Board of Education Ignores Transportation Audit Financial Warnings, instead sets up Committee and includes former BOE member who abused MCPS credit card.

The Parents' Coalition filed a Maryland Public Information Act request for the members of the new Board of Education committee on transportation.  

Below is the list of members of this new committee.  It is unclear what this committee is supposed to do as the CESO Audit was very clear on the immediate steps that the Board of Education should be taking with regard to the unsustainable financial issues in the MCPS Department of Transportation.  Setting up a random committee was not one of the steps recommended by the CESO Audit. 

~Included on the Committee is former Board of Education member Chris Barclay who was found to have used his Board of Education credit card for personal expenses.  

At this link is a list of the people Mr. Barclay took out to eat using his Board of Education credit card.

FYI:  The Board of Education members were forced to permanently cut up their credit cards after this scandal.  

~Also listed as being on the Committee is the name of a MCPS administrator referenced in the Beidleman scandal last year.  

Nothing about this committee is in compliance with the immediate recommendations of the CESO Audit.   

Board of Education Transpor... by Parents' Coalition of Montg...

Would you want a 100 bus school depot in your backyard?

These folks don't, and have asked that if you agree, please sign their petition.

No 100+ School Bus Depot In Our Neighborhood

PETITION: We, the undersigned citizens of Montgomery County, MD, hereby petition the Montgomery County (MC) Council (the Council) and the MC Board of Education (the Board) to stop the currently proposed plan to relocate approximately 100 school buses to the Carver Educational Services Center Parking lot (Carver) at 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD and to seek an alternative interim location for these buses as part of its solution to the impending relocation of the Crabbs Branch Way (aka Jeremiah Park) School Bus Depot.

DEMAND FOR ACTION: For the reasons cited below, we oppose the actions of the Council and the Board to relocate these buses to Carver. We demand that the Council and/or the Board authorize full and adequate studies to be performed by qualified outside individuals on the impacts to the community as was proposed in the memo to the Council by its own Council staff on February 6, 2015. . . 

We further demand that the Council and Board find an alternative solution and location that excludes the use of Carver and that the Council delay the Declaration of No Further Need (DNFN) that closes the existing Crabbs Branch depot until such time that an alternative location to Carver is found.

Read more here and sign the petition if you agree!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/No-100-School-Bus-Depot-In-Our-Neighborhood 

Grab your sleeping bags

and join in next week.  Monday 3:30 pm at Carver (850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville).

Why?

This You Tube video says it all.

Children and Teachers Frozen While Board Members Party On

Superintendent Josh Starr is putting tight restrictions on classroom expenditures, as reported by The Gazette this week.

Only necessary expenditures.

Does your school have an open teaching spot?  Due to turnover or expanded enrollment?  Sorry, long term substitutes will be the new normal in the classroom.

Lose your principal or building services manager?  Too bad, the replacement will be a lower cost model.

Only temporary part time personnel will be special education paraeducators, lunch time aides, and interpreters.

The good news?  MCPS will still supply soap and toilet paper.  Lets hope MCPS keeps the buildings heated too.

What's not cut?  No mention is made of the travel, meetings, and food budget for the Board of Education members or the high level staffers such as Dr. Starr.

Will Dr. Starr get to keep his car?   Of course.

Will the Board of Education members still eat cake?  Or keep fiddling to the music while our school kids go without?

Yes, it sounds like our school system is being run by Marie Antoinette or Nero.  Or both.

Have no fear - the school system will still have a surplus of $16 million dollars at the end of the year.

You decide.

http://m.gazette.net/article/20141128/NEWS/141129305/1124/starr-to-place-spending-restrictions-on-montgomery-school-system&template=FrontpageMobile

Friday, November 28, 2014

Starr to place spending restrictions on Montgomery school system

Says measures needed to address projected ‘funding gap’ in fiscal 2016

By Lindsay A. Powers Staff Writer

Montgomery County schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr is putting spending restrictions on the school district starting Dec. 1 to save money for the next fiscal year.

The restrictions are being made in light of a projected “funding gap” in Montgomery County Public Schools’ fiscal 2016 operating budget, Starr said in a letter on Wednesday to Montgomery County Council President Craig L. Rice.

The new measures affect contracts, employee hiring and non-school-based office supplies, among other things.

