Breaking News: Playgrounds Saved for Students! PGCPS and Milestone Communications End Deal for Future Cell Towers

PGCPS and Milestone Communications End Deal for Future Cell Towers

| Comunicado del director ejecutivo, el Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, con respecto a las torres de telefonía celular en propiedades de PGCPS

Prince George's County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/29/2017 04:02 PM EDT

PGCPS AND MILESTONE PGCPS END DEAL TO CONSTRUCT FUTURE CELL PHONE TOWERS

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for students and staff. To this end, we have terminated an agreement with Milestone Communications to place future cell phone towers on school system properties.

We heard your concerns about the potential impact of cell phone towers on student health, questions about the site selection process, opportunities for community engagement and other issues. Therefore, we believe this decision is in the best interest of our schools, students and families.

Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based firm, will continue to manage existing tower locations at seven sites. PGCPS has not made a decision regarding future agreements with telecommunications providers.

We appreciate your continued input and support in ensuring healthy learning environments for all students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell

Chief Executive Officer

COMUNICADO DEL DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO, EL DR. KEVIN M. MAXWELL, CON RESPECTO A LAS TORRES DE TELEFONIA CELULAR EN PROPIEDADES DE PGCPS

Estimados padres y tutores:

Las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince George (PGCPS) están comprometidas a proporcionar un ambiente de apoyo y seguro para los estudiantes y el personal escolar. Con ese fin, hemos pactado un acuerdo con Milestone Communications para la futura colocación de torres de telefonía celular en propiedades del sistema escolar.

Hemos escuchado sus inquietudes sobre el posible impacto de las torres de telefonía celular en la salud de los estudiantes; las interrogantes sobre el proceso de selección del lugar; las oportunidades para la participación comunitaria y otros temas. Por lo tanto, creemos que esta decisión vela por el beneficio de nuestras escuelas, estudiantes y familias.

Milestone Communications, una firma con sede en Virginia, continuará manejando las torres existentes en siete ubicaciones. PGCPS no ha tomado una decisión en relación a futuros acuerdos con los proveedores de telecomunicaciones.

Apreciamos su apoyo continuo y sus comentarios para garantizar que existan entornos de aprendizaje sanos para todos los estudiantes.

Atentamente,

Dr. Kevin Maxwell

Director ejecutivo

http://content-dc3.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/PGCPS-1b3e0b5

City of Greenbelt Calls for Immediate Reconsideration of Cell Tower Proposal for High School

Cell Towers Do Not Belong At My Child's School : City of Greenbelt's Letter sent to Milestone Commu...: Read the City of Greenbelt's Letter sent to Milestone Communications today.

NBC4 reports on Parents Speaking Out on Cell Tower proposed for High School

Prince George's County parents speaking out at a meeting this week on Rushern Baker's no bid, no public input, no transparency or accountability cell tower deal with Milestone Communications. Milestone Communications is one of the sponsors of all of the Board of Education vacations to Ocean City every year and gave $5,000 to a ballot initiative of Rushern Baker's.

The Ocean City vacations for board members are arranged through MABE the board of education club run by Frances Glendenning. Milestone Communications is a no bid sponsor of the MABE organization and gets to advertise and have meetings with board members out of public view. (Insert music to "It's a Small World").

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Community-Meeting-About-Cell-Phone-Towers-Gets-Heated-In-Prince-George_s-County_Washington-DC-420434853.html

BOE: We Can't Hear You, We Are At Lunch!

At the Parkland Magnet Middle School cell tower proposal meeting, a Board of Education staff member said, "I'm not an authority to accept the vote." 

Who would be an "authority" to accept a vote of parents and community members on a Board of Education proposal to put a cell tower in a school's loading dock?
  
Why do Board of Education members always turn down requests to attend parent and community meetings on important issues?

We know that the very next day after the Parkland meeting, a majority of the Montgomery County Board of Education were in Annapolis having LUNCH with their fellow MABE club members!  Who has time for constituents when there is free lunch!    

• MABE is the Maryland Association of Boards of Education.  
• MABE is a private club for Board of Education members that costs taxpayers in Montgomery County over $70,000 a year.
• MABE allows BOE members to meet outside the Maryland Open Meetings Act.  The public is not allowed to attend or observe any of these meetings and minutes are not made public.  
• MABE is sponsored, in part, by a CELL TOWER CONSTRUCTION FIRM.

