland Electric Fleets to deliver more than 300 electric buses to replace its diesel-powered buses.

Our investigation two years ago uncovered that not all buses arrived on their original delivery dates. Four months in only 7 out of the promised 25 buses were transporting your children.

Now a scathing report from the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General reveals the $160 million contract with Highland for 326 electric school buses turned into a massive delay of buses for years...

The Parents Coalition of Montgomery County, a taxpayer's watchdog group, is outraged.

"What do you think is alarming for parents to see out of that report?" asked 7News Investigative Reporter Scott Taylor.

"Tremendous amount of waste of dedicated education funding. These are our precious education dollars," said Janis Sartucci with the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County...

https://wjla.com/features/i-team/montgomery-county-public-schools-mcps-electric-buses-montgomery-county-inspector-general-report-highland-electric-fleets-contract-deisel-powered-buses-mechanical-issues-charging-issues-maryland-schools-school-bus-transportation#

MCPS wasted millions of dollars on electric bus program, investigation reveals

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A plan to acquire more than 300 electric buses for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students has led to "millions of dollars in wasteful spending," according to the results of an investigation released Monday by Montgomery County Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi.

The investigation explains how in February 2021, as part of its commitment to sustainability, MCPS announced it was replacing 326 diesel school buses with electric school buses, noting that the last of the buses were set to be delivered in 2025...

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mcps-wasted-millions-dollars-electric-bus-program-investigation-reveals

Once Again, MoCo Inspector General Confirms a @pcmc1 Investigation. Today it's the @mcps Electric School Bus Scheme

Today, the Montgomery County Inspector General released a Memorandum of Investigation that confirmed many of the concerns that the Parents' Coalition has raised about the Montgomery County Board of Education's electric bus scheme. 

But let's look at just one of the false claims that the Board of Education has made about their electric school bus scheme.

Right on the MCPS website it says:

"The school district is on track to have 326 electric school buses by 2025"

But the Board of Education is NOT on track to have 326 electric school buses by 2025.

From the IG's Memorandum of Investigation (Page 2):

"The contractor did not deliver any of the buses expected in FY2022 through FY2024 by August 1st as required by the agreement's delivery schedule."

and on page 3

"the contractor has notified MCPS that they will not be able to meet the delivery goal for the 2024-2025 school year."

 Read the full text of the Inspector General's Memorandum of Investigation below. 

MOI-FY25 MCPS Electric Bus ... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

MCPS Cut Handball to Pay for Pickleball

...To cover expenses, MCPS no longer will offer handball. Participation in that sport had dwindled down to only two high schools, according to Sullivan...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/pickleball-for-all-mcps-is-first-in-u-s-to-adopt-growing-game-as-varsity-sport/

Maryland Department of Health launches new overdose data dashboard

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health today announced the launch of a new tool for combating the overdose crisis: the Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard. The dashboard, which replaces the previous one at StopOverdose.maryland.gov, provides a user-friendly and easy-to-understand visualization of overdose trends throughout the state.

“Overdoses have ripped apart families and left an empty seat at the dinner table for far too many Marylanders,” said Lt. Governor Miller. “For a targeted approach in the fight against this epidemic, we need data and the Maryland overdose dashboard will increase the ability of our partners across the state to reach communities most affected and connect people to the care they so desperately deserve. This is an effort that I’m truly passionate about and eager to champion on behalf of the Moore-Miller administration.”

The Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard includes the following features: 

• Unified Data: The dashboard combines data on fatal overdoses, non-fatal emergency department visits, and EMS naloxone administrations. Users can search this data by zip code.
  

• Timely Data Updates: The dashboard provides the most current data available, reducing the data release period from 90 to 30 days. This allows for more proactive monitoring and response.
  

• Historical Trend Analysis: The dashboard provides historical data at the jurisdictional level, enabling the analysis of community trends over time.
  

• Demographic Insights: The dashboard provides insights across age, race and gender for targeted overdose responses across jurisdictions.
  