Starr said the expected savings will help increase the system’s fund balance. Money from that balance can be put toward the next budget.

“Offices and schools will be expected to make only necessary expenditures,” Starr wrote in the letter. “Certain exemptions are permitted to ensure that MCPS maintains high-quality instruction for all our students both this year and next.”

Larry Bowers, chief operating officer for the school system, said in an interview that the restrictions are “pretty broad” and apply to many budget items not directly related to instruction. Schools can request exceptions.

Asked about the size of the projected funding gap, Bowers said he couldn’t “get  into specific numbers” because school officials have not yet finished the fiscal 2016 budget.

Among the restrictions, the system will not fill vacant classroom-teacher positions with permanent employees, Bowers said. Schools will instead be able to hire substitute teachers.

For other jobs that involve teaching but are not in the classroom — such as counselors or staff development positions — the system will require schools to request a spending exemption, even for a substitute, Bowers said.

Schools can hire only temporary part-time employees for certain other positions, including special education paraeducators, lunch-hour aides, and interpreters, according to a memo from Bowers on Monday.

Other empty positions, including those for principals, assistant principals and building service managers, will be filled only through assigning a current employee at a lower level to a vacant position.

The memo says “any position vacancies that have been advertised and any interviews scheduled are exempt.”

Offices also can’t make “new contractual commitments” with several exceptions, including those for emergency repairs, waste disposal, and speech, language and interpretation services.

“Each office must review contractual service encumbrances to see if they can be canceled,” the memo says.

Schools still can purchase necessary textbooks and supplies, Bowers said. Offices not based in schools, however, will have their supply accounts frozen.

Spending will continue on materials and supplies in certain areas, including building services, maintenance work, vehicle maintenance and printing. Bowers emphasized that basic supplies such as soap, toilet paper and cleaning supplies will still be purchased.

Schools still will spend money on clubs and after-school activities, Bowers said.

Other spending freezes include non-local travel and furniture purchases.

Bowers said the school system has put in place “a fairly extensive process” for managers, principals and others to submit an expenditure for review.

“Exceptions to the freeze are permitted only for emergencies or other absolutely unavoidable expenditures if authorized by the chief operating officer,” the memo says.

Bowers said school officials are taking into account projected state and county budget shortfalls, as well as the experience of funding the fiscal 2015 budget.

School officials expect the system will need to pull a significant amount of money from its fund balance for the next fiscal operating budget, he said. About $38 million from the balance was used to fund the fiscal 2015 budget.

The fund balance stood at around $1.2 million this past summer, at the end of fiscal 2014, the memo says. Recent projections show the district ending the current fiscal year with about $16 million in that pool of money.

lpowers@gazette.net

Phil is so phunny

Phil Kaufman, President of the Montgomery County Board of Education, still doesn't get it.  In the Washington Post, Phil once again defends his use of outside counsel to review the allegations of credit card misuse by Board of Education Members.

Its not the review that gives us heartburn.  Its the approximately $140,000 charge for Venable and Karl Racine.  

From the article:

When concerns were raised last spring about Montgomery County Board of Education member expenses and credit card usage, the board and I knew it was important that we undergo a swift and thorough process to understand the scope of the issue and look for ways to improve our procedures. We also knew that an external review would be needed to assure the community that the board was taking this matter seriously.
Some are questioning the cost of hiring lawyers to conduct this external review, but I believed then — and I believe now — that it was the right thing to do.

Did you really need fancy lawyers to tell you to tear up the cards?

Did you really need fancy lawyers to tell you to get real policies in place?

What on earth could a $500 per hour lawyer do to run up a charge of $140,000?

Do the math - at an average rate of $500 per hour that is 280 lawyer hours.

You've got to be kidding if you think that anyone believes that this took seven weeks of lawyers to review this mess.

Some more questions for Phil.

Will Venable continue to rack up oops, I mean, monitor the BOE members continued use of their expense accounts?

What about the other credit card holders in MCPS?  A while back, we estimated that over 1000 MCPS employees have school system credit cards.  Who is watching them?

Wait - we have the Maryland Association of Boards of Education meeting coming up this week in Ocean City.

You'll have a great opportunity to demonstrate your fiscal responsibility at that meeting.

Note to our readers:  Stay tuned for a blog posting once the expense logs are submitted.

