What happened at the Thursday, December 2, 2021, Montgomery County Board of Education meeting? Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight surprised Board of Education members with a Resolution to add three 1/2 days to the MCPS calendar this year and to give administrators additional days off.
Various news outlets have reported that the McKnight Resolution passed, but the meeting video shows otherwise.
Here is our summary of the Thursday, December 2, 2021, Board of Education meeting.
Summary taken from Montgomery County Board of Education December 2, 2021, meeting video.
7. Items of Discussion/Action - 1:45 p.m. (Watch the discussion at this link)
7.1 2021� School Year Calendar Modification
Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight introduced Item #7 and talked about the Resolutions she was proposing.
BOE Member Silvestre moved approval for purposes of discussion. Seconded.
Discussion
Time on Video: 1:30:20 BOE Member Harris Motion to Bifurcate Resolution into two. 1:46 BOE Member Smondrowski seconds motion.
1:48:20 BOE President Wolff says "we have a motion on the floor" says motion is "to vote for this as written"
Smondrowski questions why Harris amendment is not being voted on, Wolff says "we have a motion on the floor."
Wolff says, "All in favor, raise your hand." Wolff, Docca, O'Looney and Evans raise their hands. [NOTE THE RESOLUTION FAILED AT THIS POINT] "All opposed, raise your hand" Smondrowski, Harris and Silvestre raised their hands.
Wolff says, "We need 5 votes, so does somebody else want to put a motion on the floor? Can't pass it without 5 votes."
Again, Harris makes motion to bifurcate the resolution into two parts. One resolution would relate to 1/2 days, the other resolution would relate to administrative closings and Juneteenth. Seconded (again)
1:50 Wolff has Harris make her motion to bifurcate again [3rd time] and it is seconded again.
1:51 Wollf says "All in favor of the motion raise your hand" O'Looney, Harris, Silvestre and Smondrowski raise their hands. "All opposed raise your hand" Docca, Wolff and Evans raise their hands.
Wolff says "So the motion fails."
1:51:50 Dead silence. President Wolff looks around at BOE members.
1:52:26 President Wolff then says "Let's do this, let's put a motion on the floor to vote on the winter break and Juneteenth, first OK?" [Note that Motion JUST FAILED, yet Wolff is moving forward as if it Passed].
President Wolff is told that they just did that, she says "That's right."
1:52:36 Silvetre says "Should we try again?"
1:52:42 Harris makes her motion to bifurcate the Resolution again. [4th time]
1:54:37 Wolff has Harris restate her motion again. [5th time]. Evans interrupts and says before that is seconded can we modify the current resolution? Evans says can we just strike the January 12th day?
1:55 Evans goes into a speech "You're saying that we haven't given people sufficient notice. I understand that there are parents that have concerns. I felt like Dr. McKnight gave great detail explanation as to why this resolution works for the entire system..."
"...I've heard people make concerns about how in the future we would like to get information [Resolutions] in advance. That has been heard. Duly noted*. But that should not be a reason why we delay this Resolution."
[*NOTE: The Board of Education Handbook, Page 13 already states that Board meeting materials are prepared for Board members in advance of meetings and that MCPS staff are available for information before or at meetings.]
1:59 Wolff says "We actually have a call for a vote on the floor. Ms. O'Looney this is the last comment." [In fact, Harris' 5th reading of her motion was never seconded.]
2:00 Wolff asks Harris if she wants to rescind her motion. Then says motion was seconded [but Evans interrupted before any second. Then staff says it was seconded].
2:01:27 Wolff says "All in favor of Ms. Harris' motion to separate these raise your hand." Harris, Silvestre and Smondrowski
"All opposed raise your hand." O'Looney, Docca, Evans, and Wolff
2:01:46 Evans "I have a motion to reconsider the previous, original resolution." Seconded
[Let's go to Robert's Rules of Order: The motion to reconsider may be made only by a member who voted on the prevailing side in the original vote (such as someone who voted "yes" if the motion had passed or voted "no" if the motion was defeated). In this Board of Education vote Evans voted in favor of the original Resolution and the Resolution failed.]
2:01 Wolff does not allow for any discussion. She immediately says "there is a motion on the floor, all in favor raise your hand." O'Looney, Evans, Wolff and Docca "So the motion fails because we have to have 5 votes."
Wolff does not ask for those opposed.
Instead, Wolff looks around at Board members and says, "Any proposals?" She pauses again and looks around at Board members and begins a speech. Wolff says, "I think it's very important that we not think about how the communication has been but think about our staff how they are struggling right now..."
2:02 Smondrowski offers amendment to original Resolution that would have MCPS commit to free activities for students at the cluster level on 1/2 days. Off camera, someone tells her no that can't be done. No second to amendment.
2:05 McKnight refers to 1/2 days as something that is being "piloted for the future." [Note 1/2 days have been used in MCPS for decades.]
2:07 Evans again offers her Motion for Reconsideration and it is seconded for the second time.
2:07:55 Smondrowski says she will switch her vote but says, "...unacceptable that we be given materials of this consequence and of this importance less than 24 hours..."
2:08 Wolff calls for a vote on the Reconsideration. Docca, Smondrowski, Silvestre, Wolff, Evans, and O'Looney. Harris opposed.
2:08 Wolff says, "All right. Thank you. We are now up to..." and she finally goes on to next Agenda item.