“This dashboard will enable Marylanders who are at the forefront of the opioid and overdose crisis, along with the individuals and organizations supporting them, to have broader access to data and trends in overdose, and will further aid in data-driven decision-making in response,” said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott. 

"We have received extensive feedback from our local and community partners about their need for the data and visualization," said Special Secretary of Overdose Response Emily Keller. "Community input played a crucial role in the development of this dashboard at every stage, and we are thrilled to provide Maryland residents with a new tool to assist our partners in responding more promptly to emerging trends."

Based on initial data, fatal overdoses in Maryland have been on the decline in recent years. In 2023, there were 2,513 fatal overdoses in the state, marking a 2.5 percent decrease from the 2,578 fatal overdoses recorded in 2022. The latest data from the dashboard, which currently includes information up to May of this year, indicates that the decrease in fatal overdoses has continued in 2024.

The Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard is accessible at bit.ly/Overdose​Data.

###

Not everyone on board is on board with proposed literacy policy to hold back third graders

 Story by William J. Ford in Maryland Matters. Full story here.

Maryland State Board of Education sets public comment period on policy at August meeting, with eye toward voting in September

Some members balked Tuesday as the Maryland State Board of Education reviewed a proposed literacy policy that could lead to third grade students with reading difficulties being held back, with one calling it “harmful to children.”

Board member Susan Getty, an educator of 40 years that includes 35 years teaching prekindergarten and kindergarten, said the policy is “not a viable option and harmful to children. I don’t consider it on the list of best practice in literacy.”

During the nearly 90-minute discussion, board member Joan Mele-McCarthy said more research is needed on the policy. She mentioned that the National Association of School Psychologists does not support retention policies, especially those strictly based on test scores.

And:

The board said it will hold a special comment period on just the literacy policy during next month’s regular board meeting. The goal is to vote on the policy by September, but when it would actually go into effect remains unknown.

Pickleball to be Offered at All County High Schools This Fall

Pickleball is coming to Montgomery County high schools as a varsity sport starting this fall.

During the fall of 2023, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was the first district in the country to offer pickleball as a varsity sport, according to MCPS. It was part of a corollary sports program at 11 schools designed to provide increased access and participation for students with a disability...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/pickleball-to-be-offered-at-all-county-high-schools-this-fall/

MCPS spent ~$160,000 of tax dollars to prep BOE President Karla Silvestre. 11 lawyers, 56 days' work

 In The Daily Mail, reporter James Reinl. Full story here. Yellow highlights my own.

Schools EXPOSED for spending $160K on lawyers to spin antisemitism problem, not textbooks

One of America's biggest school districts spent $157,000 of taxpayer's money to prepare a board member to speak about its antisemitism problem, casting doubt on its commitment to education, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), a sprawling Maryland district of some 210 K-12 schools in the Washington DC suburbs, spent the money on lawyers to ready education board president Karla Silvestre for a congressional grilling.

And:

A public records request by Parents Defending Education (PDE) shows how the district spent $156,987 on 11 lawyers from top firm Venable for 56 days' work from March through May, ahead of the House subcommittee hearing on May 8.

A growing @mcps bureaucracy that doesn’t dramatically improve literacy and math proficiency is not sustainable.

Should the Montgomery County Council Make it Easier to Raise Property Taxes? You can read the Charter Review Commissions April 2024 report at link below.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/crc/Resources/Files/2024CharterReviewCommissionReport.pdf

Gordie Brenne, Treasurer, Montgomery County Taxpayers League

1. The County has Excess Reserves- Last year the Council approved a 4.7% tax rate increase with just 8 votes, and that combined with huge appraisal increases clobbered home owners and renters with the maximum tax increase permitted under state law of 10%. The tax rate increase was unnecessary because it produced a revenue gusher this year, and next year’s was forecast to yield excess reserves of 15.4%. A unanimous vote would have prevented this.