Where to Find Partying Pat O'Neill this Year

At tomorrow night's MoCo Board of Education Meeting (July 28, 2014),  the Board will consider its brand new policy on Compensation  and Guidelines for Board Expenditures.

Look carefully and in Appendix C you will find the list of events that Board members may attend.  

Does this revised policy provide more guidance than before?

It looks pretty loose to me.  What is an assorted conference?  How many of these things can a board member attend?  Its also open ended - all a Board member needs to do to attend a party that is not on the approved list is ask!

No budget, no limit on events, just go and eat.

And how many of these events are really necessary?  Some - like the County Executive's Ball, looks like a grand time, but does this really further the education of the children in MoCo?   Others look very much like they are tied to the election process, for example, the Committee for Montgomery Legislative Breakfast, the Minority Legislative Breakfast, and the Montgomery County Commission for Women's Legislative Breakfast.

What benefit do our children get when MoCo BOE members attend these events?  Do we need all eight at every event?

Didn't the press have a field day with Chris and Rebecca's eating out all the time?

And - do we want part time BOE members expending full time at events of little benefit to the taxpayers?

Let the Board know how you feel about their list of parties.

Contact for the BOE President:

Phil_Kauffman@mcpsmd.org 

Contact for Board of Education:

Board of Education Office

Montgomery County Public Schools
Carver Educational Services Center
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Tel: 301-279-3617
Fax: 301-279-3860
 Facebook |  Twitter
E-mail: boe@mcpsmd.org 

  Party List

Phil Fumbles Again

Phil - no matter how hard you try, you just keep on messing up on the Montgomery County Board of Education's New Policy on Expense Reports.

First, you have the new policy listed for action on the agenda dated July 28.  Isn't this supposed to be introduced as new business with an opportunity for public comment?   If you are going to take action, isn't the public entitled to review the document before your vote?

Second, you don't follow the Board's own policy for issuing new policies.  Why have these fancy process maps on the website if you don't follow them?  The Policy Committee is supposed to draft policies - what is up with an ad hoc committee anyway?

  Policy Chart

And, finally, you are going in to closed session to discuss the policy before you vote.  Wrong again.  How is the public supposed to comment if you don't provide an opportunity for comment?

Remember the principals of ethics from your long tenure in the government?  Public service is a public trust. You've lost the confidence of the MoCo community.  Hastily putting forth a policy that still needs work is not going to work.

The only policy that you can possibly vote on is one that has you and the rest of the Board of Education members tear up the cards, pack own lunch, and stay home.

As the saying goes, three strikes and you are out.  Its time to go back to the bench.

Phil's Pheeding Phrenzy

Phil - I am really surprised.

The more I read your proposed policy on Board members expense reimbursement,   the more disappointed I get.

As I've stated before, I don't like your proposed policy.  But - I was willing to let you and your phriends on the Board of Education go to two meetings and two "events."  However, the more I look at the "events" list, the more disappointed I get.

For example, your policy says that MCPS events are not eligible - so why do you have the MCCPTA Principals and Presidents Dinner?   PAY YOUR OWN WAY.

Annual Latin Dance Competition?  It says MCPS, so take it off the list and pay your own way.

Committee for Montgomery Legislative Breakfast - this is political so take it off the list and pay your own way.  Same for the Minority Legislative Breakfast.

Finally - another cut at what should come off the list?

Any event where one of your Board members or Board staff sits on the Board of the sponsoring organization.  Good bye Gala for Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children.

I'll check the list and get back to you will additional deletions.

Anyone else care to comment?

The next meeting of  to discuss the policy on Board members "compensation and expense standards" will be the July 22, 2014 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for Review of Board Processes and Guidelines on Board Expenditures.

Let Phil know that the credit card issue is out of control and embarrassing. Tell Phil and the other Carverites to stay home, pack a bag lunch, and stop the feeding frenzy.

Contact for Phil:

Phil_Kauffman@mcpsmd.org 

Contact for Board of Education:

Board of Education Office

Montgomery County Public Schools
Carver Educational Services Center
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Tel: 301-279-3617
Fax: 301-279-3860
 Facebook |  Twitter
E-mail: boe@mcpsmd.org 

  Feeding Frenzy by Magnet Mom

Phil's Still In the Dark on Expenses

Phil, Phil, Phil - you just don't get it, do you?

