Former @mocoboe Board of Education Members Mike Durso and Jeanette Dixon Endorse Monifa McKnight for Superintendent of MCPS @mcps

Update:  WTOP coverage of this letter.

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17 January 2022

(Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday)

Dear Members of the Board of Education:

            We write to you on this historic day as former high school principals and members of the Board of Education with 57 years of service in Montgomery County, and while we are no longer employed by MCPS, we both closely follow the work of the Board of Education and MCPS.   

            Given the unprecedented challenges the school system has faced in the last two years of educating our students during a worldwide pandemic, we believe it is imperative that the Board of Education appoint Dr. Monifa McKnight as Superintendent of MCPS for the next four years effective immediately.

            It has not been lost on us that both the Interim Superintendent and the Board of Education have come under excessive scrutiny and criticism recently related to Covid-19 and protocols. Indeed, just within the last few days, both the MCEA and MCAAP have posted strongly worded letters related to the handling of the virus and its impact on students, staff, and families. We understand the frustration all are facing with these ongoing challenges.

            Dr. McKnight knows and loves MCPS. Despite being buffeted by events beyond her control, she has worked tirelessly to ensure our students get the best education possible. We believe all education stakeholders should be grateful for her courage in taking on the position of Interim Superintendent. She has had a year to hone her skills as a superintendent and learned valuable leadership lessons. She has learned about the need for MCPS and the Board to improve communication, something that has been an ongoing issue in MCPS even before Dr. McKnight’s service as Interim Superintendent began. She is fully able to assess the inner workings of the school system and those who serve it.

We believe it would be unwise to appoint someone from outside of the system because it would take this person two years to learn all there is to know about MCPS. In Dr. McKnight we already have someone who is competent to provide both the continuity and change needed by MCPS.  Based on her performance as Interim Superintendent, Dr. McKnight has earned the opportunity to continue to lead MCPS.

            Naturally you are aware of what Dr. McKnight has done, but we wish to highlight why we believe she is the right choice for the next four years. As Deputy Superintendent she administered the school system from the time Dr. Smith announced he was retiring in February 2021, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic that necessitated a paradigm shift in the way educators teach and students learn. During this time, she was able to get the 2021-2022 budget passed and ensure a smooth close of the school year, including celebrating and attending graduations for the Class of 2021.

In addition:

·       Dr. McKnight implemented initiatives focusing on an anti-racist audit, reorganization of the system for greater accountability, and professional development for all staff.

·       Dr. McKnight has established excellent relations with elected officials at the county and state levels, state education officials and other Maryland school superintendents. She has completed the Leadership Montgomery program.

·       Dr. McKnight is a good listener, presenter and public speaker with the ability to inspire others. She has demonstrated flexibility, and she has been responsive to the education stakeholders of Montgomery County.

·       Dr. McKnight is professional, and she is respectful of the Board. She works well with the Board’s officers. She has gone out of her way to get to know the Board as a group and individually.

·       Dr. McKnight is responsive, and she is not afraid to change her position or correct that which is not working. She is adept at analyzing data and using technology.

·       Dr. McKnight has worked assiduously with all education stakeholders including those who have undermined her efforts and not given her the time and unquestioned support they gave to past male superintendents.

In conclusion, Dr. McKnight has earned the opportunity to continue to lead MCPS. She is a person of integrity who is an outstanding role model for all of our students. They can look at her and know that anything is possible when an African-American girl raised by a single parent in Orangeburg, South Carolina can rise to lead the fourteenth largest school system in the United States.

She is the right person for this time. We urge you to make this historic appointment.

Sincerely,

 

Michael A. Durso

Former MCPS Principal

1996 – 2009

Former Member of the Board of Education, District 5

2009 – 2018

 

Jeanette E. Dixon

Former MCPS Principal

1997 – 2013

Former Member of the Board of Education, At-Large

2016 - 2020

Byron Johns

Vice President 

Two School Board Members Plan to Run for Re-Election

Two members of the Montgomery County Board of Education said on Wednesday they plan to run for re-election in 2020.

