Sunday 2/1: MCPS Bethesda Depot Buses Appear to Still Have Snow Covered Roofs

 Today at the MCPS Bethesda Depot at 4 PM:  

Here's a Google Earth image showing the tops of MCPS 

school buses at the Bethesda Depot. 

June 20, 2024: Council Hearing on @mcps @mocoboe. IG says, 10 Cases of MCPS Administrative Leave Termination since April 29th.

 

https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&event_id=16191&meta_id=181214

Breaking: Details on MCPS testifying before the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee May 8, 2024

 Details here:

Three public school systems have been subpoenaed to appear before a congressional committee on May 8, 2024. These are: MCPS, Berkeley Unified School District, and New York City Public Schools.

The hearing will be held in the Rayburn House Building, Room 2175 (First Floor). Doors to the room open at 10:10 and the hearing will start at 10:15. There will be an overflow room.

The hearing will also be online, on YouTube. To access the YouTube stream, go to: edworkforce.house.gov, Click on the Events tab at the top of the screen, then go to Hearings and there will be a link to the YouTube feed.

County Council Education Committee Discussion on Inspector General Report, Thursday, Feb 8th 3-5 pm

 

There will be a discussion of the Inspector General Report #OIG-24-08 next Thursday, February 8th, 3-5pm. This meeting will be streamed, as well as on the county council cable channel.

The full report "MCPS Complaint Process" is here. 

Per this excerpt from the Executive Summary of the report: 

            "The Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated this review in response to assertions that the inadequate response to alleged misconduct committed by former principal Dr. Joel Beidleman was caused in part by shortcoming in how complaints of employee wrongdoing are handled by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). It is important to note that this review focused on MCPS's general processes involving complaint handling and investigations of employee misconduct. It did not examine specific allegations against Beidleman or MCPS's actions to address them, nor did it re-examine the promotions process at MCPS which was part of the work done by a law firm hired by MCPS in August of 2023.

The MCPS Department of Compliance and Investigations (DCI) is responsible for investigating allegations of employee misconduct, harassment, workplace bullying, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission violations.

Our review found numerous issues with the manner in which MCPS and DCI handle and investigate complaints of employee misconduct. Of note, many of the same deficiencies we found were previously identified by other entities and reported to MCPS. Although informed of the concerns, MCPS failed to implement appropriate corrective actions." (Page i)

It's the Budgetpalooza! Tuesday Feb 20th, 7pm, Rockville Library and Zoom

 

3,322,303,371 DOLLARS

158,231 STUDENTS

8 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS

1 BUDGETPALOOZA

 Come Join the Parents' Coalition, the Montgomery County Civic Federation, and the Montgomery County Taxpayers League for the Reconstituted Budgetpalooza 

Tuesday February 20th 7-9 pm Rockville Memorial Library, 

21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Second Floor Meeting Room and on Zoom 

To register for the Zoom:  

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduqpqj0uHNYhN_YW-w_RaFRWu2NitmFC

Come for an open discussion as we go chapter by chapter through the MCPS Proposed FY25 Operating Budget. 

 Hashtag #Budgetpalooza24

More on MCPS Bus Attendant: Clarksburg Man Arrested in Virginia on Homicide Charges; Tied to Two Incidents in Montgomery County

Previous news story at this link. 

Clarksburg Man Arrested in Virginia on Homicide Charges; Tied to Two Incidents in Montgomery County

The Montgomery County Department of Police – 5th and 6th District Investigative Sections, have charged Muhammad Taha, age 29, of the 23300 block of Observation Drive in Clarksburg, with crimes related to two incidents occurring in Germantown and Gaithersburg.  The same individual was arrested in Prince William County, Virginia, and charged with 2nd Degree Murder, Felony Hit & Run, and other charges for events that occurred on March 24, 2019, in the Manassas area.

