Two Apple Ballot Candidates Refuse to Attend Candidate Debate

Two of the Apple Ballot (MCEA) endorsed Board of Education candidates in the upcoming election have refused to participate in a candidate's forum sponsored by 6 different groups.  

The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD is one of the sponsors of the forum that will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 7 PM on Zoom. 

Each sponsoring organization has prepared questions for the candidates and all of the candidates have received the questions in advance.  

Here are the questions that the Parents' Coalition has presented to the candidates.  

Questions from Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD:

1.  The Appellate Court of Maryland has Ordered the Montgomery County Board of Education to review the HET MCPS, LLC electric school bus contract in light of the fact that two of the MCPS Department of Transportation Directors who were integrally involved in the electric school bus bidding process awarded the contract to an affiliate of the company they were receiving kickbacks from. 

[MCPS' Todd Watkins and Charles Ewald awarded the electric school bus contract to Highland.  Highland's proposal had American Truck & Bus as a subcontractor.  Watkins and Ewald were engaged in an embezzlement scheme with American Truck & Bus. After the contract was awarded to Highland, MCPS allowed Highland to create a new company called HET MCPS, LLC and MCPS wrote the contract to HET MCPS, LLC, even though they never bid on the proposal. American Truck & Bus remained as a subcontractor on the contract.]

The Montgomery County Board of Education has refused to review the HET MCPS, LLC contract despite the Mandate from the Appellate Court of Maryland.

What kind of example does this set for public school students? 

 See:  In the Matter of AutoFlex Fleet, Inc., No. 0539, September Term 2022. Opinion by Zic, J.  This opinion is a public document from a court that held proceedings in public courtrooms.  This case is not confidential, it is not a secret and no one is prohibited from discussing this public proceeding.  

2.  The Montgomery County Board of Education paid $168,380 for a comprehensive review of the MCPS Department of Transportation.  But when the review was completed by CESO (over 80 pages) the report was shelved and never presented to the Board of Education or made public.  The Parents' Coalition made the report public.  

The CESO report reveals that MCPS Fleet Maintenance workers are in imminent danger of being crushed or electrocuted because the repair bays are not designed for the heavier electric school buses.  Electric school bus repairs risk danger of electrocution or lift collapse if bays are not set up appropriately.  

Would you support an independent, dedicated Office of Inspector General to focus exclusively on Montgomery County Public Schools so that when reports are hidden and staff are in danger of death or injury there would be someone to speak up and alert the public to fraud, waste, and abuse of public funds, and of dangers to staff and students?