The terms of Shebra Evans, Rebecca Smondrowski and Jeanette Dixon expire in 2020. Evans and Smondrowski said that they plan to run for another four-year term, while Dixon said she has not decided.

Nobody has officially filed for candidacy with the Montgomery County Board of Elections, but Evans and Smondrowski said they plan to soon. The filing deadline is in January...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/two-school-board-members-plan-to-run-for-re-election/

Damascus principal struck deal to resign, retain $160K salary in MCPS office job

By Neil Augustine, For full story go here. Yellow highlight my own.

When Casey Crouse resigned Tuesday as principal of Damascus High School amid the investigation into alleged rapes in the football locker room, she didn’t know what her job would be, but she knew she would maintain her $160,763 salary.

Crouse has taken a job in the Montgomery County Public Schools central office as “administrator on special assignment,” school spokesman Derek Turner said Friday.

Asked whether the position were permanent, Turner said, “This is the position she is going to be in for now, and she’s always welcome to apply for other positions.”

MCPS Board of Education Looks to Lower Requirements for Substitute Teachers #Unlicensed #expungement #sexoffenders #backdoor

...The school system’s policy for hiring substitutes, policy GEF, requires an applicant to have at least a bachelor’s degree or certification, and people applying to substitute in vocational programs can be considered without a college degree, but must have at least two years of experience in a related area.

School board members said they hope applicants with associate’s degrees or students at Montgomery College who need student teaching experience to graduate will be allowed to substitute. The only statewide requirement for becoming a substitute teacher in Maryland is a high school diploma.

“The Montgomery Board of Education is committed to being agile and innovative in finding solutions to evolving needs,” according to a resolution introduced by the school board this week.

Superintendent Jack Smith called the proposal a “great idea” and will present recommendations in July...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/montgomery-schools-looks-to-lower-requirements-for-substitute-teachers/

Environmental Waste Generated by Board of Education's Lust for Plastic Football Fields: The Turf Mountain

The Netherlands is a country of artificial turf. No country in the world has more artificial turf per capita. Last summer, over 200 artificial grass pitches were replaced in the Netherlands. No less than 1 million square metres of artificial turf had to be removed. All waste that cannot be dumped. What happens to the old pitches? What happens to all that plastic and all the polluting rubber in them? Processing companies promise to separate all the waste and recycle it. Municipalities pay top dollar for that. But what is the reality? Those involved call it 'the best kept secret in the market'. ZEMBLA follows the trail of a number of transports, and finds itself in a world of dealers, defrauding artificial turf processors, absent supervisors, and a growing artificial turf pile.

Josh Starr Superintendent's Agreement Amendment

On June 4th BOE member Jeanette Dixon tweeted that former MCPS Superintendent Josh Starr violated his agreement requiring that neither side would disparage the other.  Here is that agreement, dated February 3, 2015. Note #10, "Board members and the Superintendent shall refrain from making disparaging remarks regarding each other."

Here is the agreement.

Agreement by freestategal on Scribd

BOE Member Jeanette Dixon says Joshua Starr is violating Agreement with BOE

Josh Starr & members of BOE agreed they would not disparage each other when BOE declined 2 renew his contract. This violates that agreement. BOE job is to provide oversight of system & ask questions. I think JS did not like that hence his picks. Jill will be gr8 CC member. https://t.co/uV8pKYY8uX

— Jeanette Dixon (@dixon_jeanette) June 4, 2018

Board of Ed member Jeanette Dixon Advice to Incoming BOE Member Brenda Wolff

In the Board of Education District 5 race there is now only one candidate.  Brenda Wolff is now presumed to be the next Board of Education member for the District 5 seat.  Her one opponent has dropped out of the race after moving out of the district. 