On March 22, 2019, officers from the 6th District responded to the Islamic Center of Maryland Mosque located at 19411 Woodfield Road in Gaithersburg, for the report of an injured person.  Investigation revealed that the victim was walking on the property when he was struck by a vehicle which then fled the area.  The victim was taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.  Surveillance footage was able to capture parts of the incident.  A description of the vehicle and evidence was recovered on the scene.

On March 24, 2019, officers from the 5th District responded to the Islamic Society of Germantown located at 19825 Blunt Road in Germantown, for the report of a suspicious situation.  Investigation revealed a vehicle had been seen circling the parking lot before the driver exited the vehicle and used a brick to vandalize a parked vehicle in the lot.  The driver then drove away from the scene after striking an additional parked car.

Later in the day on March 24, 2019, the same suspect struck and killed a woman with his vehicle in the area of the 9600 block of Cloverhill Road, in Manassas, Virginia.  Prince William County Police, based off of a lookout placed by the Manassas City Police, were able to find the vehicle and suspect matching the description of the homicide nearby.  Muhammad Taha was arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Murder, Felony Hit & Run and other charges related to the incident.

Detectives from the 5th and 6th District Investigative Sections have now connected all the events to Muhammed Taha.  Taha has been charged with following offenses:

CR 2-206  Attempted 2nd Degree Murder

CR 3-202 1st Degree Assault

CR 6-301  Malicious Destruction of Property (2 counts)

Representatives of all six police districts have been in communication with the Mosques within Montgomery County since the initial event occurred.

Detectives believe these are isolated events related directly to Taha who remains in the Prince William County Adult Detention Center on a no bond status.

The Montgomery County Department of Police wish to thank the Manassas City Police Department and the Prince William County Police for their assistance with this case.

###

Apple Ballot Endorsed Candidate Uses MCPS Website as Campaign Website #ethics #AppleBallot #MSEA #MCEA

See what happens when we click on the Judy Docca online ad.



Are election ads for candidates supposed to use government resources to promote their campaigns?

Why doesn't this candidate have her own election website?   

They blamed the Gaithersburg teen for the death of their clique’s leader,

MS-13 members threatened to cut off teen’s fingers and burn her, prosecutors say. Then she was killed.

One MS-13 member clicked a cigar cutter open and closed with a metallic ring, while another told the 15-year-old they would cut her fingers off, the prosecutor said. Another gang member asked where the gasoline was so they could burn the girl up.

Ten members and associates of MS-13 lured Damaris A. Reyes Rivas to a Springfield park in January because they wanted revenge. They blamed the Gaithersburg teen for the death of their clique’s leader, Christian Sosa Rivas, whose body had been dumped in the Potomac about a week earlier.

Venus Romero Iraheta, 17, who was Sosa Rivas’s girlfriend, told Damaris her fate would be the same.

“Venus told her she was going to die that day as Christian did — in the cold,” Fairfax County Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Katherine Stott said in a Fairfax County courtroom Tuesday...

...Damaris’s killers were remorseless, capturing her final minutes in gruesome cellphone videos...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/ms-13-associates-plead-guilty-in-connection-with-brutal-revenge-killing-of-gaithersburg-teen/2017/10/17/05d0c652-b284-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.6cefaa33b2e1


‘A hole in our hearts’: A 15-year-old girl lost to MS-13 is laid to rest

...There was no mention of MS-13 on Thursday, but fear of the gang, known in El Salvador as Mara Salvatrucha, was everywhere. At least six Gaithersburg police cars were positioned around the St. Rose of Lima church. Plainclothes police attended the funeral — their guns bulging beneath suit jackets — and uniformed officers watched over the burial from a distance.

Perhaps because of the fear of violence, the pews were mostly empty. About 50 people attended, primarily family members plus a few of Damaris’s friends and teachers from Watkins Mill High School...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-hole-in-our-hearts-a-15-year-old-girl-lost-to-ms-13-is-laid-to-rest/2017/03/23/1aae66b4-0ff6-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.029963aec874

Adult Teams Say No to Artificial Turf

So - we ask again, what is so appealing about artificial turf?  Why, in times of budget shortfalls, does the Montgomery County Board of Education make the same mistake - installing artificial turf fields at Montgomery County High Schools - when adult teams say no?