You are the President of the Board of Education, a trained lawyer, and you still haven't identified the central problem behind the Board members out of control spending?

Yes, you say that you are drafting a new policy on Board members "compensation and expense standards."  The draft policy will be discussed at the July 22, 2014 meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for Review of Board Processes and Guidelines on Board Expenditures.

You can't even get past the title without making a mistake.  Compensation has no place in the policy.  You don't set the compensation standards.  Compensation is a matter of state law.  You are confused if you think that the expense reimbursement is part of the compensation package.  Its not.  BOE members are part time, not full time.  And therein lies your second mistake.  You don't let part timers spend taxpayer money as if they are employed full time.

Now, I've looked over your proposed policy, and, yes, I realize that you think this is just one of those pesky little administrative matters that doesn't need public input.  Here is your third mistake.  You are spending taxpayer dollars, and the taxpayers need to know how public funds are expended.  Every year we hear how the school system needs more money.  Our teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies, and kids come home from school with stories for example, that the school ran out of copy paper, textbooks, crayons, whatever.  Please can we have some more?  

Sorry, Phil.  You are now leading a group that is in crisis mode.  You collectively have not demonstrated the due care you owe to the public.  Time to start from scratch.  Be careful.  Go slowly.

I've marked up your policy, since you seem so intent on going down this path, but here are some overarching principles that you should adopt.

1.  Increase the transparency of the process.  Expenses should be approved in advance by the full board during the public portion of the meeting.  No more hiding in a conference room to discuss.  After the expense is reimbursed, post the transaction on the website for the public to see.

2.  Bring your own lunch, drive your own car, and sleep in your own bed.  If you get hungry and forget your lunch - don't skip a meal, but don't expect the taxpayers to pick up the tab.  Limit the reimbursement to the cost of a sandwich - we don't need to pay for fancy restaurants, you just want your tummies to not rumble.

3.  Cut the credit cards.  Collectively, a spenders anonymous program seems more in order than this new policy.  Pay cash, or use your personal card.  You need to exercise discretion as you would for your personal expenses.

4.  Limit the amount of meetings to two per year.  You are part time, right?  Go to what you absolutely need to attend.  For the rest?  Try Skype, use Adobe Connect, Google Chat - whatever technology, we seem to have a lot of it and its time you used what we already have inhouse.  And after that?  Spend your own dime, not mine.

5.  The approved  events list needs to be cut down.  This looks like you are still eating out on the taxpayer dime and having fun.  Go to the event, but leave before dinner or pay for your own. Again, if you really believe these events are important, I suggest limiting this to two events per member.  Only one member needs to represent the Board at any event.  Remove the County Executive Ball.  That leaves a list of 21 events and so if each of you attends two events, that only leaves three without an MCPS presence.  If you need to really go to the last three?  Pay your own way.

6.  Don't pay for home offices.  Who in 2014 doesn't have a computer, telephone, or the internet at home?  Who doesn't carry their own cell phone?  And, how do we know that the taxpayer funded home internet will only be used for official business?  We could probably scrounge up a laptop or IPAD from MCPS inventory, again, we seem to invest in a lot of technology already, no sense in buying more, but the rest?  You can always come in to Carver or go to your local library for internet access.  We don't need to have you set up at home for your part time job.

7.  Dispute resolution is not needed.  Denials of expenses or attendance at events when approved by the Board should not be appealed.  

8.  Finally, you also seem a bit confused about whether this policy also applies to Board staff.  Wrong again.  Board staff are not elected, and while some seem to have trouble with expenses and reimbursements, they need more than a paragraph (your paragraph 9), and should have their own policy.  More work for your committee, but its taxpayer money and we deserve to see that the spending is in line with the public good.

Phil, I stand ready to work with you but honestly?  You have a lot of work to do on this policy before you can hold the Board members accountable.  

In the interim?  The policy should be no reimbursement.  Pay your own way or stay at home until you can be responsible for expending taxpayer money.

Will Phil Take the High Road . . .

and ban all credit card spending for MCPS Board of Education Members and MCPS Staff?

Phil Kaufman, the President of the Board of Education, and one of the out of control spenders elected to the Board of Education, is promising to pass a new policy on the rather embarrassing situation with MCPS credit cards.

The next Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, July 15, 2014.  If Phil wants a policy discussed and voted on at the July 28th BOE meeting, the new business session is where he will introduce his new policy.

