Waiting for (Mr. or Ms.) Right Superintendent

If I ran the Montgomery County school system ... I would not jump to have another "interim superintendent" appointed for the next school year.

Even if some of the top prospects are gone.

I would conduct an review of what happened this year - a search failure - and what happened four years earlier with Dr. Starr's selection process.  In hindsight, this is another search failure, since Dr. S left in a huff and didn't finish out his contract.

Even the search that eventually produced Dr. Weast was an initial failure.  The BOE identified Ellie Massie, who had numerous problems and withdrew after her appointment.

So - over the last 16 years, the taxpayers in Montgomery County Maryland have endured three failed searches for school superintendents.

What I would consider -

1.  Another search firm.  Clearly, the current search firm doesn't work for us.  Maybe for other counties or school systems, but not the folks in Montgomery County.

2.  A transparent process.  Secrecy is just not working.  Same for confidentiality agreements.  Meaningful community input and crowdsourcing are the way to go.  Put the finalists names out there - as many other communities do, and gauge the reaction of the crowd.  If the candidates have something to hide, chances are the crowd will find out, and sooner is better than later.  Would Ellie Massie's financial woes have been discovered earlier?   What about Josh's short fuse?  And who knows what really made Drew Houlihan back down.

We're a tough group in Montgomery County.  We need a superintendent who can work with us - our good points and our not so good points.  The job is a great job - $300,000 and a car - who ever thought an educator could get paid a real living wage.

But please- no finger pointing at anyone outside of the current selection process as scaring away other candidates.  Candidates should have researched us before they accepted the plane ticket to interview with the BOE.  If anything, we are really a pretty tame county, considering what some of the other jurisdictions can do -- think about the test boycott in Scarsdale a few years back, and the outing of the Pearson privacy package.  Oh, yes, and the Smartboard disaster - we're still  buying them in MoCo when other counties have clearly moved on.

Kudos to Krista Brick - from mymedia.com  who provided the following:

krista brick @lmjpbrick · 13m13 minutes ago

.@georgeleventhal: MCPS board is considering using an interim superintendent for another year.

1 retweet0 favorites

krista brick @lmjpbrick · 14m14 minutes ago

.@georgeleventhal: some of the MCPS other top prospects may have already signed contracts.

2 retweets0 favorites

Falling Fast -

The rise and fall of Dr. Andrew Houlihan as superintendent designate of Montgomery County Public Schools serves as a reminder that the search process is flawed - because of the secrecy and lack of transparency.  What did the Board uncover after it announced Dr. Houlihan's "preferred status" that it didn't know before?

Lets hope that Pat and her buddies have learned something.  The process should be more open to vet the candidates in the public eye - before more time is wasted on another failed candidate.

Statement on Status of Superintendent Search

815

May 17, 2015

Montgomery County Board of Education President Patricia B. O'Neill released the following statement on May 17, 2015 regarding the status of Dr. Andrew Houlihan as a candidate to be the next superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools:

"On Sunday, May 17, 2015, Dr. Andrew Houlihan informed the Montgomery County Board of Education that he is withdrawing from consideration as superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.

"The Board appreciates Dr. Houlihan's interest in the position and wishes him the best of luck in the future. The Board will continue to focus on a search for the next superintendent of schools."

<<Back to browse

FTC To the Rescue

If you think that MCPS and its various computer software and hardware vendors may not value your MoCo student's privacy interest, fear not.

FTC  - the Federal Trade Commission - may provide relief.

http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/08/ftc-seeks-public-comment-agecheq-inc-proposal-parental

From the press release:

Under the rule, online sites and services directed at children must obtain permission from a child’s parents before collecting personal information from that child. The rule lays out a number of acceptable methods for gaining parental consent, but also includes a provision allowing interested parties to submit new verifiable parental consent methods to the Commission for approval.