Who says no to artificial turf?  Since December 1, 2015 - 

1.  United States  Womens National Soccer Team.  

From the article:

The United States women’s national soccer team took one look Saturday at the artificial turf field that was to be the playing surface for Sunday night’s friendly against Trinidad and Tobago and said, enough.. . . A year after they sued FIFA over artificial turf and five months after they won a Women’s World Cup title on it, the players drew a line in the Hawaiian sand.  ntinue reading the main story

They told reporters the field wasn’t good enough. They told U.S. Soccer officials they wouldn’t play on it. And U.S. Soccer, left with little choice, agreed. And that was that. No game.  

2.  Baltimore Ravens

From the article:

The Ravens are switching from artificial turf to natural grass at M&T Bank Stadium for the start of the 2016 season.
Team President Dick Cass announced the move Friday and the players and Head Coach John Harbaugh, who already knew the plans, are giving the move a big thumbs up.

“The players really wanted to play on grass and that was a key consideration. The coaches wanted to play on grass,” Cass said. 

3.  And its more than just the Ravens in the NFL!  According to the same article:

Division rivals Pittsburgh and Cleveland both have grass, as well as the two closest NFL teams to Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia. Overall, 17 of the NFL’s 32 teams play their home games on grass, except for Green Bay’s hybrid field. 

What is up with MCPS and the MoCo Board of Education?  Money is tight, and even the adults who play on the fields prefer natural grass to recycled tires - oops, we mean artificial turf. 

Photo courtesy of Hope Solo, Goalkeeper for the US Womens National Soccer Team. 

Free public education costs in Montgomery County High Schools

Isn't high school supposed to be free for public school students in Maryland?  Taxpayer dollars cover the costs for all students to attend - right?

We know that, and you know that it's in the Maryland Constitution.

But unfortunately, our Board of Education seems to think that the Maryland Constitution doesn't apply.

Our MCPS students get charged for classes and materials that should be free.

Our middle schools list is only eight pages - but the high school list is 23 pages long!

Amazing.

One day, our Board of Education will get it right.  Or maybe never.

Here is the 2015 list of fees for high school students.  Read my previous post to see what happens in middle schools.  

  2015 MCPS High School Fees

I wonder what the ghosts haunting the State House in Annapolis think of what Pat O'Neill has done to their prize constitution.

A Peek Inside the WestEd Parents' Focus Group

A Peek Inside the West Ed parents' focus group in Silver Spring
by A.J. Campbell

The Montgomery County School Board hired West Ed for the incredible sum of $150,000 to answer why parents are bringing and winning, cases against MCPS on behalf of their disabled children. I would have told the school board what was wrong for free.

I have spent 7 years in the role of parent activist. Every single time I raise an issue, MCPS says there is no problem. I believe it is a reactive statement. Like when someone sneezes, you say, Bless You. Denial is the first line of the defence.

At some point in my latest ongoing disagreement with the Office of Special Education Supervisor Phillip Lynch, I began to wonder if he told me what time it was, would we be able to agree? Or would I play Katherine in Taming of the Shrew, while Lynch, in the role of Petruchio, insist that it is the moon that I see and not the sun.

We seem to have trouble agreeing on basic facts in question. Like at my last meeting with the school, I suggested that a teacher was not following her IEP, by email, two weeks in advance. The school argues that we were there to discuss IEP progress. The school did not even invite the teacher to be at the meeting though he was at school that day.

I have begged to have her primary teacher removed at least 16 times over this school year. I walked into the open house and suggested her seat be moved to comply with her educational plan. He refused. It took the teacher 3 weeks to move her seat. It took him 6 weeks and a meeting to comply with the provision of giving a calculator. To this day he is in non-compliance with some of the attention related accommodations. The school does nothing.