Now you have your answer to why our Board of Education members will never attend a community meeting on a cell tower proposal.  
Cell tower vendors are funding BOE lunches and dinners at their private club meetings.

MABE released a fun video of their February 12, 2016, luncheon.  Turn up the sound and enjoy!

MD "Education" Dollars Pay for Vacation and Laptop Bags @mabe

In Maryland, "education" tax dollars include an annual vacation for Board of Education members to Ocean City, Maryland.  The vacation is organized by the private club that is funded by taxpayers, MABE (Maryland Association of Boards of Education.)  The Montgomery County Board of Education pays over $70,000 a year into the MABE treasury.

It looks like this year taxpayers also paid for laptop bags for the vacation attendees! See the vacation video below for a glimpse of some of the attendees and the conference swag. 

At this vacation, Board of Education members meet outside of the Maryland Open Meetings Act, and meet with select no bid vendors.  

Public school budgets in Maryland are not just about Maintenance of Effort!

How MABE Introduces No Bid Vendors to Boards of Education and Local School Systems .@MABE_News

MABE is the Maryland Association of Boards of Education.

MABE is a taxpayer funded private club for Board of Education members across the State of Maryland.  Taxpayers fund the club and get absolutely no information on how funds are used.  The funds paid to MABE each year are Maintenance of Effort public school education dollars.

In Montgomery County, our Board of Education spent over $70,000 on MABE last year.  That's about one less teacher for our classrooms. Apparently, this private club is more important to our Board of Education than teachers.

But, the $1.2 million +/- that MABE gets in dues and fees from Boards of Education is not enough to keep this private club going.  MABE's president, Frances H. Glendening, apparently needs more than what taxpayers fork over for this club.  So MABE has "partnered" with vendors looking for their own slice of the education pie (scroll down the right side of the MABE home page to see the partners).  MABE allows these vendors to have exclusive, behind closed doors access to Board of Education members all over the state.  Some of those vendors end up getting no bid contracts with public school systems. 

Below is an example of where a MABE "partner" was able to hold court with Baltimore County Public School administrators.  The vendor was able to make a presentation and then use that presentation on their website.  Even more outrageous, the vendor was able to get an endorsement from a Baltimore County Public School administrator to use on the website.

Members of the Maryland Coalition to Halt Cell Towers at Schools discovered this endorsement and were concerned that this was a violation of the Baltimore County Public Schools ethics policy.  Inquiries were made.  The web page was immediately taken down.  If Coalition members had not spotted the endorsement of this MABE "partner" by a public school administrator it could have remained on the vendor's website indefinitely.   

If anyone can find out why MABE thinks that vendor "partners" should have exclusive access to public school Board of Education members, please let us know.  Our inquiries to MABE president Glendening have gone unanswered.

January 2015 screenshot of now removed webpage.

This January 2015 tweet is still showing up on Twitter.

BOE Spent $71,544 in Club Dues in FY 2015

It's MABE again!  Yes, that Maryland Association of Boards of Education that sucks cash out of public school systems, and for what? No one knows! But each year MABE is getting about $60,000 of the MCPS Operating Budget.  That's one classroom teacher that can not be hired because the Board of Education would rather belong to this club.

Cell Tower Company Wants School Cell Tower Meetings at "Neutral" Location

Wouldn't you think that if a private, for-profit commercial vendor wanted to build a HAZMAT facility on a public school playground the meeting to discuss the project would be held at the public school where the commercial compound would be located? 

When it comes to the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) partner, Milestone Communications, the meetings to discuss cell tower projects for public school playgrounds are intentionally held at places other than the actual public school where the cell tower will be built.

MABE's partner, Milestone Communications, only wants to hold community meetings to discuss cell tower playground projects at "neutral" locations.  Their word as seen in the e-mail shown in the image below. 

MABE's partner, Milestone Communications, certainly does not want to make meetings about playground cell towers accessible to actual public school parents!  No, they want to make the meetings as hard to attend as possible.  They want the least amount of participation. 

Remember that YOUR tax dollars pay to support MABE!

