TunedIn - What you can expect - and what you can't

The show is going on!  Amazing.

Here is some additional facts you should know before you go.

Accessible seating is available for the elderly or for those who otherwise cannot stand for several hours (probably all the dignitaries too).  Oops, wonder what they are going to do with those cars!

Here is a picture of the six portapotties. Remember, don't drink water or anything else - the lines can be very long if you do.

And parents - for your own comfort level - here is a view of the fence and barbed wire that will keep your kids inside the concert venue and safe from harm.

Finally, here are some other views of the stage.  As one of the concert promoters told us - the tickets are almost sold out!  The sound will be awesome! and she has faith that the rain will stay away (and yes, they are aware that Joel Olsteen rescheduled his event).

TunedIn - the Show will Go On

You've really got to admire the folks at Wootton and BBYO for continuing with their plans to hold an outdoor concert on the Wootton property.  Joel Osteen already cancelled his Night of Hope, oringinally planned for tonight at Nationals Stadium, and have rescheduled for tomorrow night.  and his group.

Who has a better line to the almighty one? 

As for the Wootton BBYO stuff, this is consistent.  We are so right, we more than anyone else.  Permits - nah, who needs them.  Noise - we'll take the risk.  After all this is a civic engagement activity, and what better way to learn civic engagement than by breaking all the rules..

Right now - 2 pm Rockville time, the sun is shining, and the bands are doing their sound checks.  Come on over to Frost Hill, get your parking spaces now, and hear the concert for free.

For those who are venturing over to the concert tonight - here is some additional advice - you don't need to wear your mudboots, because the concert has been moved over to the Wootton Parking Lot.  Remember not to drink - water or anything else - because Wootton will onl

Parents - have no fear, we're sure that the 10 rent-a cops and the 5 security staff from Wootton will be able to maintain order.   And keep the traffic flowing on Wootton Parkway too!

Read the weather report and be sure to dress accordingly. 

6 PM	Showers	55°	55°	3 mph E	48%	60%	0
7 PM	Showers	54°	54°	3 mph E	50%	60%	0
8 PM	Showers	52°	52°	3 mph E	54%	60%	0
9 PM	Showers	51°	51°	2 mph E	60%	60%	0
10 PM	Showers	49°	49°	2 mph E	67%	60%	0
11 PM	Showers	48°	48°	2 mph E	75%

TunedIn and Cross your Legs

Here is some additional advice to folks attending the April 28 TunedIn BBYO concert at Wootton High School in Rockville.

Don't drink a lot of fluids before you enter the stadium.  Alcohol is not permitted for those under the age of 21, and as a civic engagement activity, we expect the students to obey the law. 

But - we caution you not to drink soda, juices or even water before you go.

For a crowd of 3000, estimates on various calculators indicate that an event should have approximately 20 portapotties. 

Wootton's concession stand has some facilities - we estimate that they have about six.

Wootton's budget for the event allows for $500 for portapotties.

According to costowl.com, an event should have one portapotty for every 50 people, and portapotties cost $75 to $150 for a one time event.

Wootton parents and guests - do the math.  Will an additional six portapotties be enough for the crowd?  What about the politicians and the BBYO VIPs from Northern Virginia?

Nice try, Mr. Doran and Ms. Taylor.

You should let your guests know that in addition to not parking in the neighborhoods, they need to cut down on their liquids too.

Tune In at Wootton continues

The Tuned In Wootton HS BBYO event become more curious the closer we get to the event.

This blogger can't figure out what is happening, so I'll be sharing the information as it becomes available.

We know that the school did not apply for a waiver from the noise ordinance in the county.  "Its in the works," according to one source.  Really?  This needs to be filed a month in advance and the community needs to have some notice.

Here is the letter from the SGE and Jennifer Taylor, the SGE sponsor, inviting one group to join in the fun.

This raises another question - is Ms. Taylor getting paid from school system funds to run this event? 

Her contact information is at the bottom of the letter.  The letter says to contact her for more information.

So Ms. Taylor - here is my question - shouldn't a school sponsored civic engagement event play by the rules?  Or are you teaching civil disobedience, by flagrantly flouting the rules that apply outside of the Wootton HS protectorate?

So many questions, so little time.

Service and Advocacy Invitation

How did they do that? Correction

Someone pulled a fast one.

Wootton HS Student Government Association is not sponsoring the concert with Third Eye Blind and Timelines.  See http://www.tunedinmaryland.org/#!ticketsandevents|c61v

Anyone can attend.  Silly Wootton students think this concert is for them.

The Wootton Parking lot is wide open. First come, first serve.

Here is what the Tuned In website says about the event.

"TUNED IN is sponsored, in part, by BBYO and is open to all Jewish teens and the entire greater Washington area's Jewish community. BBYO invites all teens, Jewish and otherwise, associated with our coalition partners to join us. Alumni, families, friends and guests are invited to attend. Tickets are $25 each (and each total order has a $1 processing fee). All attendees associated with coalition partners are also welcome to join us and purchase tickets through this site."

With all the celebrity bigwigs - hosted by John King of CNN, and appearances by Councilman Phil Andrews, MD Attorney General Doug Gansler, Sen. Barbara Mikulski's Office, Romney for America Campaign and more - who wants to be left out?

We are anxiously waiting for the Four Eye Blind concert sponsored by PFOX.

Balt. sun publishes Baltimore City school system salaries

Baltimore Sun:  Inside Ed 

Today, The Sun published a database with the salary and overtime for every school system employee--by name and job title--dating back to 2008.  It's part of a series of databases that we will be compiling on public employee pay in the city. So far, we have published the same information for Baltimore City government, and the Baltimore County School System. 