This is not my first rodeo with MCPS, and I have built up a thick rhino skin with an elephantine memory. I could go another 12 rounds of “I wrote this” and “they wrote this” in an email, followed by 5 rounds of let's review the tape from our last meeting (all our meetings are recorded) and MCPS said this, but I didn’t think it is going to work. I think we would be in the same space, with no agreement and I would have bad case of writer’s cramp.

It was with great expectations, that I attended the Silver Spring session held by West Ed’s Steve Ruffini at Northwood High School. There were 12 focus groups planned, two “listening” sessions and interviews with staff.

This focus group was filled to capacity with parents with children who had physical and medical disabilities like Fragile X syndrome, autism, downs syndrome.

Hearing the parent stories was really disturbing. There were about 10 of us. But we all had similar experiences:

● Parents having trouble negotiating with MCPS for services, there is no sense that the child’s needs are tied to the services given.
● Questions about whether the services were actually delivered, or if the quality of the services were just not there.
● No method of complaint or resolution when there are problems in an informal and timely way.
● Most of the parents had not filed a Due Process complaint for fear of reprisals against their children.
● Most did not have advocate, but felt they needed one, and could not afford one.
● The parents felt overwhelmed at IEP meetings by the jargon
● Progress cited were in IEP meets were not felt to be genuine.
● There is no way to verify claims made by MCPS without outside testing.

It was not really surprising, but seeing how some of the new parents were treated reminded me of what it was like to start this process. How alienating it is. How alone you feel. How learning all of this stuff was just overwhelming. I felt like I was taking on a whole band of experts, who kept telling me there is nothing wrong. Every proof I submitted, they dismissed. Nothing was ever a problem. I should feel lucky that they are doing anything at all to help my child.

Being in the focus group was a rare moment when I was able to hear from other parents what it is like for them to deal with MCPS regarding their disabled children. One mother I spoke to cried because she had felt so alone in her fight to get services for her child.

Many of the parents had to pay for outside testing out of their own pockets when MCPS would not pay for it, even though MCPS would eventually have to accept the outside findings. The same thing happened in my daughter’s case. I had to get her tested outside three times, over 6 years, before MCPS would give her an IEP.

As I said before, none of these parents had filed complaints for fear of reprisals against their children. The dissatisfaction of these parents are not counted in the complaint numbers. MCSP Spec Ed is not supporting parents in the communication process in a way that makes them feel included and an equal partner as, I believe they are required to under the law.

Where do parents turn when there are problems? They have to turn first to the school. When they can’t agree the parents can ask for mediation. But I can tell you that, I asked my daughter’s school principal for mediation weeks ago and she didn’t even bother to respond. I wish I could say that response level is not typical but it is.

Due Process complaints are not a complete measure of dissatisfaction as many parents at the focus group were deeply dissatisfied but had not filed complaints.

But MCPS has a big problem with Due Process complaints. These are complaints that a parent would file if they feel the school has violated a procedure regarding the identification, testing or delivery of special ed services. Montgomery County has the highest number, 56 out of 225 total complaints for the entire state of Maryland.

MCPS has tried to divert to Mediation many of the Due Process complaints. For school year 2013-2014 there were 81 requests for mediation in Montgomery County out of 262 complaints for every county in Maryland. For comparison, Frederick, Carroll, Cecil, Garrett and Caroline Counties are in the single digits.
Nearly ⅓ of all the mediation requests for the whole state come from Montgomery County. With 55 mediations held and most settled, it seems as if I am not the only parent who has friction with MCPS.

Complaints and mediation are not cheap. From July 2014-January 2015 MCPS spent $171,063 that is a 22.48% increase over last 2014 year to date. With almost all of the money going to the Legal Services of Jeffrey Krew.

One way that, I feel they try to reduce the number of complaints is to stonewall. Refuse to agree to anything. Refuse to acknowledge there is a problem. But even more important, refuse to identify children as a special education student.

