Inequities Discovered in Student Field Trips

Montgomery County public school students aren’t getting the same field trip experiences, with students in some poorer areas having fewer opportunities.

Students who go on field trips, regardless of their socioeconomic status, perform better in school, with nearly 60 percent reporting better grades and higher graduation rates, according to the nonprofit Student & Youth Travel Association.

The school system ensures all elementary schools have the opportunity to participate in at least one field trip, and many schools offer additional trips. But there are no similar guidelines at the high school level.

Cynthia Simonson, vice president of educational issues for the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations, asked the school board at a recent public hearing to integrate field trip equity into new curriculum adopted earlier this month.

“We can do this better,” she said.

The school system estimates it would take $1.6 million to provide one trip per student — money that isn’t included in the proposed budget for next year.

County students took 2,099 field trips last school year to places across the region, such as the Maryland State House, colleges, national monuments and various museums, according to school data, which shows it costs an average of $300 to take a school bus on a single-day field trip, meaning the school system spent roughly $630,000 on buses for out-of-classroom experiences last school year...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/inequities-discovered-in-student-field-trips/

Inside the Governor’s $438 Million ‘Go-Ahead’ for Schools

A look at the elements of the Governor’s fiscal 2020 capital budget proposal for public school construction.

The Governor’s 2020 capital budget includes a new program for school construction funding — the Building Opportunity Fund — and a pledge to provide $3.5 billion in five years to school construction.

School construction is a major element of county capital budgets, who partner with the state to provide Maryland’s students with superior learning environments.

The State provides capital funding for school construction through several grant programs. Most of these are grant programs established by legislation, however the Building Opportunity Fund represents a new initiative of this Administration.

Here is the breakdown of the $438 million total announced in the Governor’s budget propoal for FY 2020:..

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2019/01/22/inside-the-governors-438-million-go-ahead-for-schools/?fbclid=IwAR36x1z9QL58YfSXPcvHC6IGa8hAlsvw_kLBtwNPBuFaNRiRYJPyEaC9q34

Contractor Sues Glenstone Museum Foundation for $24 Million

From the New York Times by reporter Colin Moynihan. Full story here.

A month before the much anticipated unveiling of the revamped Glenstone Museum in Potomac, Md., a contracting firm that oversaw the ambitious expansion there has sued the foundation that runs the institution, seeking at least $24 million in damages. ...

The company, Hitt Contracting of Falls Church, Va., filed the suit at the end of August in Federal District Court in Maryland, accusing the foundation of breach of contract and mismanagement, adding that a “torrent of changes” the foundation had demanded repeatedly disrupted and delayed work.

Hitt listed millions of dollars in unpaid fees it says Glenstone owes and stated that those outstanding debts had left the company “exposed” to $14 million in claims by subcontractors.

**BOE Finds $562,721 for Plastic Grass at RM High School.** Not Money for Teachers, Classrooms, Lead Remediation, Mold Remediation, Repairs, Grass Seed... BOE Intentionally Let Warranty EXPIRE! Did Council Appropriate these Funds for this Purpose?

The Montgomery County Board of Education intentionally let the warranty on the defective Richard Montgomery High School artificial turf field expire and now they are going to use $562,721 of Operating Budget funds to replace this one plastic football field. 

The MCPS Real Estate department has been squirreling aways cash.  This money will be used to buy a new plastic field for Richard Montgomery High School.  Those funds are not listed in the MCPS Operating Budget documents in any discoverable location.  The image to the left shows the only mention of this fund in the FY19 MCPS Operating Budget.

Note that the Resolution (below) before the Board of Education on June 25, 2018, does not mention any approriation of these funds by the County Council.

The money in this "fund" has allegedly come in to MCPS through outside sources and is being immediately diverted to pay for plastic football fields without any discussion of the best use of these public school dollars. 

Probably the biggest source of cash for this fund is coming from Cell Tower revenue. 

That means that the high FARMS rate schools that have cell towers on their playgrounds and fields are paying for the plastic grass purchase at Richard Montgomery High School.  

In addition, MCPS has used Field Trip fees to fund Artificial Turf purchases. 

Remember that the actual Artificial Turf PLAN was that these fields would pay for themselves through field rental fees.  That has not happened. 

The Board of Education has not provided the public with an accounting for the funds being used to pay for the Richard Montgomery High School artificial turf field replacement nor are they bringing these outside funds before the County Council for appropriation. 

The failure to present a transparent budget Resolution to the public is on the Board of Education members four of whom are candidates in this year's elections. 