Current Board of Education member Jeanette Dixon has posted advice for Brenda Wolff on Twitter.

NEW ROCKVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NAMED

...Jeanette Dixon, however, stated that she is opposed to choosing another name other that what community selected.

“I’m not voting against the name but I feel strongly about listening to the community and doing what the community asked us to do” she said. “I don’t want people in the LGBTQ community that we’re imposed to them or this name but we should vote for the community’s choice.”..

http://www.mymcmedia.org/new-rockville-elementary-school-named/

Sentencing Larry Nassar Is Only a Start

Today's Editorial in the New York Times:

Adults who suspect a predator is on the prowl and do nothing are simply monsters in another form.

MCPS Parent, "You can't even keep them safe."

Full report on tonight’s @MCPS budget meeting is coming up at 10 on News Channel 8 and 11 on @ABC7News. pic.twitter.com/0yucgGAm5N

— Anna-Lysa Gayle (@ABC7Annalysa) January 9, 2018

Full Report: http://wjla.com/news/local/community-meeting-addresses-arrest-of-teachers-aide-charged-with-possession-of-child-porn

Request for MoCo Tower Committee to Table Inaccurate, Incomplete Applications (Including Blair HS) and to Include Public Comment in Process as Per MoCo Regulation COMCOR 02.58E.01.05(b)

Today, the Montgomery County Transmission Facility Coordinator Group (Tower Committee) is meeting at 2 PM to consider a number of applications from cell tower vendors.  Among the applications to be considered today are a number of very large radio/cell towers on or near fire stations around the County.  

These applications appear to be going before the Tower Committee without public notice, review or input.  The Parents' Coalition made these applications public just yesterday.  Why didn't Montgomery County make these applications public?  

In reviewing these applications we have discovered that one of these new very tall towers is slated to be constructed on the Montgomery Blair High School baseball field.  To date, no school communities have supported the construction of a cell tower on public school land.  Many MCPS schools have been very vocal about their opposition to these commercial construction projects on school land.  What is the position of the Blair High School parents?  What is the position of the neighbors of Blair High School?  

Below is an e-mail sent today from Sue Present to the Tower Committee asking that these applications be tabled due to inaccurate information, incomplete information, and due to the absence of community notice and opportunity to comment as per Montgomery County Regulations. 




From: suepresent 
Date: Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 11:06 AM
Subject: PLEASE POSTPONE REVIEW OF ALL MCRCS APPLICATIONS FOR NEW TOWERS/MONOPOLES
To: "Williams, Marjorie"
Cc: "Schaeffer, Matt" , "Bowser, Ted" , "Niblock, David" , frookard@wsscwater.com, Gregory.russ@montgomeryplanning.org, "Williamson, Thomas A." , Boyd_Lawrence@mcpsmd.org, Ike Leggett , "Miller, Judy" , WPCA , "Morgan, Carl" , "Segal, Sonny" , "Royalty, Clifford"

Dear Margie,

Please POSTPONE THE REVIEW OF ALL MCRCS APPLICATIONS FOR NEW TOWERS AND MONOPOLES.

I appreciate your having released the applications for the new radio communications towers, yesterday. There has been woefully insufficient time to thoroughly examine these applications, which are on today’s agenda. However, in focusing my attention on TFCG application 201712-05, the one that is identified for Fire Station 16, I have already discovered significant flaws/concerns.

1)      Co-location Opportunity. The applicants identify the co-location alternatives that they dismissed within a 2-mile radius, and explain their rationale. They identify a lattice tower registered to MNCPPC, which the application says is 265’ in height, and explain that they dismiss it because as a radio broadcast tower it is “hot.”

Presumably, this is the 247’-high (not 265’ high) radio broadcast tower that is located at Sligo Creek Golf Course. It is the tower at which Verizon received the TFCG’s “recommendation of application 201612-05 to attach twelve 72'-high panel antennas at the 120' level, and the Planning Board subsequently approved the installation. Thus, for Verizon, the radio tower being “hot” was not an issue.