For 7 years I knocked on the door of Special Education, asking for my daughter to be let in. Every year we were denied. Year after year, denial after denial. Three rounds of private testing and nothing doing. That is until we hired an advocate. In 6 weeks, she took us from no to a yes. But not all parents can hire an advocate. They should not have to go broke to get their disabled kid a FREE and APPROPRIATE Public Education

We know what the problems are but how do we fix it? How do we create a new paradigm that can change the adversarial nature of
the relationships to create a new method of dealing with disagreements.

At the focus group, it was suggested that school system be required to provide each special education family with a state appointed independent advocate. The school district has high priced outside council, parents should have the same access.

I thought for a long time that it was my actions or aggressive advocacy that had made the process so difficult. What became clear to me was that my experience was far from atypical.

*********footnotes
(Source: Due Process Complaints Outcome of Due Process Complaints END-Year Report Fiscal Year 2014 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014) Published by the Maryland State Board of Education Data reflects cases received by MSDE as of 7/31/14
http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/earlyinterv/complaint_investigation/hearing_decisions/2014/docs/FY14_END_Year_Charts_7_14_14.pdf )
Source for numbers above: Mediations Outcome of Requests for Mediation END-Year Report Fiscal Year 2014 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014) Published by the Maryland State Board of Education. Data reflects cases received by MSDE as of 7/31/14 http://marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/earlyinterv/complaint_investigation/hearing_decisions/2014/docs/FY14_med_END_Year_Charts_7_14_14.pdf

Jeffrey A Krew LLC Two addresses were found: 10715 Charter Drive, Suite 260, Columbia, Maryland 21044. 9713 Rugby Ct Ste 100 Ellicott City, MD 21042 Phone: +1 410 997 6900 Fax: +1 301 621 4903

Will Phil Take the High Road . . .

and ban all credit card spending for MCPS Board of Education Members and MCPS Staff?

Phil Kaufman, the President of the Board of Education, and one of the out of control spenders elected to the Board of Education, is promising to pass a new policy on the rather embarrassing situation with MCPS credit cards.

The next Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, July 15, 2014.  If Phil wants a policy discussed and voted on at the July 28th BOE meeting, the new business session is where he will introduce his new policy.

What will Phil do?  We may not find out, because both meetings have closed sessions.

Personally, I believe the only appropriate policy he can implement involves a moratorium on credit cards throughout the school system.  Stay local, bring a thermos of coffee and a brown bag lunch.  No food for you!

If you have an opinion, contact the Board.  Phil seems to think that guidelines will be sufficient - really - and who does he propose to monitor and audit this process?

We need oversight, and until we can identify how the oversight will occur, the simple answer is to turn in the cards.

And maybe a 12 step program.

Note:  You can contact the BOE before and after the meeting tomorrow.  Preferably both.

Emails are easy, phone calls are free.  

Let Phil know that the credit card issue is out of control and embarrassing.  Tell Phil and the other Carverites to cancel the card.

Contact for Phil:

Phil_Kauffman@mcpsmd.org 

Contact for Board of Education:

Board of Education Office

Montgomery County Public Schools
Carver Educational Services Center
850 Hungerford Drive, Room 123
Rockville, Maryland 20850

Tel: 301-279-3617
Fax: 301-279-3860
 Facebook |  Twitter
E-mail: boe@mcpsmd.org 

Does Senator Raskin's Bill on Sex between Students and Teachers Hit the Mark?

Senator Jamie Raskin, progressive legislator for the Takoma Park/Silver Spring neighborhoods and professor of Law at American University's Law School seeks to "close the loophole" in the state's current criminal code on sex between students and teachers.

Is he successful?   No.

Is his legislation a positive step?  No.

Senator Raskin, profamily man, lawyer, and professor, closes one loophole - concerning part time employees in the school system, and opens two others.  Read his legislation and compare with a current summary of the law.