2. One-Person Veto is a Myth- Up County would be most impacted by weakening the unanimous requirement because the three up county Council members could get drowned out by a super majority of 8 down county members. We agree with the minority opinion in the Commission’s report (pg. 22) that that a unanimous vote makes each Council member accountable, increases their impact, and the voice of underrepresented parts of the county. A unanimous vote would give undecided members the opportunity to join that member and be heard, rather than be trampled by the majority. 

3. Housing Costs are Skyrocketing as Assessments Increase- Property taxes are a significant driver of housing cost increases. Homeowners’ Credits do not adjust property taxes for inflation to protect low-income residents.  Higher housing costs and scarcity underpin racial segregation in schools, and make it harder for seniors to retire in place. Assessments are controlled by the state, but a unanimous vote would increase the Council control over tax increases. 

4. Structural Deficit Fail Safe- Of the three decision points in the Charter that control spending and revenues (pgs. 13-14), tax rate increases are the last control and should have the strongest vote hurdle. As happened last year, less than unanimous spending control overrides could result in higher recurring costs and structural deficits in future years without a unanimous vote for tax rate increases. Last year’s tax rate increase was approved with only 8 Council votes, and was supposed to be for an education emergency that justified overriding the Charter’s unanimous vote requirement. But most of the spending was for recurring County costs. MCPS got only 37% of the additional money raised- approximately $100M. County employees got above market pay raises (estimated cost- $38 million) advocated by powerful county unions, but not supported by a comparative salary survey last done 13 years ago; and, county supplemental appropriations approved during the year ($25 million so far) were not justified in the budget process, for a total of $63 million for the county, not MCPS. 

5. Accountability and Transparency- Increased public confidence in county governance is reinforced with a unanimous vote. Confidence stems from a better County and MCPS budget process that justifies spending with numbers, not words for outcomes. The public should be able to see how spending links to objective returns on investment to conclude their money is being spent wisely. Moody’s bond underwriters just placed a “negative outlook” on the state because of likely structural deficits from growing education Blueprint costs. This puts increased pressure on local county funding sources. 

6. MCPS Spending Trade-Offs- A unanimous vote for tax increases will assure these tradeoffs are fully and publicly debated, consistent with the “fair and predictable” governance process argued in the Commission Report (pg. 17). A growing bureaucracy that doesn’t dramatically improve literacy and math proficiency is not sustainable. The state's Maintenance of Effort law prevents any Council debate over what's in the base of the MCPS budget where most of the achievement gap strategy money is buried along with overhead costs (we estimate 45% for non-instruction).  Spending that doesn’t improve literacy and math proficiency takes money away from our kids, and squeezes funding for other County programs that could improve the lives of lower income residents more, like affordable housing, public health and safety.

MOCO360 Opinion: Should the County Council make raising property taxes easier? Requiring a unanimous vote makes good fiscal sense.

The Charter Review Commission’s recent report recommended several changes to controls over how the County Council approves spending and revenues. Among these was a recommendation to reduce the number of councilmember votes required to approve a property rate increase–from unanimous to just eight of the 11 votes. Without a public hearing, the council is expected to vote on this recommendation on July 9 and seem likely to agree with the lower bar of eight votes and place it on the November ballot as a referendum.

Be wary. In 2020, the council placed its own referendum (Question A) on the ballot that was deceptively labeled as “Limit Tax Rate Increases,” while a competing grass-roots citizen petition (Question B) to prevent property tax revenue increases from exceeding the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rate was placed second on the ballot, and pejoratively labeled “Prohibit Override.” Inevitably Question A passed. 

The Montgomery County Taxpayers League is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of county residents and focused on good government by the county to achieve efficient and effective operations and tax equity. We believe a unanimous vote to increase property taxes is an essential control over county spending. We do not stand alone. County voters have repeatedly voted–in 2008, 2018 and in 2020–to require a unanimous vote to increase property tax rates and they should not be ignored. 