What will Phil do?  We may not find out, because both meetings have closed sessions.

Personally, I believe the only appropriate policy he can implement involves a moratorium on credit cards throughout the school system.  Stay local, bring a thermos of coffee and a brown bag lunch.  No food for you!

If you have an opinion, contact the Board.  Phil seems to think that guidelines will be sufficient - really - and who does he propose to monitor and audit this process?

We need oversight, and until we can identify how the oversight will occur, the simple answer is to turn in the cards.

And maybe a 12 step program.

Note:  You can contact the BOE before and after the meeting tomorrow.  Preferably both.

Emails are easy, phone calls are free.  

Let Phil know that the credit card issue is out of control and embarrassing.  Tell Phil and the other Carverites to cancel the card.

Contact for Phil:

Phil_Kauffman@mcpsmd.org 

Contact for Board of Education:

Board of Education Office

Montgomery County Public Schools
Carver Educational Services Center
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Tel: 301-279-3617
Fax: 301-279-3860
 Facebook |  Twitter
E-mail: boe@mcpsmd.org 

How to Remove a Member of the Montgomery County Board of Education

We've got some interesting times here in Montgomery County.

As this blog has reported, we now have several Board of Education members who have misused credit cards.  Recap - at a minimum, we have Barclay, Smondrowski, and Durso with numerous irregularities.  And the others?  We won't know until someone gives their expense reports a similar review. 

So, what happens next?  Are these legal?  Even if the expenses complied with existing policies, are the underlying policies legal?  

The Board of Education can have its members do some self-policing - a.k.a. the Ad Hoc Committee Meeting for Review of Board Processes and Guidelines on Board Expenditures, but really - that committee can't decide whether its subject to the Open Meeting Act, so they are going to do some self-reflection?  This group has convened one meeting out of the public eye - was the May 6 2014 meeting of the Ad Hoc committee a public meeting?  Its not on the calendar of BOE meetings. 

And, do the members of that Ad Hoc group come to the table with clean hands?  Not Mr. Durso, who already admitted to using his official credit card to pay for his spouse, because it is "easier" to do so.  

It's time for some serious action.

Where is the County Council and why haven't they stepped up to the plate?  We have a process in MoCo.

Under the Maryland Code, the following is the process for removing a Montgomery County Board of Education Member:

(g) Removal. --
   (1) The Montgomery County Council may remove a member of the county board for:
      (i) Immorality;
      (ii) Misconduct in office;
      (iii) Incompetency; or
      (iv) Willful neglect of duty.
   (2) Before removing a member, the County Council shall provide the member a copy of the charges against him and give him an opportunity within 10 days to request a hearing.
   (3) If the member requests a hearing within the 10-day period:
      (i) The County Council promptly shall hold a hearing, but a hearing may not be set within 10 days after the County Council sends the member a notice of the hearing; and
      (ii) The member shall have an opportunity to be heard publicly before the County Council in the member's own defense, in person or by counsel.
   (4) A member removed under this subsection has the right to a de novo review of the removal by the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.

Md. EDUCATION Code Ann. § 3-901(g). 

Will this happen?  Unlikely.  Remember that Nancy Navarro, Craig Rice, and Cherrie Branson, three of our esteemed members of the County Council, stand behind their endorsement of Chris Barclay.  So does former council member Valerie Ervin, who still thinks she is a thought leader in the county.  We don't know where they stand on Ms. Smondrowski, but chances are, you can tell who her friends are by looking through her expense reports too. 

But - even if the County Council declines to take action, shouldn't the Board of Education members who are identified as taking public funds for their own benefit resign?  Why put the citizens (and voters) in the county through this process?

Those who have been found with their hand in the public coffers need to resign and restore dignity and faith in our public officials.  Our first class county deserves first class leadership.

Unofficial Press Release on Financial Issues by Board of Education Member in Montgomery County

At the Parents Coalition, we only post verifiable material.  We like the facts, so that folks can decide for themselves.

That's why this unusual "press release" that crossed our inbox today is posted with a caveat.

Note - it's not on Board of Education letterhead.  It doesn't have a contact person - don't these usually have a contact person?  This blogger isn't sure that it's a bona fide statement from the BOE leaders.  

But it's interesting in view of the Washington Post article and the ongoing allegations about candidate for county council and current BOE member Chris Barclay.