I see a new statute of limitations where none existed before.  I also read the Raskin bill as permitting sex between students and educators, as long as the age difference between the two is less than seven years.

So - according to the Senator and law professor, sex between a school employee and a student is perfectly fine as long as the age difference is less than seven years.

Ever hear about coercion?  Undue influence?  Venereal diseases?

Do the citizens of Maryland want to swallow this "bitter pill?"

Bigger questions - do Senator Raskin's constituents want him to continue representing them?

And what about American University Law school?  Does AU want a faculty member endorsing what would otherwise be considered rape in many other jurisdictions?

You decide.

  Maryland Sex Abuse Laws

School Design Flaws Indicative of MCPS’s Predator Problem

When a building maintenance worker at Hoover Middle School was arrested on Thursday after allegedly watching female students undressing in their locker room, it became apparent that the school’s layout shows a fundamental design flaw may be responsible in part for placing the young girls at risk.  

NBC Washington reported that Maintenance worker Josh Greenberg, 28, used a Herbert Hoover Middle School staff office to look into the girls’ locker room on two different days, police said.

As NBC Washington reported, the layout of the Rockville/Potomac middle school allowed passersby to peer into the locker room through a window shrouded with blinds located in a staff office - an area possibly accessible by almost anyone. Greenberg reportedly admitted what he had done and was placed on administrative leave, NBC Washington reported.

The architectural blueprint of the school showing the locker room window and its position is located here. And it is that blueprint that would have likely been approved by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Director of Facilities Management James Song.

Hoover Principal Yom Mi Kim wrote to parents after the Nov. 7 arrest: “After these allegations were brought to our attention by the students, we immediately contacted the police, MCPS and the parents of the students involved. The employee has been placed on administrative leave, and an investigation by the MCPS Office of Human Resources and Development is being conducted.”

Then came the MCPS commercial.

“At Hoover, we take pride in ensuring the safety and wellness of all our students. We are proud that students had the courage to come forward and share this information with the staff who they have come to trust and respect.”

It is one more incident in a long line of MCPS staff and teachers who have been arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. In 2013 alone, according to Parents Coalition records, there have been five MCPS workers who have been arrested on sexual misconduct charges.

It is indicative of a systemic problem within the county school system that these alleged predators are able to operate and sometimes thrive around the county’s most vulnerable population.

What’s more damning for MCPS is the emerging evidence that the system moves predators from one school to the next – similar to the actions taken by the Catholic Archdiocese that resulted in millions of dollars in settlements to former abuse victims – and a lifetime of damage to the victims.

It isn’t known how long any of the predators that worked for MCPS were engaged in their appropriate behavior. The school system is more focused on school construction and curriculum secrecy than the safety of the children in their charge.

Despite the recent spate of school shootings, security is not a priority for MCPS. During a recent Parents Day at Bradley Hills Elementary School in Bethesda, the staff piled sign-in sheets and badges on an unmanned table set up in the school entrance way. Anyone could then walk in, sign in and roam freely throughout the school unchallenged.

Slate.com reported that in a 2000 study commissioned by the American Association of University Women, one in 10 students between 8th and 11th grade had reported experiencing inappropriate sexual conduct at school. The news group said that if those number were accurate then nationwide, “4.5 million students currently in grades K-12 have suffered some form of sexual abuse by an educator, and more than 3 million have experienced sexual touching or assault.” 

If a culture of safety isn’t coming from Josh Starr, then it likely won’t filter down to the principals under his charge. Then again, he’s likely far too busy being an education rock star delivering his canned and crafted messages in pricey venues like Strathmore Hall, and having photos of himself getting the Miley Cyrus treatment being tweeted by his staff.

Dr. Starr walks out to give his State of the Schools speech #MCPSSOTS @mcpssuper pic.twitter.com/AyMYrt58He
— Dana Tofig (@MCPSPIO) November 11, 2013

Joshua Starr is Charging Edison HS Students for Textbooks!