Here are six reasons why you should ask councilmembers to retain the unanimous vote requirement for tax rate increases before the council votes on a proposed referendum:

1. The county has excess reserves: Last year the council approved a 4.7% tax rate increase with just seven votes and that, combined with huge appraisal increases, clobbered homeowners and renters with what amounted to the maximum tax increase permitted under state law of 10%. The tax rate increase was unnecessary because it produced a revenue gusher this year, and next year’s was forecast to yield excess reserves of 15.4%. A unanimous vote would have prevented this...

https://moco360.media/2024/06/29/opinion-should-the-county-council-make-raising-property-taxes-easier/

BREAKING: MD Appellate Court Orders MoCo Board of Ed to Review $168M Electric School Bus Contract Award

The Appellate Court of Maryland has issued an Order vacating the Judgment of the Montgomery County Circuit Court In the Matter of AutoFlex Fleet, Inc. 

This Order (shown below) mandates that the matter must be returned to the Montgomery County Board of Education for an administrative review of the augmented evidentiary record with regard to the award of the $168 million dollar contract to HET MCPS, LLC for MCPS electric school buses.  

The Court said, "...the Contract must be reviewed in light of the adjudicated facts supporting the convictions of these DOT directors who were integrally involved in managing MCPS' bidding process, evaluating responding proposals, and awarding the Contract to an affiliate of the vendor they were exploiting." (Page 60 of Opinion below)

This litigation began with a protest filed by a losing bidder on this contract.  

AutoFlex Fleet, Inc. filed a written protest of the decision to award the Contract to HET MCPS, LLC on December 16, 2020.  

On March 5, 2024, the Appellate Court of Maryland released a 64 page opinion (shown below) detailing the matter and their decision. 

This litigation has gone from the initial protest by a losing bidder to MCPS (protest denied) 🠞 Montgomery County Board of Education (appeal denied) 🠞 Maryland State Board of Education (appeal denied) 🠞 Montgomery County Circuit Court (appeal denied) 🠞Maryland Appellate Court (Order issued) 🠞 then mandated back to 🠞 Montgomery County Circuit Court 🠞 Maryland State Board of Education 🠞 Montgomery County Board of Education.

Why has the Contract Award protest been sent back to the Montgomery County Board of Education for review?  

The very short answer is because 2 of the 3 (or 4) MCPS employees who reviewed the initial bids for the MCPS electric school bus contract have since been convicted of crimes including felony theft and misdemeanor misconduct in office in relation to a scheme to divert MCPS funds to an off the books account held by a subcontractor on the HET MCPS, LLC (Highland Electric) electric school bus proposal.  

HET MCPS, LLC was the winning bidder of the $168M MCPS electric school bus contract.  

AutoFlex Fleet, LLC wants the facts surrounding the criminal convictions of MCPS Department of Transportation (DOT) Director (Watkins) and Assistant (Ewald) to be reviewed in connection with their protest of the award of this contract.  

The Appellate Court of Maryland agrees with them that these criminal convictions should be part of the review of the awarding of the $168M MCPS electric school bus contract and so the matter goes back to the Board of Education for review with these criminal convictions in the record.  

Note:  There's a whole lot of legal fees being generated to pay for the Board of Education's defense of this litigation, with more to come.  The continued failure of the Board of Education to exert any oversight over MCPS continues to divert education funding away from classrooms to outside legal fees.   

539S2022 Mandate by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

539s22 in the Matter of Aut... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

'Don't get rid of my school'; Montgomery Virtual Academy students fight for future

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Parents and students are rallying once again to keep the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) open.

It's a story 7News has been following for months.

Dozens of parents also met with the new Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) superintendent, Dr. Thomas Taylor, to discuss possible next steps.

One rising 8th grader, Toryn Goldman, spoke to 7News through his iPad.

"This is actually an iPad with some software on it that he uses," said his mom, Natoya Goldman.

Toryn has been part of MVA for three years now, whose future hangs in the balance due to budget cuts.