   Award Cont Replace Turf Richard Montgomery HS by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

2010: Every MD School Board Prohibited from Charging Bus Fees, But @mocoboe Does It Anyway

MCPS schools charge students to ride MCPS school buses, even though back in 2010 the Maryland Attorney General's office advised that every school board in the State of Maryland was prohibited from charging fees for bus transportation.

The 2017 fee you see in the image to the left was charged by an elementary school to transport students on MCPS buses.  MCPS has confirmed that this was a transportation fee.

Berthiaume was right! Every MD School Board Prohibited from Charging Bus Fees: Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

...prohibit every school board from charging fees for bus transportation...

Parents, Your Field Trip Fees to pay for Artificial Turf

Even Board of Education members couldn't understand this. 

Why is Superintendent Joshua Starr moving money from Field Trips to artificial turf purchases?  Board of Education member Phil Kauffman asked the following question (#27) and this is the printed answer that was posted to the MCPS web site.  

Are parents being overcharged for Field Trips to create a profit center to fund artificial turf purchases?  Why would any Field Trip money be moved to fund artificial turf, ever?

27. Chapter 8-59 under realignment notes a realignment of $40,000 from the Field Trip Fund to support artificial turf replacement costs. Please explain.

Budget page reference: 8-59

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) standard for high school stadium fields is a natural grass surface with an irrigation system. Stadium fields require a high level of maintenance that includes regular cycles of mowing, watering, fertilization, and aeration to maintain the fields in acceptable condition for various high school athletic events. Unfortunately, the majority of high schools and their Booster Clubs cannot make the financial commitment that is necessary to maintain a natural grass field in excellent playing condition. Therefore, there is a large disparity in the condition of stadium fields across the county.

The Department of Facilities Management (DFM) and the Interscholastic Athletics Unit staff have evaluated the use of artificial turf for MCPS high school stadium fields. Artificial turf provides a safe and durable surface for various athletic events and requires very little maintenance. The installation of artificial turf fields will eliminate the disparity in the condition of stadium fields among high schools across the county. The life expectancy of artificial turf fields is approximately ten years. The ten-year life-cycle cost to install artificial turf is approximately the same as the ten-year life-cycle cost to install and properly maintain a natural grass field.

A turf reserve fund has been created to build up funds necessary to cover future replacement of artificial turf after ten years.  The source of funding for this reserve fund is a portion of the Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) fees that are charged for the rental of these turf fields, and the funds budgeted in the interscholastic athletics account that will no longer be needed to maintain the natural turf fields. 

During development of the FY 2014 budget, DFM estimated that annual payments of approximately $40,000 will be received from the ICB for the turf reserve fund.  Since there was excess appropriation available in the Field Trip Fund, appropriation was moved from the Field Trip Fund to the Real Estate Management Fund to cover the $40,000 that will be received from the ICB in FY 2014.

Starr attends party, writes letter for sewer.

The Washington Post:  Art collector Mitchell Rales’s grand design hangs up over sewer issue

...Several weeks ago, e-mails went out to those who had visited Glenstone, including guests at the party for Starr.
“Please help,” one of them began. “We are planning to further our mission by expanding our galleries and landscape, increase our hours, and offer more visitors the option of spending time with us — always free of charge. In order to facilitate this expansion, Glenstone is seeking to connect to public sewer.”
Within days, the County Council was flooded with letters of support — a three-inch stack in all, many of them using identical language. One was from Starr, the guest of honor at Rales’s September party...

----
UPDATE:  The Parents' Coalition obtained a copy of Superintendent Starr's "I support the sewer" letter. 

Weast - Field Trips Not for Students

Superintendent Jerry Weast is a strong supporter of field trips! That is, he is a strong supporter of field trips for staff. Staff field trips are funded through the MCPS Operating Budget, student field trips are not. 

Superintendent Weast doesn't support field trips for students. Field trips for students are not considered part of the curriculum and are therefore "optional". What does that mean? That means that if the field trips are deemed "optional" Superintendent Weast doesn't have to legally fund the field trips.

Students that can't pay to participate in field trips stay at school, and get an equally as enriching experience, according to Superintendent Weast's administration. 

So here is some good news from Target! Target is offering Field Trip Grants to get kids out of the classroom and exploring their community. In our case, that community is Washington, D.C. with a lot to offer. Tell your teachers about this great opportunity and help them apply for one of these great grants to get students out exploring!

Meanwhile, maybe the three MCPS staff (here, here & here) who are on a "field trip" to a conference in Minneapolis this week will send us a post card! It will be just like we are there with them!