Take a look at the incredible fees that Superintendent Joshua Starr is charging students to attend Edison High School!  No wonder enrollment is down at this school!  

Note to students and families: Textbook charges are ILLEGAL under the Maryland Constitution.  Just say no!  
Fees connected with the curriculum of a class are ILLEGAL! Just say no!

---------------------------------------------------------------

BY306-8 Auto Coveralls Ivey,Robert 8/1/2013 $40.00
Automotive classes
BY306-15 Cosmetology III Wilson,Karen $72.00
Student fees
BY306-14 Cosmetology - Textbook Wilson,Karen $107.00
Textbook

BY306-16 Cosmetology II Wilson,Karen  $60.00
Student fee

BY306-37 Cosmetology Kit Payment 1 Wilson,Karen $53.00
Student kits Payment 1 of 5 payments TOTAL COSMETOLOGY FEE $265

BY306-12 FBCT OSHA Certification Haddad,Christopher $5.00
Certification for FBCT
BY306-5 Food Safety Certification Smith,Teresa All NA 8/26/2013 $5.50
Year 1 Certification
BY306-10 Hard Hats DelMarr,Paul $14.00
Program hard hats
BY306-17 Interior Design fee Guzan,Denae  $20.00
Class fee
BY306-18 Medical Careers Mansky,Kristine $9.00
Student fee
BY306-20 Nail Textbook Wilson,Karen $95.00
Textbook
BY306-21 Nail Workbook Wilson,Karen $51.00
Workbook

BY306-46 Nails Wilson,Karen $50.00
Student kits 4th payment TOTAL NAILS FEE $200

BY306-11 NCCER Registry DelMarr,Paul $25.00
National Registry Certification
BY306-23 Network A+Guide Texbook McGee,Jesse $100.00
A+Guide Textbook
BY306-24 Network A+Lab Guide Manual McGee,Jesse  $80.00
Manual
BY306-22 Network Operations McGee,Jesse $38.00
Student fee
BY306-25 Network Operations-Security Guide McGee,Jesse  $160.00
Guide
BY306-26 Print Technologies Digital Graphics King,Carol $20.00
Student fee
BY306-28 Professional Restaurant Management Smith,Teresa  $40.00
Food Prep Fee
BY306-29 Professional Restaurant Management Smith,Teresa  $5.00
Beanie Hat
BY306-30 Professional Restaurant Management Smith,Teresa $25.00
Chef jacket
BY306-6 Respirators Dougherty,Thomas $17.00
Respirators -Auto
BY306-31 SkillSUSA - Membership Johnson,Amy $10.00
Student membership

Will Starr be Interviewing while he is in NYC?

Superintendent Joshua Starr is a "strong contender" for the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools. 

 On Monday, Superintendent Starr will be part of the NBC Education Nation event in New York.

What It Takes: Feedback - A Reality Check on TestingPanelists:

• Paul Pastorek, Senior Advisor, The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

• Joshua P. Starr, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools

• Dennis Walcott, Chancellor, New York City Department of Education

• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

Dr. Doran on How to Install an Artificial Turf Field at your School

Wootton Booster Club

Dr. Doran, the principal of Wootton HS, is so creative.


We are so lucky to have him as principal.  He has kids who score well on standardized tests, and, as a reward, he is able to get perks that simply aren't available in other schools in the county.

Last spring, this blogger wrote about Third Eye Blind concert at Wootton.  At that time, this blooger joked that it seemed the ulterior motive was to ultimately get an artificial turf field at Wootton High School.

This blogger was correct.  Artificial turf is coming to Wootton.

All parents need to do is come up with $200,000 to meet their end of the "partnership" with Bethesda Soccer League, the same folks who brought artificial turf to Walter Johnson High School.

Did I hear that the fundraising needs to be completed by December?

Funny, I don't recall that Gaithersburg or Paint Branch High Schools needed to raise a similar amount, and I know that Richard Montgomery and Montgomery Blair High Schools did not need to dig into their pockets to support a field.