He joined the dozens of other students and families passionate about the program for a rally outside Rockville High School on Tuesday.

When 7News' Lianna Golden asked him what he loves most about his virtual school, he responded:

"I learned."..

https://wjla.com/news/local/montgomery-county-public-schools-mcps-montgomery-virtual-avademy-mva-budget-cuts-education-learning-accessible-parents-students-concerns-mcps-superintendent-thomas-taylor

MCPS Official: Lack of Student Progress Is ‘Highly Concerning. It Is A Call To Action’

Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) students are slowly recovering from the pandemic, but not quickly enough, according to district officials who reported to the County Council Education Culture committee Thursday.

Also, they noted, White students are progressing at a higher rate than Black, Latino and multilingual students.

“We are seeing the opportunity gaps grow,” said Committee Chair Will Jawando. “We are seeing our White students bounce back faster.”

Peter Moran, chief of schools, called the data covering the winter of the 2023-2024 school year for students in grades kindergarten, three, six and nine, “highly concerning. It is a call to action.”..

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mcps-official-lack-of-student-progress-is-highly-concerning-it-is-a-call-to-action/

WTOP: What Montgomery Co.’s new superintendent is earning

As the leader of Maryland’s largest school district, newly appointed Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Taylor is earning an annual salary of $360,000. That’s $40,000 more than that of his predecessor, Monifa McKnight...

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2024/07/montgomery-co-s-new-superintendent-earing-360k-in-salary/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2fRhTYHhcULNKbI1IKHTFPTSLB2qD0k0KAfFIetvPiHkH-2RNA5a8kpm8_aem_oumanMKJuWWMzhAzq5MpBQ

'Unacceptable and immoral:' Petition criticizes UMD's hiring of former MCPS superintendent

WASHINGTON - A former superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools who resigned earlier this year will take a new role with the University of Maryland, officials confirmed this week.

Dr. Monifa McKnight will serve in the inaugural position of "Dean’s Fellow and Superintendent in Residence" with the University of Maryland’s College of Education. The role is expected to support the development of and implementation of special projects within the college and "strengthen partnerships between the college and PK-12 schools across the state," according to UMD.

McKnight stepped down as MCPS superintendent in February, agreeing to a $1.3 million separation deal amid scrutiny over the school system’s handling of sexual harassment and bullying allegations against now-former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman. For this reason, an online petition with more than 500 signatures Friday is criticizing the university for its hire...

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/unacceptable-immoral-petition-criticizes-umds-hiring-former-mcps-superintendent.amp

Petition asks U.Md. to reverse its decision on hiring former Montgomery Co. Superintendent McKnight

Days after the University of Maryland hired a former Montgomery County superintendent, a new online petition is calling for university officials to “reverse course” on the decision.

The Change.org petition claims that the hiring of former Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight to a leadership position at the University of Maryland is “unacceptable and immoral.”..

https://wtop.com/maryland/2024/07/petition-asks-u-md-to-reverse-its-decision-on-hiring-former-montgomery-co-superintendent-mcknight/

Not MCPS: Maryland school districts among hundreds to get federal funds for clean buses

https://marylandmatters.org/2024/05/29/maryland-school-districts-among-hundreds-to-get-federal-funds-for-clean-school-buses/

Montgomery County: Central committees often leave candidate vetting to others when filling vacancies

Political central committees in Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions are charged with filling legislative vacancies and vetting the candidates to see if they’re eligible for the offices they are seeking. Those reviews, however, do not always include scrutiny of public records — including court records.

A whisper campaign against one candidate seeking to fill a House of Delegates vacancy has spotlighted the vetting procedures of state central committees charged with filling the positions. It is a process currently underway in Montgomery County, where the Democratic Central Committee on Thursday will recommend a candidate to Gov. Wes Moore (D) to fill a vacant House of Delegates seat.

Two of nine Democrats seeking to fill the District 16 seat vacated last month by now-Sen. Sara Love (D) were found to have had some contact with the courts involving criminal charges or other proceedings.