Yes, your Maintenance of Effort public school dollars go to keep MABE in business.  Every Board of Education in Maryland pays "dues" to be a member of MABE.  MABE then partners with no bid vendors like Milestone Communications.  The result?  Your local school gets a cell tower compound!  If you are in Prince George's County or Anne Arundel County your local school is getting 3 cell towers per playground.  And, the meetings to discuss these projects will be held as far away from your neighborhood as possible so that you can not attend. 

Next week a meeting will be held at a "neutral" location to discuss another public school playground cell tower project.  

The meeting will not be held at the actual public school where the cell tower compound will be built.  

   Corkran Cell Tower Flier by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Not so fast, Len!* Cell Tower Sign Will Violate Zoning Ordinance

Broken Heart

Oh, dear! 

How sad is this? We just showed the public how excited the Anne Arundel Board of Education was with a plan to put a 105' cell tower in front of a school and use it as the billboard for the school sign and logo.

But, it looks as if the party is already over. 

Anne Arundel County actually has a zoning ordinance that limits the height and size of signs.  A 105' cell tower billboard school sign is actually not permitted in Anne Arundel County.

It looks like there is "no joy in mudville" tonight. 


Anne Arundel County Zoning Ordinance
18-3-307.  Signs in residential districts and for certain dwellings in commercial districts.

(e)   Nonresidential and institutional use signs. Except as otherwise provided in this section, each nonresidential or institutional use located in a residential district may have one freestanding sign, one identification sign on not more than two facades, and directional signs as necessary. A freestanding sign may not exceed an area of 64 square feet or a height of 10 feet. The total square footage of all identification signs may not exceed 400 square feet. Each directional sign may not exceed 20 square feet in area or a height of seven feet. 

*Len Forkas is the President of Milestone Communications 

Anne Arundel BOE in LOVE with Cell Towers on Public School Land

Slap a school sign and a logo on a cell tower and the Anne Arundel Board of Education falls in love!  

Watch the video below of today's discussion of the 105' cell tower that is going to go right by the tennis courts at the entrance to an Anne Arundel County middle school.  Listen to the Board members drool over this plan!

Remember that the Anne Arundel Board of Education has turned over every single public school site in their county to Milestone Communications for the placement of up to 3 cell towers per school!

Maybe this is how they repay Milestone Communications (the cell tower company) for sponsoring their annual vacation to Ocean City? Scroll down the right side of the Maryland Association of Board s of Education (MABE) website to see the list of sponsors.

So if you love cell towers on your child's playground, then the time to move to Anne Arundel County is now!  Hurry up and get your child in Anne Arundel County Public Schools before everyone finds out that every public school site will have 3 cell towers!  Pretty soon parents from all over the USA will want their child in an Anne Arundel County public school! 

Love

HEARTBREAKING UPDATE TO THIS STORY!

Parents Won! Atlanta Parents Fight to Keep Cell Towers Off Public School Playgrounds is Over!

Get the Cell Out - ATL: It's Over!: Get the Cell Out - ATL was started in May 2011  by just a few  concerned parents simply walking  their own neighborhood,  talking w...

MABE Cell Tower "Partner" Gives $5,000 to PG Referendum. More Cell Towers for Public Schools!

Remember that the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) "partnered" with a Virginia Company to push for cell towers on public school playgrounds in Maryland. The company is called Milestone and has about 5 or 6 different company names, all run by the same man.

Former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan was a spokesmodel for Milestone.  

We know that in Prince George's County the Milestone cell tower projects are being allowed to SKIP the Prince George's Special Exception process, even though the PG Regulations call for these construction projects to go through the Special Exception process. 

Now we find out that one of the numerous Milestone companies donated $5,000 to a referendum effort supported by the Prince George's County Executive, Rushern Baker.  

Contrary to the quote from the Milestone president in the Washington Times article below, the County Executive runs the Executive Branch of the PG government that INCLUDES PERMITTING and the Cell Tower review committee that violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act this year.

*************
  

Milestone Tower Limited Partnership, a company owned by Leonard Forkas, who is working on plans to install cellphone towers on county school buildings, donated $5,000.

Mr. Forkas said his support of the ballot initiative was solely based on his support for Mr. Baker.
“We like Rushern Baker. I think he’s been doing a phenomenal job for Prince George’s County,” he said, noting that the review process for cell tower site selection does not involve either the county executive or the county council.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/9/prince-georges-county-term-limit-referendum-drew-d/#ixzz3LWXYjtFu
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Breaking News: Deal Requires 60 Cell Towers on PG Public School Playgrounds Now! #mabe #dougduncan #nobrainer

In order for the Prince George's County Board of Education to attempt to meet the 5 year revenue projections that were given in 2010 for the "no-brainer" Milestone cell tower deal 60 cell towers need to be built on public school playgrounds immediately!

