Floreen on MCPS Report: "That leaves $47 million in funds designed to close the gap unaccounted for. "

Councilmember Nancy Floreen writes:

...Each year, the Board of Education asks the County Council for additional funding over Maintenance of Effort to meet the needs of its increasingly diverse and low-income student enrollment. According to the OLO report, though, MCPS only allocated two-thirds of the $151 million it received in additional federal and state aid for low-income students to compensatory education programs designed to meet their learning needs. That leaves $47 million in funds designed to close the gap unaccounted for. Why should the County Council ask taxpayers to chip in more resources for closing the achievement gap when MCPS hasn’t used all the money it already has precisely for that purpose?...

 http://nancyfloreen.blogspot.com/2015/09/report-resources-and-staffing-among.html

Council Releases Resources and Staffing among MCPS Schools Investigation

   OLOReport2015-15ResourcesAndStaffingAmongMCPSSchools by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Breaking: County Appeals MSDE Determination that County Owes MCPS $1.4 Million

On September 2, 2015, the Parents' Coalition broke the story of a dispute between Montgomery County and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) regarding the County's funding of the Fiscal Year 2016 MCPS Operating Budget.  At issue is $1.4 million that MSDE says the County owes MCPS. 

On August 12, 2015, Montgomery County appealed the MSDE decision.  The Maryland State Board of Education asked MCPS to respond on this matter, and on September 9, 2015, Larry Bowers wrote a letter to the Maryland State Board of Education discussing the MCPS budget formulation process.  Those letters are shown below in the just released County Council packet.  In brief, MCPS blames MSDE for the error.

The Montgomery County Council's Education Committee will take up this matter on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, in a special session of this committee that will convene before the regularly scheduled full Council meeting that day.

Will MCPS get the additional $1.4 million for the FY 2016 Operating Budget? Stay tuned.

   2015 Sept 11 Montgomery County Council by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Fairfax Creates Online Budget Tool for Cost Cutting Suggestions

The Montgomery County Public Schools budget is put together behind closed doors, even the Board of Education members are not part of the budget meetings.  Yes, Maryland law calls on Boards of Education to actually set the local public school budget, but here in Montgomery County our Board of Education can not be bothered to spend their time on such mundane matters.

Take a look at what is going on over in Fairfax County Public Schools.  In that jurisdiction they have made available an online system to gather suggestions from the community.  Granted the choices have been pre-selected, but it is possible to eliminate the deficit and not impact classrooms.

Budget Proposal Tool is an online way for stakeholders to provide their recommendations for how to address the projected deficit that FCPS is facing in FY 2017. FCPS is gathering proposals for two different deficit amounts:  $50 million and $75 million. The shortfall contains uncertainty because there are costs and funding that are not determined until later in the budget process.

 http://www.fcps.edu/news/fy2017/budget-tool.shtml

More Help Wanted

Did you ever wonder how Montgomery County Board of Education and Montgomery County Public Schools reach various decisions?

Here is your opportunity to find out AND get paid!

This popped into my mailbox - must be destiny!

Apply now (search supervisor budget) and you too can be considered to SUPERVISE the Department of Management and Budget.  Maybe you can help MCPS build more schools, or tell the BOE members to stop using credit cards.  The possibilities are endless.

And the most telling part- look at the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities section - its blank.  We always knew that the person(s) who held this job in the past did not have any particular skill or ability, and now we have it in print.

Supervisor, Management Budget Operations

Job Specific Information:  Please attach a resume and a letter of interest detailing how your educaiton and experiences have prepared you for this position. In addition, include three letters of reference. 