The criminal charges — and in one case a conviction nearly a decade ago — raise questions about how thoroughly political parties vet candidates. It also adds another wrinkle in an ongoing debate in Annapolis over moving to fill vacancies with special elections instead of an insular process involving party insiders...

https://marylandmatters.org/2024/07/10/central-committees-often-leave-candidate-vetting-to-others-when-filling-vacancies/

Maryland probe highlights flaws in teacher vetting after alleged abuser gets school jobs

A lengthy probe into the vetting of school teachers in Maryland is raising some glaring issues.

The probe, by Maryland's Inspector General, examines the case of Mark Planamente, a former Baltimore County School teacher who is now serving a five year prison sentence for the sexual abuse of a minor.

However, investigators are questioning how Planamente managed to be hired by two schools after allegations of misconduct surfaced.

Before a teacher can be hired in Maryland, their former employer must affirm that the teacher had never been disciplined, discharged or asked to resign while allegations of child sexual abuse or misconduct were pending.

In Planamente's case, the Baltimore County School District where he formerly worked, checked 'no' to the question and later told investigators that the allegations "did not constitute sexual advances nor were they sexually explicit."..

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/city-in-crisis/maryland-probe-highlights-flaws-in-teacher-vetting-after-alleged-abuser-gets-school-jobs

Groups Speak Out Against Chief Jones’ New Job with County Public Schools

Although retiring Police Chief Marcus Jones hasn’t started his new role as Chief of Security and Compliance for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), several groups are speaking out against his appointment.

Young People for Progress, Silver Spring Justice Coalition and Jews United for Justice joined the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign to oppose Jones’ recent appointment by the Board of Education.

According to these groups, Jones’ background with the Montgomery County Police Department and his 38 years in law enforcement “makes him unsuitable for working with students.”

Previously, the Decriminalize Montgomery County Campaign fought to end the School Resource Officer program. Under that program, sworn police officers were assigned inside schools...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/groups-speak-out-against-chief-jones-new-job-with-county-public-schools/

MCPS system did not adhere to its policies on emergency procurement, report finds

..."It's more of the same. We've been watching Montgomery County for over 20 years do this same kind of emergency, hide the ball procurement and once again they're doing the same thing they've done in the past," said Janis Sartucci of the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County Education Association is also upset about the findings writing, stating, "MCPS misspent valuable tax dollars...it shifted time and attention away from what should have been its top priority: our students."

7News also received a text message from a parent who has a student who attends the Montgomery Virtual Academy.

That program was eliminated due to recent budget cuts...

https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classroom/montgomery-county-public-schools-memorandum-investigation-interim-superintendent-emergency-procurement-policies-parents-student-reaction-mcps#

Retiring police chief Marcus Jones appointed as MCPS security chief

...The board voted on Jones’ appointment about two hours after he received accolades from the council and other county leaders during the council meeting, including an official county proclamation commending his service.

Jones, 59, announced his retirement in January after serving in the police department for 38 years. He spoke to MoCo360 about his tenure in an interview in February...

https://moco360.media/2024/06/25/retiring-police-chief-marcus-jones-appointed-as-mcps-security-director/

MCPS misused emergency funds in sexual harassment investigation, new OIG report says

...Janis Sartucci with the watchdog group Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County said this was all about damage control.

"This was all about the reputation of the Board of Education and protecting the individuals on the Board of Education without a thought in the world to what's going on in the classroom and what students need," Sartucci said.

Sartucci added that unchecked spending like this is one of the biggest problems in the county.

"Parents, community members, they think education funding means classrooms. They think when they pay their property taxes, that money is going to classrooms to support students and teachers," Sartucci said. "In fact, tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars in this $3.2 billion education budget go to things like this damage control."

One parent FOX 5 spoke with, Priya Baskaran, said she would love to see resources be diverted into schools rather into administrative bloat...