The Prince George's County Board of Education was "sold" the Milestone no-bid deal based on a 5 year revenue projection of $2.5 million.  Apparently, no one bothered to mention to the Board of Education that in order to bring in that $2.5 million over a 5 year period they would have to immediately build 60 cell towers on PGCPS playgrounds!

The Prince George's County Board of Education is now into the 4th year of the super Milestone cell tower deal and not one single cell tower has been built.  At best, the 5 year revenue from this deal will be a $25,000 one time site fee and a $12,000 lease payment.  That's a 5 year total of $37,000.  A far cry from the $2.5 million that was projected back in 2010. 

 *********************
Did any Prince George's County Board of Education members actually read the answers to the questions they posed about the FY 2012 PGCPS Operating Budget?  See page 19 of this Questions from the Board document dated February 22, 2011.

The Board Action Summary
–
Telecommunications Leasing Master Agreement with Milestone Communication Management III, Inc., dated November 11, 2010, provided a potential revenue estimate at approximately $2.5 million over a five (5) year period. However, administration was asked by the Board of Education to provide anticipated revenue for the 2011-2012 school year only (Refer to 01.31.11 BOE Part II- Question #40). The response that was provided anticipated generating annual revenue of $1.2 million to $2.1 million during the 2011-2012 school year only. This estimate was based on 60 potential towers being placed on various sites, a site fee of $25,000, per site, and the spread of the estimated revenue as stated in the November 11, 2010 Board Action Summary of $2.5 million over a five (5) year period.

WPost: Prince George’s board members charge thousands in local restaurant meals

...The district also paid for overnight stays for some board members during its retreat at the Westin at National Harbor, which is less than 20 miles from district headquarters.
“It just doesn’t sit well, especially when you also hear that teachers don’t have access to printers,” said Juanita Miller, head of the education committee for the Prince George’s County branch of the NAACP. “Teachers are standing in line to make copies. The school system cut the budget for those types of things.”
Miller said the problem is not that the board members have credit cards but how they are using them.
David Cahn, an education activist who regularly attends board meetings, said the school system needs to impose limits on meals, similar to the federal government. The federal per diem for meals is $71, which does not include guests’ bills.
“I do not think school board members should have to pay out of their own pocket for legitimate expenses, but a lot of them don’t sound legitimate,” Cahn said...

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prince-georges-board-members-charge-thousands-in-local-restaurant-meals/2014/10/09/dabcf092-4fe6-11e4-babe-e91da079cb8a_story.html?wpmk=MK0000200

NBC4: Prince George’s County School Board Members Spend Thousands on Meals at Taxpayers’ Expense

Prince George’s County school board members have spent several thousand dollars on more than 120 meals at restaurants near school district headquarters – including room service breakfasts, dozens of seafood dinners and private lunches – at taxpayers’ expense in recent months. Many of the meals were purchased by two of the 14 board members, according to a review of expense receipts by the News4 I-Team.

The I-Team’s review of school board expense receipts shows board members regularly use taxpayer-funded credit cards for sit-down meals together at seafood restaurants within minutes of their official meeting room in Upper Marlboro. The meals frequently included appetizers, dessert and $30-per-dish entrees. Taxpayer advocates and district parents said the expenses are unnecessary and a misuse of county school funds...

Expense reports and receipts:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/Prince-Georges-County-School-Board-Members-Spend-Thousands-on-Meals-at-Taxpayers-Expense-278584441.html

Exclusive: Parents' Coalition Releases Over 200 Pages of Cell Tower Planning Documents

Daly ES cell tower

Parents have the right to know what construction projects are being planned for their child's school.

Boards of Education constantly claim that they want parents to be involved in their child's education and school. 

It's time for Maryland Boards of Education to step up and prove they want parent involvement. 

It's time for Maryland Boards of Education to make public their plans for cell towers on public school playgrounds before the construction begins.