Board of Education Leaders Issue Statement on Use of Credit Cards by Board Members

A statement from Board of Education President Phil Kauffman and Vice President Patricia O'Neill: The Board of Education takes very seriously its responsibility to oversee Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in an ethical and fiscally responsible manner. The Board works diligently to ensure that the taxpayer resources provided to the school system are used in a manner that promotes high-quality educational opportunities for our students. Board of Education members are issued credit cards to cover certain expenses they incur while conducting official Board business. Recent public interest in the usage of credit cards by Board members has emphasized the necessity to review our processes and procedures to ensure that these cards are being used in an appropriate manner. An ad-hoc committee composed of the Board officers and Board Member Michael Durso, chair of our Fiscal Management Committee, was formed in April. The committee has been charged with reviewing the Board’s processes and guidelines regarding reimbursable expenses.  The committee will make recommendations to the full Board for adoption and implementation. The committee’s work will also include a review of the Board’s expenses for the last two years in order to inform its forward-looking recommendations, as well as a review of the appropriateness of these expenditures under our policies. The committee has requested, and all Board members have agreed, to suspend usage of their MCPS-issued credit cards while the committee conducts its work. We are aware that MCPS has received a number of public requests for documents related to the usage of credit cards. Staff is diligently locating and reviewing the responsive documents and will produce the relevant materials.

If it's true - here are some thoughts.

Why is the Board of Education only posting this now?  The story about Mr. Barclay has been around for a few weeks.  The ad hoc committee was formed a few months ago, and allegedly has met, although public notice under the Open Meeting Act is not on the Board of Education website.  

But - suspending credit card usage is long overdue.  Remember, the Board of Education is a part time position.  How many of us receive credit cards from our full time employer?  From our part time employer?

Also overdue is suspending the credit cards for the numerous other MCPS employees.  If the school system isn't going to provide adequate oversight over public moneys, it's just too tempting to keep this practice going.  Time to go back to centralized purchasing.

And, please - get rid of the meal subsidies for MCPS top brass.  School system business and meetings should be conducted at school facilities and in the public view, not at restaurants. Take a half hour break for lunch at the Carver cafeteria or brown bag it, but please pay your own way.  

At the Parents Coalition, we've looked into credit card abuses for a long time.  Finally, someone is paying attention.

Elected official used school district credit card for personal purchases

ABC7:  Elected official used school district credit card for personal purchases | WJLA.com

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WJLA) - A Montgomery County Board of Education member who made personal purchases with taxpayer dollars vows he'll never do it again.

Current member and former board president, Chris Barclay, used his school district American Express card to buy meals, rent cars, and stay at hotels. Expense reports obtained by ABC7 show the 53-year-old made 14 unauthorized purchases between Jan. 2012 and Feb. 2014. All combined, the charges siphoned $1450.89 from school district coffers.

Barclay spent $906 on Hotwire.com, $210 at a Lancaster Pa. Ramada Inn, $73 at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and hundreds more at stores and restaurants like CVS, Safeway, 7-Eleven, Armand's Chicago Pizzeria, and Popeyes. Barclay claimed it was an honest mistake all 14 times, but records show he then took months, and in one case more than a year, to pay back his debts -- interest-free.

"How was it caught," ABC7's Kevin Lewis asked Barclay during a sit-down interview.

"I can't go through line-by-line. I don't know all of them to say this one was this way, or that one was that way. I'm sorry, I just can't do that," Barclay said.

Ironically enough, the Silver Spring resident, who's currently campaigning for the hotly contested District 5 Montgomery County Council seat, sits on MCPS' Fiscal Management Committee.

"I mistakenly used the board credit card and anytime it was brought to my attention, I paid it back," Barclay, who earns $25,000 a year as a BOE member added.

"Was it ever intentional?" Lewis asked Barclay.

"Intentional, no," Barclay replied.

"All 14 times, it was purely a mistake?" Lewis asked in return.

"Like I said, I made a mistake. Anytime it was brought to my attention, I took care of it," Barclay fired back.

"That's using taxpayer money to give yourself a no-interest loan," said Janis Sartucci. "This was simply his way of fronting himself money."

Sartucci is a key leader of the Montgomery County Parents' Coalition, an organization advocating for better government transparency. Sartucci would like MCPS to post every school district credit card statement online for public review.