More school districts will join the bunch in the coming months.However, the Baltimore City school system salaries that you see only tell part of the story about how much system employees make--particularly administrators at North Avenue, whose salaries can shift more than school-based personnel. 

I feel compelled to offer a glimpse into a rather tortured journey to transparency in obtaining this information--and why the public still doesn't really know what they're paying the stewards of the city's public education system, and the $1.3 billion budget it takes to run it. The journey began when The Sun requested the school system's salaries--normally, the most basic public information request you can make, and the most readily available--on Nov. 16. 

After blowing the 30-day response deadline outlined by the Maryland Public Information Act--a law--by nearly three weeks, the city school system produced inconsistent, and incomplete data...

Article continues here.

An Open Letter to Dr. Starr on Public Information in Maryland

Dear Dr. Starr:

Welcome to Maryland.  It's been a little over two weeks since you have taken over the helm at Montgomery County Public Schools,  and I hope you are adjusting well to the Washington heat and humidity.   The good folks at Carver are probably showing you around town, and with that really super transition team, you should be up to speed in no time.

I don't know how things worked in Connecticut, or other places where you've been, but I have a feeling that you just may need some better advice on what the taxpayers expect.  Given that your staff and legal counsel have given advice on the Open Meetings Law that is just plain wrong, as evidenced by two separate opinions from the Open Meetings Compliance Board, I would hate for you to find yourself in similar difficulties with other Maryland law.  So, here is my introduction to the Maryland Public Information Act.

As you know, information in the files of the government belongs to the citizens.  This is basic, and goes back to the common law.  In Maryland, we have codifed this rule into a statute called the "Maryland Public Information Act."   You can find this law at Title 10, Subtitle 6, Part III of the State Government Article (“SG”);  our friendly attorney general, Mr. Gansler, has issued a manual with everything you need to know.

In Maryland, we have a right to access government records without unnecessary cost or delay.  You have the lucky honor as the custodian of the records to provide access to the records unless the records are within one of the exemptions listed in the statute.  Things like personnel records, student records,  and certain other records that the state has determined should not be released.  However, the presumption is on disclosure, and you need to be careful when you withhold records that the records really are exempt.  Also - if some parts of a record or document can be withheld from release, that doesn't give you permission to withhold the entire document.  You are required to release the portion of the document that is disclosable, and limit the amount of material withheld from public view.  Take a look at Mr. Gansler's manual for a much more detailed description of what should and should not be disclosed. And then there is the matter of time.  The MPIA requires that records responsive to requests should be produced immediately after receipt of a written request.  See SG §10-614(b)(2).  Yes, the manual does acknowledge that you can have a period not to exceed 30 days, but only if you need that time to locate the documents.  The Manual states:

A custodian should not wait the full 30 days to allow or deny access to a record if that amount of time is not needed to respond. If access is to be granted, the record should be produced for inspection and copying promptly after the written request is evaluated.

See the Manual, at page 53.  Recall, our prior Superintendent was given an award for being "Tech Savy" and spent a lot of money on technology, so our school system does have the ability to retrieve loads of information very quickly, contrary to what your public information office may tell you.

You can charge certain fees for copying and locating the documents, but again, the Manual cautions that these fees should not be charged to deter the public from requesting documents or copies.  And, folks are entitled to request a waiver of the fees.  You are encouraged to grant the waiver, if the waiver is in the public interest.  According to the Manual:

To determine whether a waiver is in the public interest, the official custodian must consider not only the ability of the applicant to pay, but also other relevant factors. A waiver may be appropriate, for example, when a requester seeks information for a public purpose rather than a narrow personal or commercial interest.

See page 13.

I look forward to working with you during your stay in Maryland.  And remember, we've got a lot of information available at no cost on our state website, so if you do a little bit of reading on your own, you can probably reduce the cost of those high priced legal services that our Board of Education seems to enjoy.

Constitution guarantees a free public education

SIGNONSANDIEGO:  Fees for track meets and uniforms to be refunded

BY ASHLY MCGLONE

CHULA VISTA — About 100 track and field athletes at Eastlake High School were charged for uniforms, spirit gear and participation in track meets — fees that will be refunded under the law.The state Constitution guarantees free public schools, and the state Supreme Court has ruled that extracurricular activities such as sports and band are included.
The charges came to light when Eastlake resident Stewart Payne spoke about the fees at the March 14 meeting of the Sweetwater Union High School District.

Full text of Atty General Opinion on Maintenance of Effort

Thanks to the Maryland Attorney General's office for providing immediate access to the full text of the Opinion regarding the Maintenance of Effort Requirement.

94oag177

WTOP's Kate Ryan reports here.

Montgomery County school funding plan fails legal test - wtop.com

Montgomery County school funding plan fails legal test - wtop.com

...A ruling from Attorney General Doug Gansler found that the county's attempt at covering a $79 million funding formula known as "maintenance of effort" was "artificial." Bottom line: The way the county patched together the state requirement in the budget wasn't legal.
Superintendent of Schools Jerry Weast issued a statement that laid the blame for the situation on the Montgomery County Council.
"We offered suggestions and ideas to the County Council for legal ways we could help them and we were not listened to. In the end, we had a solution pushed upon us that, it turns out, was illegal. I guess no good deed goes unpunished."...

Full text of the Maryland Attorney General's Opinion has been obtained by the Parents' Coalition and can be read here.