In a Federal Register notice to be published shortly, the FTC is seeking public comment about the proposed AgeCheq verifiable parental consent method; whether the proposed method is already covered by the existing methods included in the rule and whether it meets the rule’s requirement that it be reasonably calculated to ensure that the person providing the consent is actually the child’s parent. The Commission also seeks comment on whether the program poses a risk to consumers’ information and whether that risk is outweighed by the benefits of the program. The comment period will last until Sept. 30, 2014. 

If you  have an opinion, let the FTC know before September 30. Remember, once your child's privacy is compromised, who knows what the consequences will be. 

Parents Protest Pearson

Finally.

Parents are saying "no" to Pearson tests.  Instead of having their children participate in field testing of Pearson exams, parents are keeping their kids home.

The objection?  They want tests that evaluate whether a student knows the material taught - and not whether or not the teacher stays employed.

Well done parents.

Don't you just love the Big Apple Parents?  

MoCo parents - take a lesson.

From the article:

“I want my school to use tests to help instruction, to help find out if kids don’t know fractions,” she said. “I don’t want my child to feel like her score will decide if her teacher has a job or not.”

Ms. Chajet is one of a small but growing number of parent activists in New York City opposed to the system’s emphasis on high-stakes testing. Many of them took part in a boycott of the field tests in June, when parents at 47 public elementary and middle schools of the 1,029 tested had their children sit them out. In their eyes, it was a win-win situation: Children who skipped the field tests did not risk punitive action or potential harm to their school’s grade on the city’s progress reports, while their parents could make a statement against the tests.

Read the rest here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/education/dear-teacher-johnny-isnt-sick-hes-just-boycotting-the-test.html

DC Examiner: MontCo residents to take legal action against county over soccer fields

A Potomac community is taking the first step toward suing over Montgomery County's plans to turn an organic farm into soccer fields.

Residents of River Falls have joined with the county's Citizens Association and other activists to file official notice on Tuesday "to preserve a claim for monetary damages," according to a flier circulated by the coalition. The notice is a formal way to alert a party that a lawsuit could hit them if the matter isn't resolved.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2011/08/montco-residents-take-legal-action-against-county-over-soccer-fields#ixzz1WTaiwTTP

Kudo to the New Governor of NY

Andrew Cuomo has it right.  


NY, like many other jurisdictions in the nation, is facing a budget shortfall.  The Governor of NY has taken a bold step, and called on school districts to look inward before calling for bailouts from the states and the feds.  
Here is a piece of the news coverage from the NYTimes:

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said that school districts had enough means to withstand the decline in state financing, and pointedly suggested that they look at whether they are spending too much on their own bureaucracy.

More than 40 percent of New York State’s superintendents earn at least $200,000 each year in salary and benefits, Mr. Cuomo said.

“I understand that they sometimes have to manage budgets, and sometimes the budgets are difficult,” he said. “But why they get paid more than the governor of the state I really don’t understand.”

. . . 

“We have $500,000 school superintendents,” he told reporters after his appearance in Purchase. “We can’t pay those kinds of salaries.”

Leave it to a[nother] kid from Queens to cut right to the heart of the issue.


Read more about it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/nyregion/07cuomo.html?pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

Should MoCo Adopt the Florida Solution

Here is an interesting article about one school district's approach to a budget crunch.

Virtual learning.

Use those high tech toys, oops, I mean, tools, that we already have, and save some money too.

From my experience teaching in the distance learning program at Montgomery College a few years back, I'd be hesitant to use virtual teaching in the classrooms with students in traditional K-12 classrooms.  Distance learning works best with extremely motivated students, such as those who can only access content through alternative delivery systems.  I had numerous nurses, public safety officials, second career/transitional types who did well, but many students who wanted an easy course were disappointed.

But what about virtual training for our teachers?  Money is tight, why not use technology, web based resources, or other computer based training systems already widely accepted in many other workplaces, to train the adults?     Extend this a bit further - and teleconferences can be used by MoCo staff to attend conferences and network with their peers across the country, all from the comfort of Carver, and without those pesky credit card charges.