"This is a situation where the cards clearly can be used for non-authorized purchases without any oversight," Sartucci added. "We'd like to see that change."

Take food, for example. Since Jan. 2012, Barclay has bought 131 meals with his school district credit card; a tab worth more than $3,800. Yet records show that 55-percent of those purchases (77 in total) violated school district policy as Barclay failed to turn in an itemized receipt and/or identify who he was meeting with.

Montgomery County Public Schools' finance rules clearly state: "Itemized meal receipts must be submitted... for reimbursement." And, "Restaurant receipts must be annotated with the names of the meeting participants."

Despite those unmet standards, Board of Education Chief of Staff, Roland Ikheloa, approved all 131 of Barclay's meals, receipt or not. On that list, a $174 lunch at Ruby Tuesday, a $78 dinner at Matchbox Pizza, and a $75 meal at a Rockville Thai restaurant.

"I work with our staff to make sure they have all the information they need," Barclay told ABC7.

"But the information you provided staff went directly against policy," Lewis stated.

"Anytime they [BOE staff members] asked me, what was the information they needed for that receipt, I would provide that information," Barclay responded.

MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig didn't explain why Ikheloa repeatedly bent the rules for Barclay, but instead outlined a behind-the-scenes internal appeals process.

"If there is a question about an expense, then Mr. Ikheloa and/or the board staff will follow up with the board member to get the relevant information. If there is a concern about a specific expense, it is this process that will identify the concern and then it is resolved with the board member," Tofig wrote in an email.

The questionable accounting comes to light after a year of repeated trips to Annapolis, where Superintendent Starr and his cohorts begged state leaders for additional school funding. Starr cited a dramatic spike in student population, a trend that MCPS argues its current budget can't sustain.

"I would say poor is in the eye of the beholder. If this is what Montgomery County considers to be poor, I'd bet there are other counties in the state that might beg to differ."

Unlike MCPS' Board of Education, the Montgomery County Council doesn't issue credit cards to its members. Council spokesman Neil Greenberger says councilmembers pay with cash, submit itemized receipts, and only then are they reimbursed.

"History has proven that there are individuals that get themselves in situations that taint an organization," Greenberger remarked. "Not having credit cards minimizes even an honest mistake."

ABC7 has requested expense reports for all seven other Montgomery County Board of Education members, Superintendent Joshua Starr, and a handful of other top administrators. The school system is still preparing that paperwork.

"This really comes back to the taxpayers and citizens of Montgomery County saying, 'Is this really the best use of our precious education dollars, or is this what people expect from their public school system,'" Sartucci remarked.

"If we request your records two years from now, what would look different?" Lewis asked Barclay.

"I'm sure you won't see me anytime making personal expenses with my school district card," Barclay concluded.

Elected official used school district credit card for personal purchases | News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | WJLA

Read more: http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/05/elected-official-uses-school-district-credit-card-for-personal-purchases-103374.html#ixzz32PVVDbKG
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You are invited - save the date

Here is an invite to the next MCPS State of the Schools. Breakfast and pastries with MCPS own Dr. Starr and the rest of the Board of Education!

Invitation_2013 State of the Schools_ Building Our Future Together

If the spread resembles the recent Working Group Meeting on October 1 2013 in the Rockville library, you will find plenty to eat! For a three and a half hour meeting of 12 people, our tax funds paid for breakfast (I arrived as the surplus was taken away) and lunch - 8 pizzas and salad and dessert. I hope that MCPS keeps a list of homeless shelters accepting food donations. Just remember to RSVP so MCPS can plan accordingly.

Truth? or Fantasy?

By now, parents in most Montgomery County Public Schools have attended back to school night.

Did you have fun?  Did your school ask for money?

The answer to both questions for most parents is yes.

BUT - did you know that you don't have to pay for your education?  Amazing, but true.

And, did you know that even if your school wants to ask for fees to provide your child an education, the fees are supposed to be approved by the school system>

Now, here is a question for middle school parents.  Look over the list of fees "approved" by middle school.  Were you asked for money for something that does not appear on this list?

If the answer is yes, please let us know, by leaving a comment at the bottom of this message.  You don't need to leave your name, just the school, class, and teacher.