MCPS Official Job Description

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:
Under general direction, the supervisor oversees daily operations of the Department of Management and Budget. Responsible for planning, budgeting, financial monitoring and operational and management analysis functions for a defined segment of MCPS. Analyzes and reviews unit goals, multiyear plans, budget requests, functions and operations. Monitors expenditure patterns and management practices. Provides training to new employees. Has chief responsibility for production of the printed budgets. Provides support to budget analysts for the more difficult and complex assignments and exercises considerable independent judgment and initiative in recommending to unit heads planning, budgetary, financial, or management strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness. May represent the director at meetings as needed. Assists with the creation of the department's strategic plan.KNOWLEDGE ABILITIES AND SKILLSThorough knowledge of public administration principles and practices, with emphasis on budget concepts and organizational systems, practices and procedures and their application to various organizations and function. Thorough knowledge of statistical and other management analysis techniques. Considerable knowledge of Maryland school laws and regulations governing budgets and expenditures. Understands MCPS organization, operations, goals and priorities. Able to work effectively with other MCPS units and stakeholders. Good user knowledge of computerized information systems. Excellent communications and interpersonal skills. Ability to analyze complex organizational procedures and recommend solutions to budgetary or management problems.

CERTIFICATE LICENSE:
None 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:


EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
Graduation from an a accredited college or university with a major in public or business administration or related field; courses or experience in, accounting, auditing, budgeting or other fiscal areas. Master's degree in public or business administration or related field highly desirable. Experience in supervision preferred. Considerable, progressively responsible staff work in public sector planning, budget preparation and administration, and management analysis. Other combinations of applicable education, training, and experience which provide the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered. 

Job

:  Administrators  

Job Grade:  O 

Organization

:  Offices  

Primary Location

:  Rockville

Schedule

:  Full-time | 1.000 (80 hours bi-weekly)

Working Months:  12

Shift

:  Day Job

Job Posting

:  Sep 1, 2015, 12:09:29 PM - Sep 18, 2015, 11:59:00 PM

Surprise! MCPS 4th-graders and middle-schoolers get Chromebooks after all.

...in June, school officials in Montgomery County decided they could not afford the computers and delayed the second phase of a major technology initiative that ranks among the nation’s largest school laptop programs. Then, shortly before school started, the district said it had found money to purchase 20,000 new Chromebooks...

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/surprise-fourth-graders-and-middle-schoolers-get-chromebooks-after-all/2015/09/07/e6d1ecd0-51a1-11e5-8c19-0b6825aa4a3a_story.html

Council committee recommends lower MCPS operating, capital budgets

...The school board asked for $84.7 million above maintenance of effort, according to school system spokesman Dana Tofig.
Incorporating proposals from Leggett and the school board to pull money from various sources, the budget plan the Education Committee recommended still leaves a gap.
The budget would pull about $33.2 million from the district’s fund balance. Another $27.2 million would come from the Consolidated Other Post Employment Benefits Trust to pay some of the school system’s retiree health costs.
The district also would reduce a contribution to its pension plan by $10 million and use the money elsewhere.
On the capital budget side, the Education Committee endorsed a plan the school system created that sits about $210 million below what the school board requested in November for its fiscal 2015-20 Capital Improvements Program.
The board asked for an amended capital program totaling $1.75 billion. Its request was $223.3 million higher than the previously approved program of $1.53 billion...

...The district also would not add a requested $32 million bus depot project. Instead, the committee recommended adding $700,000 for planning work as school and county officials search for opportunities to relocate the depot...

 http://www.gazette.net/article/20150501/NEWS/150509842/1124/council-committee-recommends-lower-mcps-operating-capital-budgets&template=gazette

Video: Chapter by Chapter Public Discussion of MCPS Operating Budget

The Montgomery County Civic Federation, the Montgomery County Taxpayers League, and the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County, MD present Budgetpalooza 2015!