Here's the beginning of the article:

January 17, 2011

Florida Has Classes Without Teachers

By LAURA HERRERA

MIAMI — On the first day of her senior year at North Miami Beach Senior High School, Naomi Baptiste expected to be greeted by a teacher when she walked into her precalculus class.

“All there were were computers in the class,” said Naomi, who walked into a room of confused students. “We found out that over the summer they signed us up for these courses.”

Naomi is one of over 7,000 students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools enrolled in a program in which core subjects are taken using computers in a classroom with no teacher. A “facilitator” is in the room to make sure students progress. That person also deals with any technical problems.

These virtual classrooms, called e-learning labs, were put in place last August as a result of Florida’s Class Size Reduction Amendment, passed in 2002. The amendment limits the number of students allowed in classrooms, but not in virtual labs.

continues at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/education/18classrooms.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

How to Search for a Superintendent of Schools

This past Tuesday, December 7, 2010, MoCo's Board of Education hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to assist in its search for the next Superintendent of Schools.  As stated in the press release:  

 HYA was chosen from among six search firms that responded to the Board’s Request for Proposals (RFP) in September. The Board unanimously approved a contract for $35,000 plus expenses with HYA during its December 7 meeting. 

  “Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates has 20 years of experience and has participated in over 800 superintendent searches, many for large districts like ours,” said Christopher Barclay, president of the Board of Education. “They have the knowledge and experience to help us attract the strongest pool of qualified candidates and to fully engage all facets of the community in the search process.” 

. . . 
  The Board will be meeting with HYA very soon to develop a work plan for the search, including the nature and extent of community involvement and engagement.

 Would you like to participate in the process?  Here is how you can practice, right now, from the comfort of your own home.


HYA is conducting superintendent searches for the following school districts.  Click on the link and you can see the questions used in Mill Valley California.


Practice now, practice frequently, but hurry up, because the Mill Valley web states that the website will close down soon.  


You may ask, is this a good use of your time?  Absolutely, because the survey is likely to be the same one administered right here in MoCo.  How do we know?  Because the same survey was administered in  Marblehead, MA and  Chappaqua, NY - two districts also looking for Superintendents of Schools, but these surveys were closed down within the last 24 hours.  


Looks like the MoCo Board of Education really searched for the most economical and reliable firm, since $35,000 will likely be used for a recycled stakeholder questionnaire that has already gone through the validation process in other school systems.  MoCo also saves money, because the system doesn't require a password to participate.  In fact, anyone can answer any questionnaire, once it is posted, even if the responder doesn't live in the area.


Let's hope the candidates for our Superintendent selection process however, fit the requirements of our school system and not the ones rejected by the other school systems.  


What a deal for Montgomery County taxpayers.

MoCo's Version of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

School fees are alive and well in Montgomery County Public Schools.

Look no further than Richard Montgomery, one of the gems in the school system, home to the very successful International Baccalaureate Program.

Seniors are once again charged a graduation "fee" for the privilege of attending the school.

What's in the fee?  Who knows.  Why does the fee increase after winter break?

Don't ask. Here is a link to the school's webpage with the fees. 

SeniorFee_RMHS


Notice something missing? Who is in charge? No letterhead, no signature, just drop a check off before winter break to save a penalty.

This fee is illegal, plain and simple. The state of Maryland guarantees a free public education for students.

Does the fee include something reasonable like a cap/gown? Maybe, but maybe not. Can't the students borrow a robe from a sibling? At Richard Montgomery, all the students wear black robes, tassels cost $5.

But - unless a parent is willing to challenge this fee or any of the myriad other illegal fees charged to students across the county through the judicial system, the practice continues. Students at Richard Montgomery, as other schools across the county, will be subject to repeated instances of educational extortion.

Kudos to Judge Virginia Phillips who showed extraordinary courage today in striking down the military version of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." 

