Then, in 2017, a sexual harassment complaint was filed against one of [Shawn] Joseph's friend, Metro Schools administrator Mo Carrasco. [former MCPS administrators]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A former human resources administrator for Metro Nashville Public Schools says he faced retaliation and was finally forced to resign for insisting that sexual harassment complaints get proper investigations.

Scott Lindsey, who filed a lawsuit back in December, said he finally decided to speak out about the toxic culture under Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph after the district's own law firm recently warned of a morale crisis that threatens Metro Schools' ability to attract and retain good employees.

"It was almost kind of like -- and I'm not making this up -- it's almost as if ISIS took over an HR department. That's the only way I can describe it," Lindsey told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.

A highly acclaimed human resources professional, Lindsey rose to become the district's executive director for employee relations.

Then, in 2016, Dr. Shawn Joseph was named Nashville's director of schools.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked, "So when did you first realize that perhaps things were not going to go well with this new administration?"

"Oh, almost immediately," he answered.

Lindsey said that, when a teacher brought a loaded gun to school and left it in the library, he was puzzled when Joseph did not want to fire him.

"That was a head-scratcher for me," he recalled. "Why would you not terminate that person? He brought a firearm to school. People could have gotten killed, hurt."

And when an Overton High School teacher got into a physical altercation with a student, Lindsey prepared a form that the director was supposed to use for reporting teacher misconduct cases to the state.

He said he expected Joseph's office to submit the form.

"He never did it," Lindsey said. "In fact, he never did any of them because those were his decisions."

The State Board of Education is currently investigating Joseph's failure to report those misconduct cases.

Then, in 2017, a sexual harassment complaint was filed against one of Joseph's friends, Metro Schools administrator Mo Carrasco.

Lindsey put Carrasco on administrative leave...

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/metro-schools/former-mnps-administrator-its-almost-as-if-isis-took-over-hr?fbclid=IwAR2VdoJ-R3Vd72YYUmU5uHTQBNEwzesx5NdosMO5la7KqvMc59Zwjh3awT8

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

MNPS official failed to disclose consulting fees from vendor group #ERDI #PerformanceMatters #Amplify #Gallup #Panasonic @mcps @mocoboe

...ERDI is an industry trade group that pays school officials to sit down with technology companies, giving them feedback on products they hope to sell to those officials.

The group's affiliated companies include eight with whom Dr. Joseph's team has signed contracts -- for more than $17 million.

Back in June, school board member Amy Frogge publicly questioned the administration's ties to ERDI -- and the potential conflicts of interest when district officials take money from the group.

"ERDI's sole purpose is to act as a middleman between school districts and ed vendors," Frogge told her fellow board members...

Discovery Moves to NYC, Leaves Education Dept. Behind

...Discovery also will continue to maintain a Maryland network hub that will house other functions, such as government relations and its Discovery Education Division.

https://wtop.com/business-finance/2018/06/discovery-picks-new-nyc-home-in-flatiron-district/

MCPS Chief Academic Officer gives Parents Abbreviated version of Why Curriculum RFP was Rescinded

Click here to read the letter MCPS Chief Academic Officer Maria Navarro sent to MCPS staff. 

The letter that parents and guardians received is below. 

May 22, 2018

A Message from Chief Academic Officer,
Dr. Maria V. Navarro

Dear MCPS Community:

Montgomery County Public Schools has been recognized locally and nationally for the high levels of achievement by many of our students. However, many is not enough. We know that some of our students are not meeting their full potential. It is our responsibility to ensure ALL students have the resources, instruction, opportunity and access they need to succeed in college, career and community. One of the ways we are working toward our goal of all students meeting their potential is through enhancements to curricula and professional development for teachers.

To help us better understand how to reach this goal, MCPS commissioned a review of our curriculum, with a specific focus on Kindergarten through Grade 8, for English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics.  The review, which included insight from hundreds of educators, looked at curriculum, classroom practices and student performance and drew several key conclusions:

• While the MCPS curriculum was cutting edge when it was created in 2008-2009, advancement in curriculum developments in recent years provide innovations, such as enhanced digital engagement, more cultural proficiency, and better alignment with state standards.
• Professional learning is fundamental to ensuring successful instruction, especially with the evolution of new standards and curriculum.
• A shift in curricula and professional learning requires a multi-year, multi-pronged effort to ensure a successful transition.

While we anticipated these conclusions, this report confirmed that enhancements to our curricula and professional development are needed in order for us to move closer toward our goal of success for all students.

As you may know, MCPS engaged in a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select new curricula in April. The selected curricula was scheduled to rollout to a small set of pilot schools in the fall with continued implementation over the next several years. We have decided to postpone this effort to address unanticipated issues in the selection process. The current RFP will be rescinded and a new one will be issued. To ensure full engagement with all stakeholders on this important effort, we intend to resume the selection process at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. While we know this delay may cause a disruption for our schools that were to begin implementation next year, we believe this delay will help us ensure transparency and trust in this process. The delay also provides us with the ability to address the feedback we heard from stakeholders about the timeline of this transition.

Though the curriculum acquisition is delayed, we will continue to provide enhanced professional development for staff that will focus on addressing some of the concerns cited in the curriculum review. These focus areas will include developing instructional strategies that support every learner in every classroom; creating high levels of student interaction with rigorous and complex text; and establishing deep levels of mathematical understanding aligned to grade-level standards.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to ALL our students and schools. We will remain in regular communication with you in the coming weeks and months to provide updates about our continued efforts regarding curricula and professional development for educators.

Sincerely,
Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D.
Chief Academic Officer

MCPS to Rescind RFP for New Curriculum #ethics #procurement #ConflictofInterest #mcps

Dear Colleagues: 
As you know, MCPS has engaged in a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to select new curricula for grades Kindergarten through Grade 8, for English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. As our curriculum review indicated, a new curriculum is needed to support teaching and learning. 
Unfortunately, we will need to postpone this important process. We recently learned that two MCPS staff members, the associate superintendent in the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs and the supervisor for English/Language Arts in the Department of Secondary Curriculum and Districtwide Programs, are retiring and intend to accept job offers with Discovery Education, one of the vendors that submitted a proposal in response to the RFP. These staff members have recused themselves from any further involvement in the RFP process. 
It is important to note that Discovery Education’s leadership acted proactively, diligently and collaboratively throughout this process. As soon as it was brought to the attention of Discovery Education’s leadership that these individuals were connected to the RFP process, the company, citing an abundance of caution, took the initiative and immediately withdrew from consideration. 
While these job offers do not appear to have influenced the RFP process, we want to ensure public confidence in the integrity of this effort. Therefore, Superintendent of Schools Jack Smith is recommending that the Board of Education rescind the current RFP so that a new RFP can be issued at a later time. 
We apologize for the disruption for our students and schools. We remain committed to acquiring a high quality curriculum, but it is critical that our teachers, students and families can have trust in the process. 
Regards, 
Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D. Chief Academic Officer Montgomery County Public Schools 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 129 Rockville, Maryland 20850 301-279-3127 301-279-3099 Fax www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org