Montgomery County holds special meeting to approve controversial calendar change

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Montgomery County’s Board of Education convened for a special meeting on Tuesday that critics say should have never happened.

The meeting ended with MCPS’ School Board now officially approving a 2021-2022 calendar change that will give MCPS staffers more time off, starting with this year’s holiday break...

...Martin told FOX 5 Dr. McKnight’s team never contacted the MCEA about the calendar change. Martin confirmed teachers are only getting three half days for planning in this new schedule. 

"I think this is symptomatic of a larger issue and that larger issues is over the last 20 years, there’s been a movement in this country to strip boards of education of their power and turn over the control of our public school systems to a ‘superintendent’ who is then a ‘CEO’ and reports to know one," said Janis Zink Sartucci, a member of the Montgomery County volunteer group, "Parents’ Coalition."

During Tuesday’s special meeting, the group’s twitter handle trailed BOE members, writing in one post:

"While @mocoboe is in recess to read Robert's Rules, exactly WHAT was the procedural error last week that is being corrected today?  Resolution was voted on. Failed. Error was that it failed?" 

The group believes school board members pushed the calendar change through, not properly following voting rules. Some say Tuesday’s special meeting should not have been allowed...

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/montgomery-county-holds-special-meeting-to-approve-controversial-calendar-change

MCPS paying 'expert' $130 an hour for COVID-related public relations help, records show

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County Public Schools is paying a new, part-time employee $130 an hour to help improve its pandemic-related public relations, records obtained by 7News reveal.

On Sept. 14, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County filed a Maryland Public Information Act request with MCPS. It centered on a woman by the name of Aggie Alvez...

https://wjla.com/news/local/mcps-paying-expert-130-an-hour-for-covid-related-public-relations-help-records-show

Exclusive: Interim Super. McKnight Secretly Hires Back Former Weast Dir. of Communications at $130 an hour [$270K a year +/-]

The Parents' Coalition has discovered that Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight has at least one more secret hire.  McKnight has brought back former Superintendent Jerry Weast's Director of Communications, Aggie Alvez.  

Like the hiring of Eric Guerci, Alvez also does not appear in the MCPS online Staff Directory.  

Alvez's position has also not been approved by the Board of Education. There is no mention of Alvez's recent rehiring in any recent Board of Education minutes.

The Parents' Coalition has learned that Alvez has been hired at an hourly rate of $130.

Alvez began working in August of 2021 and will work at least through June of 2022. She will be using Derek Turner's former office in the MCPS Communications department and will be doing an audit of communications and reviewing a process map. 

Alvez's position is that of Special Assistant to the Superintendent  (click on images to enlarge)

 or Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff for the Superintendent

and/or as a Public Information Officer

Discovery Education given inside track on lucrative Nashville Public Schools contract

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Public Schools gave a Maryland company the inside track on a lucrative deal to boost science and technology curriculum in middle schools, a NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered.

Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph and his leadership team turned to Discovery Education to help develop the vision for the initiative, then the company was awarded an $11.4 million contract with no real competition.

"So many of us in conversations outside those senior leadership meetings would talk about: can you imagine what we could do if we had half that amount of money and we implemented our own plan in our schools?" said Dr. Kris Elliott, who headed the district's STEM efforts for two years.

"It was a shame that we weren't allowed the time and space to talk about ways to make this sort of improvement process, that it was just automatic: it was a vendor and they were going to solve all of MNPS's problems."..

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/metro-schools/maryland-company-given-inside-track-on-lucrative-mnps-contract?fbclid=IwAR394RveMRZT5N9MQ1H6y3UU_BosmOoZOni9_Ep7W88EAX4VUPa9uE59oBs

Another MCPS administrator leaves

In this tight budget year do all of the MCPS administrators that are leaving MCPS need to be replaced? 


Suzanne Maxey is currently in the MCPS "Leadership Development Team" office. She is leaving for Alexandria's Public School system. Does her position need to be replaced in MCPS? Not replacing her position could keep 2-3 teachers in classrooms for the 2010-11 school year.

The Washington Post: Alexandria names Suzanne Maxey principal of T.C. Williams

...Suzanne Maxey has more than three decades of experience in Washington area schools. In the past 10 years, she was principal at Bowie High School in Prince George's County and Seneca Valley High School in Montgomery County. Since 2008, she has worked as a mentor to middle school and high school principals in Montgomery County...

MCPS PR Director moves to Houston

Another MCPS administrator leaving. Should MCPS find replacements for these positions or are classroom teachers more important in this fiscal climate?  Maybe these high priced administrative positions should be left vacant in favor of keeping teachers in classrooms? 

And MCPS needs a $10 million public relations department because...?

HISD NAMES NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

... In an effort to take district communications to the next level, board trustees today approved Aggie Alvez as HISD’s new Chief Communications Officer.

Ms. Alvez is currently the Director of Communications and Family Outreach at the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Rockville, Maryland...

... During her nearly sixteen years at MCPS, Ms. Alvez was responsible for the development of internal and external strategic communications, including crisis communications and coordination of media relations and parent and community outreach. She managed an office with eighty-nine employees, a ten million dollar budget and led the district to win more than ninety local, national and international awards during her tenure. She also elevated the use of video, social media and the web in key aspects of school system operations and conceptualized and managed multi-media campaigns to increase awareness of school system initiatives and generate community support...

Grier names new chief communications officer

...Alvez's salary was not available because the school board won't approve her contract until next week, said district spokesman Norm Uhl. Vela's $167,475 salary will be reduced in his new role, according to Grier.