Board of Education and public kept in dark on Pearson deal

Grant application reveals that Superintendent Weast collaborated with Pearson on curriculum in 2009

Analysis of the MCPS Investing in Innovation (i3) grant application reveals that Superintendent Weast and Pearson, LLC had collaborated since 2009 to design the North Star project, contrary to previous reports.

With no advance notice to the public, the deal between MCPS and Pearson was added to the Board of Education meeting agenda as a consent item in June.  With little time to study the contract, the BOE voted to approve the deal and sell the MCPS curriculum to Pearson.

The Washington Post reported in June that the "school system had independently embarked on developing the curriculum" and that the "school system did not submit the curriculum contract to a competitive bidding process and made it public only on the day before the Tuesday vote."

See Section (G)(1) (page 23) in the i3 Grant Application for details about the collaboration that began in 2009.

[Update:  September 2010:  Maryland State Board of Education Slams BOE for Pearson deal.]
MCPS i3 Grant Application

Pending Legal Action on School Fees in California

The ACLU is suing numerous California school districts over fees charged to students in public schools.

Maryland's Constitution guarantees a free public education for its students - so when your children come home requesting a mandatory fee, you don't have to pay it - unless you want to make a donation to the school

From the article:

Public schools across the nation, many facing budget shortfalls, have been charging students fees to use textbooks or to take required tests or courses.
Now a civil liberties group is suing California over those proliferating fees, arguing that the state has failed to protect the right to a free public education. Experts said it was the first case of its kind, and could tempt parents in other states to file similar suits.

Third Annual Parents Coalition Survey on School Fees

Welcome back to school.


Here is the much anticipated third annual list of high school curricular fees for Montgomery County Public School students.  


I'd like to credit Montgomery County Public School staff who compiled this list.  All I did was file a request under the Maryland Public Information Act.  This is a prime example of your tax dollars at work.


If you thought MoCo students are entitled to a free public education under the Maryland Constitution and state laws, you are right.  Dr. Weast and the folks at Carver somehow missed that class, and continue to charge to attend MoCo schools.


The good news is that compared to the 2008-2009 list, MCPS is now charging less to attend public high schools. 


More good news - If you student attends Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, your student will receive a terrific education AND attend the school with the shortest list of school fees.  Thank you Mr. Williams and staff!  Quince Orchard and Seneca Valley also deserve recognition for coming in close behind Blair HS in limiting the number of classes with fees.


As you read the list, I am including the following from Mr. Dana Tofig, ever the faithful MCPS employee, who is the final gatekeeper of all public documents and who graciously handled my request for corrected documents last night at 5 pm.  From Mr. Tofig's cover letter accompanying the MPIA:

. . . the inability of a student to pay for materials and other expenses does not prevent a student from taking a particular class.

What does this mean? 

As this writer has stated before, these fees are not mandatory. Maryland law guarantees a free public education. Should your family elect to pay, go ahead and make a contribution to the school. Keep in mind - this is a contribution, not a mandatory assessment. You child will not have his/her report card withheld. Your child will still have his/her transcripts prepared, and be able to attend graduation.


And now get your checkbooks out - here is the list.


MCPS 2010 2011_fees High School  

Primer on Public Information Act Requests

Here is a link to the Project on Government Oversight's explanation of FOIA.

http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2010/07/the-freedom-of-information-act-request-process-explained-in-42-simple-slides.html

Keep in mind that the federal and state laws are similar - material is presumed to be in the public domain, all you need to do is ask.

Thanks to POGO for serving once again as a most useful resource.

Due Diligence in MCPS?

Did the Board of Education check out the reputation of its new curriculum partner Pearson before agreeing to the high profile novel curriculum partnership/contract at its June 8, 2010 meeting?

On the same day that MoCo's own BOE approved the Pearson project with barely a question, the Miami Herald reported problems with Pearson's performance on a an assessment contract with the state.  The state education commissioner is threatening to impose fines likely to reach the seven figure level.   Lawmakers in the state are asking for information on how the company was hired.  