As is explained in the applicant response dated December 13, 2017, to meet the applicant’s need for this proposed radio communications, the attachments are needed at a height on the structure of 180’.  Under the circumstances, this applicant provides inadequate clarification as to why it cannot attach at the equivalent height (which I presume to be approximately 197’ on the nearby 247’ Sligo Creek Golf Course radio tower) when Verizon has already demonstrated its ability to attach to the Sligo Golf Course radio tower.

2)      Land Authorizations. In my previous communication to the Tower Committee, dated December 29, 2017, I alerted the Committee to the restrictive covenant governing Blair Local Park (and attached a copy). At the time of that message I was uncertain of the proposed location. It now seems evident that the plan is to locate the very large monopole on Blair Local Park. But, as previously explained, the restrictive covenant prohibits the use of the Blair Local Park land for any use other than Public Open Space. The proposed radio tower use is thus prohibited without modifications to the restrictive covenant. 

In addition, I raised concerns about easements. The application (overall site plan C-2) references “existing easement.” The easements, which of course were improperly conferred with the original Nextel/Sprint lease, indicated that they would cease when the telecommunications facilities became “obsolete.” The telecommunications facilities became obsolete when the lease was terminated and all telecommunications facilities were removed from the property, and the structure took on the sole purpose of a light standard, in 2015. There are no current easements in the County Land Records. I assert that without proper State authorization, any easements that would facilitate a communications tower would contravene the restrictive covenant.

3)      Monopole Height. The applicant’s justification – identifying other prospective users and the wishes of the manager of the land (for whom there would be greater revenue generated from the higher tower) – is inadequate for the monopole height of 195’. The facts demonstrate that the applicant’s needs can be met with a structure no higher than 180’ in height.

Although speculative, the additional information provided in this application that supports the State Highway Administration’s interest in communication space at this approximate location should bolster further exploration of siting on the substantial SHA parcel that abuts Fire Station 16 and Blair Local Park, between University Blvd. E. and the beltway, or upon other even more appropriate State Highway land.

Based upon these comments and those that you have received from a few other members of the public, it appears that the Tower Coordinator did not adhere to COMCOR 02.58E.01.05 in “recommending” to the TFCG the location of Blair Local Park for this monopole. Adequate consideration has not been given, per that regulation, for:

·        zoning standards for siting a telecommunications transmission facility;

·        effect of the telecommunications transmission facility on the land owning agency;

·        co-location options; and

·        potential impacts on the surrounding area(s).

And, you have received direct comments from only a few members of the public. That is because there has been no public process of notification and public input for almost all of these proposed facilities)as noted in my previous message, the land owner(s) failed to follow COMCOR 02.58E.01.05(b).

So, I urge the Tower Committee to POSTPONE the review of TFCG application 201612-05 and of all the applications on today’s agenda for NEW MCRCS Telecommunications Towers/Monopoles to provide for the Land Owning Agencies, the Tower Coordinator, and the Tower Committee to adhere to all regulations articulated in COMCOR 02.58E. Postponing these applications would provide the applicant a necessary do-over. The County needs to provide the surrounding communities where these facilities are proposed with appropriate due process, and to treat them with respect, too.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sue Present

Georgia Grant-Walton, Personal Representative To the Estate Of Taylor Walton v. Montgomery County Board of Education

  Walton v. Montgomery County Board of Education and Gaithersburg High School by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Md. high school security guard accused of having sex with student again

Again. Where is the elected Board of Education? Where are their statements on this?  Superintendent Smith is the employee of the Board of Education.

From WUSA9:

The director of security at Richard Montgomery High School was arrested Friday after being accused of having sex with a student again, police said.

And:
Detectives are asking all parents of students who attend Richard Montgomery High School to talk to their children about their interactions with Mark Christopher Yantsos and contact detectives at 240-773-5400 if they believe their child was victimized.