In an effort to shine some light on the construction plans for 5 Prince George's County Public School playgrounds the Parents' Coalition obtained and is making public over 200 pages of planning documents.  Even if these documents don't relate to your local school, they are a fascinating look inside the planning that goes on for the construction of a cell tower on a public school playground. 

Has the Montgomery County Board of Education ever made any of these documents public for the 13+ cell towers they have constructed on public school land?

How about the 6 cell towers that Superintendent Joshua Starr has tried to build on public school playgrounds? Has Superintendent Starr made any of these documents public?

~~~~~~~~~~

Flowers High School , Springdale, MD:  cell tower  application

Part 1:  Pages 1-50

• Please note in this application there is NO authorization to build from the Prince George's Board of Education or PGCPS.  We did see authorization in other files, but not in this one.
• Please see page 15 of the PDF shows that Milestone Communications provided refreshments for a neighborhood event.
• Starting on page 40 of the PDF are the lists of elected officials and HOAs that were notified of this project.  The principal was notified March 31, 2014. The PTSA at this school did not find out about the upcoming construction until the middle of September.  Why did it take 6 months to let parents know about this upcoming construction project at their local public school?

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241833577/2014-Flowers-HS-Tower-Committee-Part-1

Part 2: Pages 51-100

• These pages continue with the lists of HOAs that were notified and then there are additional pages about the actual cell tower compound.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241835827/2014-Flowers-HS-Tower-Committee-Part-2

 

Tasker Middle School, Bowie, MD

 

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241839504/2014-Tasker-Middle-School-Tower-Committee

 

Green Valley Academy, Temple Hills, MD

 

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241838953/2014-Green-Valley-Tower-Committee

 

Kenmoor Middle School, Landover, MD

 

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241838279/2014-Kenmoor-Middle-School-Tower-Committee

 

Carroll Middle School, New Carrollton, MD

 

https://www.scribd.com/doc/241838105/2014-Carroll-Middle-School-Tower-Committee

 

 

 

Who Sponsored the $5,000 Reception Going on Now in Ocean City? @mabe_news

It's Thursday, October 2nd at 6:30 PM. 

We know that Montgomery County Board of Education members and staff are in Ocean City for their annual vacation with Board members from across the State of Maryland. 

We don't know how many of our BOE members and staff are there, they never announce who is attending this annual vacation paid for by the MCPS Operating Budget.

We know that at 6:30 PM today is the annual "President Reception" sponsored by one of the MABE (Maryland Association Boards of Education) partners.

We know that the cost to sponsor just the reception is $5,000.

Which one of the MABE "partners" (shown to the right) is sponsoring the reception right now? 

What other no bid contracts with our Board of Education bring back to MCPS next week? 

The BOE is at the Beach! #lobster #surfandturf #expenseaccount

From Board of Education member Christopher Barclay's Twitter feed confirmation that Montgomery County
Board of Education members and staff are in Ocean City this week at the annual BOE party.  This event was
the reason for the lobster and steak dinners revealed in the BOE credit card records.

Gazette: Coalition forms to oppose cell towers on school ground

Several Montgomery County groups have joined or are interested in the efforts of a statewide coalition that stands opposed to cell towers being placed on school grounds.
The recently formed Maryland State Coalition Against Cell Towers on Schools, with a mission to stop the towers’ construction at schools, ties together a variety of groups that also include those from Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties and the Baltimore area....

...David Keaton, a member of the Julius West group, said he thinks Montgomery is facing a different situation than the ones Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties are experiencing. While the two other counties are looking at more centralized leasing agreements for cell towers, he said, Montgomery residents must keep an eye out for tower proposals at each school.
If a dozen schools are considering cell towers — “that’s a dozen different fights,” he said...

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140929/NEWS/140929402/1022/coalition-forms-to-oppose-cell-towers-on-school-ground&template=gazette

MD State Superintendent to Join BOE Members at Ocean City Vacay!

Public Schedule of Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery

For Immediate Release                    Contact: William Reinhard, 410-767-0486

Baltimore, MD (September 26, 2014)

The week ahead: September 29-October 3(Information and schedule are subject to change)

Monday, September 29-Tuesday, September 30
No Public Schedule.

Wednesday, October 1
1:30 p.m., Maryland Association of Boards of Education, Clarion Fontainebleau Hotel,
1001 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, MD  21842
Dr. Lowery will address MABE’s annual meeting.