Did anyone from MCPS check out the company?  Run a Google search?  Or is the Pearson deal so lucrative that no one really cares?

FCAT firm gets an 'F' from Florida

The company that was hired to administer the FCATs could face millions in penalties for botching the release of this year's results.

BY KATHLEEN McGRORY AND HANNAH SAMPSON

kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith on Tuesday slammed the testing company in charge of administering the FCAT for delaying the release of this year's scores and threatened to impose hefty fines, which are likely to reach into the millions of dollars.
Breaking its previous silence, NCS Pearson, the testing company, admitted to having technical problems and apologized for the delays.
``We take responsibility for it,'' company spokesman Adam Gaber said late Tuesday. ``With the benefit of hindsight, we underestimated the challenges involved in aligning technology systems between Pearson, the Department of Education and the state's schools.''
Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties have called for an investigation into how the company was hired -- and its problems since.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/08/1670342/state-blasts-company-in-charge.html#ixzz0qVO4SOSX

Congrats Grads . . . and watch what you share!

Here is a new concern for those college students leaving the confines of MoCo for higher education. 

Just when we thought we'd seen the ultimate silly action by our own MoCo Board of Education when they approved the Pearson Project, into my mailbox pops this totally silly idea from UC Berkeley.   Who knew that parents need to include in their caution to college age students about not share body fluids with others advice about protecting their genetic information.  Click on the link below to find out more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/06/07/EDGF1DPJKO.DTL
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 7, 2010 (SF Chronicle)
UC Berkeley should drop gene-test program
Jesse Reynolds

U C Berkeley is proposing to launch an unprecedented, risky experiment on
its incoming class. Under the plan, the university will send cotton swabs
to thousands of 17- and 18-year-old freshmen and transfer students, and
ask them to rub the inside of their cheeks. The returned swabs will be
analyzed for three gene variants as part of the university's annual "On
the Same Page" program, in which incoming students engage in a common
conversation, typically by reading and discussing a book.

See the entire article at:

CGS : UC Berkeley, Don't Send Those Swabs
 
At least MCPS isn't the only school system making silly decisions this week

Kids Don't Ride Free Anymore

Think your vote doesn’t matter? Think your Board of Education eating up 57% of our budget to spend on high tech gadgets and Central Office Administrators instead of teachers and classrooms doesn’t matter because it's ‘for the children?’ Think again.


The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has notified residents that the Kids Ride Free Program (which offered free rides on weekdays from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) will be suspended on June 27, 2010, due to fiscal constraints. Students may still purchase a monthly Youth Cruiser Monthly Pass that offers unlimited rides on Ride-On buses only. This Youth Cruiser Monthly Pass is for kids, 18 years and younger, and the cost is $11. Secondary school students older than 18 years of age may also purchase the Youth Cruiser Monthly Passes.

The County offers a Youth Summer Cruiser Pass that provides unlimited rides for Ride-On buses that is available for $18. Here is the link to the Montgomery County website that gives additional information regarding these passes and places for students to purchase the passes.

You made your choice.  Stay tuned here for more cuts to services that protect our most vulnerable residents...

MCPS and "Investing in Innovation" Fund

Did you know that MCPS and Pearson Publishing established a relationship BEFORE the Board of Education meeting on June 8, 2010?

Oops - you won't find any mention in the minutes of the Board of Education.

Here is the language in the now approved Pearson Contract, section 8H:

MCPS has applied for a US DOE Investing in Innovation I3 grant (“Grant”) to facilitate the development of the Program, which Grant contemplates Publisher’s participation in the Program development process. Prior to MCPS’s submission of the Grant application, MCPS and Publisher reviewed the final guidelines and mutually determined that the Program is eligible for Grant funding and that conditions of the Grant were acceptable for both Publisher and MCPS.

But what is the Investing in Innovation program?  Will MCPS's application be successful?  Does it fit the program guidelines?

This writer has to do a lot more research on the topic, but here is what I've found so far. 