2013 Middle School Fees 5

Takoma Park parents re-elect Chris Barclay while school HVAC system deterioriates

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/09/mold-at-takoma-park-elementary-school-due-to-budget-shortfalls-93967.html



Takoma Park parents elected Takoma Park resident Chris Barclay to the Board of Education, and Mr. Barclay currently holds the powerful position of BOE President.

Mr. Barclay put artificial turf fields ahead of elementary school maintenance, and now there is extensive mold throughout Rolling Terrace Elementary School. Carpet is now being ripped out and expensive mold remediation is in progress.

What is Mr. Barclay telling Rolling Terrace ES parents, teachers, and students now?

Socially Acceptable Social Media

Interesting news on the social media front this week.

According to the New York Times, our friends in New York City recently issued a policy concerning the use of social media in the educational setting. 

Of note in the article:

The guidelines do not ban teachers from using social media and, in fact, recognize that it can offer tremendous educational benefits. Nor do they address cellphones and text messaging between teachers and students, which, according to a review by The New York Times of dozens of Education Department investigations in the past five years, have been more widespread and problematic.

But the guidelines do reflect growing concerns nationwide about the instantaneous ease with which teachers can interact electronically with students, and the potential for misuse or abuse. 

Here is the part of the actual policy I'd really love to see implemented in Montgomery County:

DOE employees should treat professional social media space and communication like a classroom and/or a professional workplace. The same standards expected in DOE professional settings are expected on professional social media sites. If a particular type of behavior is inappropriate in the classroom or a professional workplace, then that behavior is also inappropriate on the professional social media site;

If you watched the Board of Education meeting earlier in the week, you saw several of the folks at the table twittering during the open public comment.    Seems like that wouldn't be allowed in NYC, why do we tolerate that here? 

Perhaps we should rename our leadership the Bored of Public Education?

You can read the entire policy here:
Doe Social Media Guidelines 20120430

Why YOU Should Run For Board of Education!

I would like to encourage anyone interested to run for a seat on the Board of
Education. While my campaign wasn't successful, I am still glad I did it:

1. If everything has gone perfectly for your child, and you have no complaints,
and you're happy with the status quo, then you don't have to run. But if you
think things can be better, wrongs should be righted, problems fixed, then don't
you owe it to the community to try and help?

2. You meet the nicest people. I met lots of folks who were dissatisfied with
the status quo and wanted to help bring about change. There weren't enough of
us, but one of these days there will be.

3. The democratic process should really WORK here in Montgomery County. We
should have opponents for every race. Otherwise, what's the point of voting?
To "bless" the pre approved union's candidate? No more "free rides" for
incumbents who think it's more important to sell our curriculum to a for-profit
company on 48 hours notice than to question more deeply the transaction. No
"free ride" for the incumbent who trots out to Denver for a conference touting
labor-management cooperation when the previous year the incumbent was ready to
sue the taxpayers. And, oh yeah....did we ever get an explanation of the "slush
fund" at the end of last year?

It only cost 25 dollars (I think) to file to run for office. Isn't it at least
worth 25 dollars to have the opportunity to challenge an incumbent who so
plainly has put other priorities ahead of kids with special needs, gifted kids,
taxpayers, etc?

Just do it.

Lyda Astrove

Starr Apologizes

On September 21st, 2011, Parents Coalition reported the exchange between BOE President Chris Barclay and James Song, Director of the Department of Facilities Management (MCPS), regarding who owns the contested land north of the existing Farquhar Middle School that took place at the September 13th BOE meeting; is it Pulte, the developer? or is it M-NCPPC Parks Department? In that exchange Song clearly answered, “Park and Planning Commission.” When asked again, he responded, “I have confirmed it is – land is officially owned by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission.” That response from the head of the Department of Facilities Management contradicts what we knew about the property. Based in part on Song’s response, the BOE voted in favor of the ‘swap.’

Three days after providing false information to the BOE, Song’s boss, Superintendent Josh Starr, issued an apology to the BOE, in the form of a memo to the BOE which we have obtained. The memo does not refer specifically to Song, but it is obvious he is the ‘staff member.’ In addition, Parents Coalition has learned that Song and MCPS staff had been in discussions with the Parks Department about this property for weeks before the September 13th BOE meeting, and that in fact the ownership of the property had been discussed just the previous week.

The entire memo is here:
Starr Memo Regarding Farquhar Swap Property Sept 16, 2011