To read the whole story, go here.

Board of Education REVERSES Ban on cell Towers at Elementary Schools #tricked #vendors1st

Daly Elementary School playground (Red Zone/Title 1)

Remember back in 2012, when the Board of Education instituted a ban on cell towers on elementary school playgrounds? Well, it is 2016, and that ban is over.

Our "new" Board of Education is in place and the "old" Board of Education practices are back in use.

Tomorrow, the Agenda for the Montgomery County Tower Committee shows that the Board of Education is going to permit a LARGER cell tower to be built on to the Daly Elementary School cell tower.

You remember the Daly cell tower? That's the one the PTA and neighbors OPPOSED, but the Board of Education built anyway.

Get ready MCPS elementary schools! This opens up ALL elementary school playgrounds to new cell towers! The 2012 ban on cell towers is gone. Read: MCPS Bans Cell Towers at Elementary Schools: Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Potomac Almanac: Electing Members of the Board of Education

To the Editor:

#When it comes to voting for members of the Board of Education there usually is a low vote count. Many people do not know who they are voting for and yet these seven elected officials control almost half of Montgomery’s county operating budget of $5.3 billion and the education of our children and the future impact that has on each student, our community, and society as a whole.

#In the at-large election the choice is between Phil Kauffmann, the incumbent, and Jeanette Dixon. One of Jeanette Dixon’s priorities, right after her first priority of “providing a world class education for all of our students” is “operating the Board of Education (BOE) and Montgomery County School System (MCPS) in total transparency and responsiveness including the listing of the names of people who serve on all MCPS committees and interview panels and their affiliations.

#That language alone should tell you Jeanette Dixon knows how the MCPS system “really works.” She knows this because she has been a teacher in the MCPS, an assistant principal and principal in a middle school and high school for the last 16 years of her career. She has a long list of students she has taught and people she has hired who have gone on to become and still are school principals. See her resume at her website: www.jeanettedixon.org for names and details. One of those principals is the principal of the school two of my grandchildren attend.

http://www.potomacalmanac.com/news/2016/oct/28/electing-members-board-education/#comments

2016 Montgomery County Board of Education Candidates Forum

Oct. 7th - CAPA Board of Education Candidates Forum

Jeanette Dixon’s Surprise Win in the Board of Education Race Came Due to Broad, Countywide Support

...Dixon won more than 31 percent of the vote in the five-person race, with Kauffman finishing with 28 percent and Johnson a distant third with 18 percent, despite a fundraising advantage and growing support from other county elected officials.
Dixon swore off endorsements from other county elected officials, declaring them “inappropriate.”
As expected, she performed well in precincts in the eastern section of the county and the Route 29 corridor, where Paint Branch is located and where she became a well-known community leader. But she also outperformed the rest of the field in Germantown, Clarksburg, Gaithersburg and in other outlying areas of Silver Spring.
She also held her own in Olney, where Kauffman is from and where he won the area’s 12 major precincts by a combined total of a little more than 200 votes.
Meanwhile, Johnson was done in by many fourth- and even fifth-place finishes in Olney, Gaithersburg and Germantown precincts. At Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, a precinct emblematic of Dixon’s success and Johnson’s struggles, Dixon won 246 votes and Kauffman won 129. Johnson finished fifth with just 80 votes.
Johnson performed better in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Takoma Park, where he lives. He finished first with 549 votes at Takoma Park Middle School, with Dixon finishing second with 146 votes and Kauffman with just 68 votes. But it wasn’t nearly enough to get one of the top two spots...

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Precinct-Results-Shows-Where-Primary-Races-Were-Won/

Dixon told MyMCMedia. “I think definitely the message was sent that people are looking for change,”

Jeanette Dixon to Run Against Phil Kauffman in November School Board Race 



http://www.mymcmedia.org/jeanette-dixon-to-run-against-phil-kauffman-in-november-school-board-race-photo/