Here is what is involved in the Investing in Innovation Fund, as outlined on the Department of Education Webpage:

Program Type: Cooperative agreements (for Scale-up grants) and discretionary grants (for Validation grants and Development grants)
Program Description: The Investing in Innovation Fund, established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides funding to support (1) local educational agencies (LEAs), and (2) nonprofit organizations in partnership with (a) one or more LEAs or (b) a consortium of schools. The purpose of this program is to provide competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement and attainment in order to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement or student growth, closing achievement gaps, decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates.
These grants will (1) allow eligible entities to expand and develop innovative practices that can serve as models of best practices, (2) allow eligible entities to work in partnership with the private sector and the philanthropic community, and (3) identify and document best practices that can be shared and taken to scale based on demonstrated success. 

Wow.  This is a lot of material to digest.  More commentary will follow, but here are my questions.

Did our school board review the conditions of the grant or the application itself BEFORE the school system submitted its application to the Department of Education?

Is the Pearson Project the best idea on behalf of our students?

What funding level is anticipated as part of the grant?  What if MCPS doesn't get all of the funding?

Do we have a budget?

Inquiring parents and taxpayers need to know, especially if our Board of Education declines to protect our interests.

Frost Middle School - What Was Dr. Jones Thinking?

Remember last Wednesday, May 26, 2010, when the temperature reached over 90 degrees?


Its a day that many Frost Middle School students will remember too.

According to a letter sent home to parents by Joey Jones, the school principal since 2002, the school received a bomb threat at 11 am, evacuated the students to the nearby athletic fields, and reentered the building at 1:35 pm.  Students were left outside, because officials in charge thought there was not enough time to walk to the designated shelter-in-place location, Wootton High School.



BombThreatFollow-up5 27 10 %283%29[1]

For those of you unfamiliar with the geography of the Wootton Schools, the two schools are adjacent to each other.  And its all downhill from Frost to Wootton, as any family with a sled can tell you - its a great place to hang out when schools are closed due to snow.  Frost MS's established emergency evacuation plan, as shared with parents and the community, has Frost MS students evacuating to Wootton HS.


But not this time. 

For some reason, the students and staff were kept outside and not sent over to Wootton.

For some other unknown reason, the kids were left on the fields without access to water or bathrooms.   Twenty four students were treated for dehydration - two percent of the student population, not an insignificant number.


Maybe Dr. Jones has never walked between the two schools. 


Parents want to know.  Why were the students kept out in the heat, with no water, for over 2 hours? 

Someone in charge of the plan needs to rethink the plan, or else someone in charge of the plan needs to be replaced.   I'd suggest both.

And given the proximity of Frost and Wootton, and the conveniently located Giant where many Wootton families shop, other schools may want to examine their emergency evacuation plans too.

After all, if a school as green and as flush with resources both in physical and financial assets can't safely evacuate its premises, what guarantees do we have that other school emergency plans in Montgomery County Maryland public schools have plans that work when needed?

Weather May 26 2010

Help Turn the Tide Around at Richard Montgomery HS

Financially, that is.  

More financial woes reported at yet another Montgomery County Public School.

This time its Richard Montgomery, and now its the school's acclaimed newspaper, The Tide, that is subject to a shortfall of cash.

What happened this year?  Why now, at the end of the school year?  Did the school forget to pay some other bill?

And a better question, why take it out on the kids?

Note: This message is redacted to remove the last name and phone number of the student.

RM Tide Obituary

WTOP: Schoolyard fight brewing over furloughs in Md.

From WTOP news, Kate Ryan reporting:

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Will there be an education armageddon in Montgomery County if schools have to accept furloughs? Maybe not, but there could be a lawsuit.

School Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast says he's balking over furloughs because of the impact it would have on the education process.

"My major concern is the children."

But Councilmember Phil Andrews doesn't buy it.

"It's not about the kids -- it's about protecting staff."

Entire article here.