What gives?  Is this a thank you for those test scores?

Pay up folks.  After all, its only $50 per student.  And you get to say that you went to the top nonmagnet high school in Mo Co.




Scan 0004

What the Wootton Kids Really Learned from TunedIn

As I posted before, the Wootton-BBYO concert went on as scheduled - in somewhat rainy, somewhat cold environs.

In my next to last post on this subject (yes, there is still one more piece in the pipeline), I'd like to share some of the lessons learned.

Civic Engagement - according to Dr. Doran and Ms. Taylor, all you need is a party. Doesn't matter what you have to get to do to have the party, just party along and you will be engaged. The louder the better.

Don't worry about the rules - yes, you can have a large party in school facilities, even if you need to import or borrow attendees from outside your school to come to the party. Noise permits, police, traffic control - who needs them? Certainly not a high performing school with well connected parents who can arrange to have things your way.

Run the event after school hours, at a cost that could be prohibitive to some of your school community. After all, the student government raised the funds. School activities are much more fun if you need a ticket on a Saturday night to attend.

Don't forget to bring in a partner, even if the partner's goals aren't your own. So what if its a faith based organization, and its name is on every website. Its great publicity. And if some members of your community feel excluded? The material has no religious content! OK, we'll take off that part about synagogue affiliation from the ticket order form.

Also be sure to include fencing with barbed wire to keep out the undesirables. That way you won't spend as much money on security.

The only folks with any sense during this concert seemed to be the featured attraction. During the afternoon, the sound checks rocked the neighborhood. However, during the concert, the actual noise level did not shake the walls in the neighbors homes. Thanks to Third Eye Blind for recognizing this wasn't your usual commercial venue.

Thanks to the combination of weather and sparse ticket sales, the last lesson learned - the one about parking and traffic - didn't seem to be an issue last night. Attendance at the event was modest, so traffic was not an issue. But another lesson that Dr. Doran and Ms. Taylor need to know for the next event - be sure that you plan for adequate parking, especially if you invite teens from across the county. Maps would be helpful. Telling the Northern Virginia VIPs to park at Frost doesn't mean much.

Which brings us to the next rule. Only plan events that will excite and engage your own students. If you have to count on ticket sales to other "partners" or reach out to other schools, you have failed big time in your key objective with your own students and community.

And for those of you who can't wait for my final post on this topic, I'll give you a hint. I'm waiting for the contracts and the budget information from the various county offices involved in the event. Almost everyone has responded to my request - except for Montgomery County Public Schools. As with Wootton, the rules don't apply to MCPS, so they are holding the materials to the last possible moment at 5 pm before they release anything.  

How does MCPS predict school populations?

Tomorrow morning the Montgomery County Planning Board will be taking up the issue of "the methodology used to administer the annual school test as required by the county's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance."  The discussion is Agenda Item #3.  Coincidentally today's Gazette published an article entitled, "Montgomery school system to use more relocatable Classrooms."  You can read that article here.  Ever wonder why your child attending class in a portable trailer?  Ever wonder why, if you live in Clarksburg, one year after the new public elementary school opened, a portable trailer was required?  For those answers and more, read the Planning Board report, here, or below.  Better yet, comment on the report.  To comment, email the Chair, Ms. Françoise Carrier, at mcp-chairman@mncppc-mc.org.

20120426_BriefingonSchoolsTestMethodology_000

Pension costs soar for Montgomery County schools

From The Examiner:
By: Rachel Baye 11/30/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer

The Montgomery County school system will need to significantly increase its contributions to employee pension plans over the next two to three years, according to new findings by the County Council's Office of Legislative Oversight.

and:

To prevent repeat confusion, the report advises the County Council to request semiannual financial reports from the Board of Education, timed to prepare the council for the budget process.

Read the entire story here.

Note: Parents Coalition first posted the entire report this past Tuesday, for that story and to read the report, go here.