This is the third year for this budget breakdown event. This event allows citizens to go over the MCPS fiscal year 2016 budget chapter by chapter.  This year's event was held on February 26, 2015.

 https://youtu.be/z_ZxeZcGqmk

Leggett Recommends Slight Increase in Montgomery County Budget

...Leggett recommended a $2.3 billion budget for Montgomery County Public Schools. That number is less than the $2.39 billion requested by the school system. The figure includes $27.2 million to fund MCPS retiree health benefits and represents a 3.8 percent increase in county funding compared to current spending. Leggett noted this meets about 97.6 percent of the Board of Education's request...

 http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2015/Leggett-Recommends-Slight-Increase-in-Montgomery-County-Budget/

There are 140 MCPS Staff Positions Paid out of the Capital Budget

Did you think that the MCPS Capital Budget was just for school construction and maintenance costs? Think again. There are 140 MCPS staff positions hiding in the Capital Budget. 

Total budget for these 140 positions? 
Unknown, but if you can find out the cost of these 140 positions, please post in the comments section below.  

   MCPS FY 2015 positions in the Capital Budget by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

$10 million cut from Starr’s original proposal

The Montgomery County school board has approved a fiscal 2016 operating budget $10.2 million lower than what Superintendent Joshua P. Starr proposed in December.
The county school system’s proposed operating budget for next year now stands at $2.39 billion. The budget moves next to Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and the Montgomery County Council for approval...

...Under the revised budget, the school system would cut $1.8 million, mostly by reducing and eliminating staff positions. These cuts deepen similar ones Starr had already proposed, meaning the loss of another 24 full-time equivalent positions.

Those positions include 17 building service worker positions, amounting to about $708,500; a professional growth consultant, costing $124,100; an instructional specialist involved in professional development, costing $144,296; and a consulting teacher position, costing about $105,000.

 http://www.gazette.net/article/20150212/NEWS/150219581/1022/montgomery-school-board-approves-budget-reflecting-loss-of-state-aid&template=gazette

Leggett makes changes to fund school projects

...But the amendments are more of an aspiration than a reality, said Councilmember Craig Rice (D-2), head of the education committee. He said the council will get a better idea of realistic MCPS funding when Leggett sends the overall balanced budget to the council later this season.

“It is my assumption that the county executive is not going to be able to meet that full funding basically because we’re not going to be able to get that money from the state,” Rice said.

Rice said when the council receives the formal budget, they will then have to ask MCPS for a formal cut list of the order in which projects should be cut or delayed....

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1558:leggett-makes-changes-to-fund-school-projects&Itemid=766

MCPS to Launch New Data Portal with Budget Information

In an attempt to make public school data more user-friendly and available to the public, Montgomery County Public Schools announced last week it plans to launch a data portal where it will post a break-down of its operating budget and other information.
MCPS plans to launch the new website in January. The site will offer the superintendent’s recommended budget as well as enrollment data and school boundary information.
The move comes as officials and members of the public questioned why the MCPS budget was not included in a new online data portal launched by the county in July. That portal allows users to access county government budget data to see how much funding specific agencies receive and what they spend it on.
Dana Tofig, MCPS spokesman, said in an email Tuesday the county didn't invite the school system to participate in the portal until shortly before it first launched and that because its budget is very different than the county's they weren't able to make it fit into the categories used by the county portal...

 

School system wants more, Montgomery County has less

Montgomery County Public Schools wants about $127 million more from the county next year, but county officials say their options for going above state-mandated funding levels have been exhausted and revenue is dwindling.
“We don’t have any gimmicks or tricks to get us beyond that,” said County Executive Isiah Leggett...

Montgomery County Fiscal Plan Update

From today's (12/9/14) Montgomery County Council meeting:

http://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=6&event_id=1700&meta_id=74654

MCPS Makes Budget Request As County Revenue Projections Fall

...A few hours after the Council discussion, MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr made it clear he’s looking for more than the minimum in order to keep pace with the school district’s growth of roughly 2,500 students a year.
Starr’s $2.4 billion recommended operating budget would mean a $103.6 million spending increase from this year’s schools budget...

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2014/12/09/mcps-makes-budget-request-as-county-revenue-projections-fall/