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/new-oig-report-details-how-mcps-improperly-used-emergency-funds-joel-beidleman-investigation

Montgomery Co. families continue to campaign to get virtual academy reinstated

 https://www.wusa9.com/video/news/local/maryland/montgomery-co-families-continue-to-campaign-to-get-virtual-academy-reinstated/65-5e53497d-46b0-4241-9edc-4495b4f1cf58?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0y_j8CJv7U1TBezeDAebfvuEKiuKQvuhTiEM0J1BOhLMEB3Q2yP89G4fs_aem_hKp4SRgemi4X-K3z3YCcSg#lxv433ji9to8eg7r8p

Lockout! Update on NEA/NEASO Union Dispute: NEA Locks out NEA staff union

Story by Brooke Schultze, in Education Week. Full story here. Our MCPS teachers belong to the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) union. Our local county union is part of NEA. The NEASO president accused the NEA of 'union-busting.'

Staff who disrupted NEA's Assembly Will be Locked out of Work

Staff members for the nation’s largest teachers’ union will be locked out of work until a contract is reached, after their work stoppage ended the union’s largest event of the year in Philadelphia.

The National Education Association informed its staff union of the decision on July 7, a spokesperson said. Nearly 300 staff members working at the union’s headquarters in Washington will be affected by the lockout. They will not be paid, and won’t work, until they reach agreement on a contract. The staff organization’s contract ended May 31.

The decision comes after the National Education Association Staff Organization’s three day strike ended the NEA’s annual representative assembly one day after it got under way. The representative assembly, held for four days over the Fourth of July weekend, brings together thousands of educators from across the country to vote on the union’s priorities, budget, and strategic plan for the year ahead.

And:

“The NEA management’s punitive lockout of its own employees is a dangerous, reckless, and reactionary move that undermines the rights of every union worker in this country,” said NEASO President Robin McLean in a statement. “These are clear union-busting techniques that will not be tolerated. I cannot imagine it lands well that the nation’s largest union is locking out its staff union.”

Correction: Superintendent Taylor and Security Chief Jones were NOT Unanimously Appointed to @mcps. @mocoboe member Grace Rivera-Oven was ABSENT.

The Montgomery County Board of Education has multiple options for remote participation by Board of Education members.  The Board of Education also controls their calendar.

Yet, on June 25, 2024, two major appointments (Superintendent and Chief of Security) were made without the full Board of Education participating.  There are 8 Board of Education members. Only 7 voted on these appointments. 

Board of Education member Grace Rivera-Oven has been known to dissent from other MCPS appointments and she was notably absent from the June 25th Board of Education meeting. Even her name plate was removed for the meeting. 

Her seat was filled in by another Board member and no mention was made of her absence at the start of the meeting.  She didn't call in, or video conference in, or express regrets for missing the meeting. 

The appointment of the new Superintendent and the new Chief of Security were both made with only 7 Board of Education members instead of the full 8.  Unanimous of those present, but not unanimous of the full Board of Education.

All superintendents going back to at least 1991 (Vance, Weast, Starr, McKnight & Felder) have been appointed by the full Board of Education without any Board members absent.  

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/308793

...The county school board voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Thomas Taylor to a four-year term as the new head of Montgomery County Public Schools after a four-month search that followed the resignation of the former superintendent...

https://moco360.media/2024/06/25/school-board-appoints-taylor-as-new-mcps-superintendent/

Superintendent Taylor Sets First Community Engagement Session for July 16, 2024, at 7 PM at Rockville High School

Dr. Thomas Taylor sets priorities in first week as Montgomery County superintendent

...Taylor said throughout the school year, there will be opportunities for public meetings to hear from the public. 

One is already scheduled for next week, specifically on the MVA virtual learning program.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/dr-thomas-taylor-sets-priorities-first-week-montgomery-county-superintendent?taid=668881ff30fb670001898bec&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

Event Details
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Time: 7 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Rockville High School / 2100 Baltimore Rd, Rockville, MD 20851, in the school auditorium.