Denver in April

Interested in Social Change through Education? Then the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, from April 25-27, 2010 is for YOU!

Council on Foundations
2010 Annual Conference
Denver, CO
April 25-27, 2010
Monday, April 26th 10:30 AM

Getting Out of the Catch-Up Business: PreK-3rd as the First Indispensable Step
Hyatt Regency, Mineral Hall B/C, Third Level

By third grade, children must have the knowledge, skills, and disposition to succeed in school. By then, children must develop the skills to read, to learn, to understand and use mathematical concepts, and to be engaged in a learning community of peers and adults. Doing so requires that students begin early with quality pre-kindergarten and continue with instruction that builds on what children have learned and what they will be expected to learn. This approach (known increasingly as Pre-K-3rd) is being tried across the country. These years are the first, indispensable link in a Pre-K-16 education system that prepares all students for college.

Moderator: Ralph Smith, executive vice president, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Presenters: Jerry Weast, superintendent, Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools; Timothy Knowles, John Dewey director, Urban Education Institute, University of Chicago; Ruby Takanishi, president and CEO, Foundation for Child Development
Session Designer: Fasaha M. Traylor, senior program officer, Foundation for Child Development

In Education Vote, Politics Wins; Kids Lose.

From the Special Needs Truth '08 blog:

...Parents vocally expressed their opposition to this plan. Many pointed out that Superintendent Jerry Weast blatantly violated a Board of Education policy that new programs must be presented in time to be reviewed -- before showing up in a budget.

Today, the members of the Board of Education unanimously approved that budget.

Unanimously, they voted against a proven program that parents have relied on to give their children a chance to succeed.

Unanimously, they told parents of special-needs children that they do not value their opinions and experiences when making major changes to the services the county offers.

Unanimously, they told Dr. Weast that he can unilaterally create, change, or shut down any program he chooses -- and they will rubber stamp his decisions.

Unanimously, they threatened the future well-being of our county's youngest and most at-risk children.

------

The Parents' Coalition learned that even before today's vote at least one teacher had been hired to teach in the new MCPS pre-school program and at least one child had already been assigned to the new pre-school program, even before it had been approved by the Board of Education.

It doesn't appear that the Board of Education vote today had any meaning whatsoever as the new MCPS pre-school program was already being set up and assigned students. The MPAC program's fate was sealed before today.

The Board of Education is not in charge of Montgomery County Public Schools.

A Teacher's Epiphany: Caught up in a world that does not look for the strengths they do have...

Washington Post's The Answer Sheet:
Special ed arts teacher walks in students' shoes


Pamela Michaels has worked for 28 years with at-risk special education students in four schools. She developed two art programs in schools for students with learning disabilities and taught numerous subjects, including Spanish and music. After years working with learning disabled students, Michaels suffered her own disability--severe hearing loss--that helped her gain a new understanding of the challenges her students had faced throughout the years. Here is her story.

By Pamela Michaels

...So much is written about the academic difficulties that students with learning differences have; not enough is shared about their creative strengths, nor the significant courage they exhibit by just showing up to school every day...

Five years later, I went deaf in one ear and started to develop some serious communication issues of my own and, simultaneously, I began to see, hear and feel things through the eyes of my students...


...I would like to ask readers to remember some of my points when you read about "at-risk" youth or "lazy" kids. Most are not lazy. They are caught up in a world that does not look for the strengths they do have...

Weast Bypasses Board, Moves Forward with New Program

Special Needs Truth '08 blog reports on the hiring of teachers to staff a program that hasn't been voted on by the Board of Education yet.

Here's an interesting (and disappointing) development with the Montgomery County scheme to shift preschoolers with special needs to a new experimental program in public elementary schools. I call it a "scheme" because emerging details suggest that the public hearings, meetings with board members, and letters and phone calls from parents may not have really mattered -- because the county is moving forward with the implementation of this program BEFORE IT HAS BEEN APPROVED.

Article continues here.

Parents organize to fight for prized programs | Washington Examiner

Parents organize to fight for prized programs Washington Examiner

..."It's very important for the council to think about who's not at the table, but who also has a lot at stake," Andrews said. "The people working three jobs,
for example, or groups that traditionally aren't organized because of a lack of resources, or time, or maybe because their interests are much more general."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Parents-organize-to-fight-for-prized-programs-82118877.html#ixzz0d9nmpfK4


Really Councilmember Andrews?
Where was your concern for the "others" when you sat back and approved the school system making tens of millions of dollars in purchases without bids or contracts?
What about the $133 million plus in leases that the school system has taken out to keep the county in debt for years? Didn't the State Audit cite concerns on this issue?
What about the funds that the school system takes in from outside sources but never brings to the Council for appropriation? Didn't you say this was a "serious mistake"?
What about the 1,400 credit cards floating around the public school system? How are they being used? Didn't the State Audit bring these cards up as a concern?  

Would these proposed cuts be necessary if the Council was exercising any oversight over the school system's budget?

My Old Kentucky Home

Coming up soon: The 74th annual conference of the Kentucky School Boards Association, Jan. 22-24 at the Galt House in Louisville.

Guess who's scheduled as a keynote speaker on Saturday morning: Montgomery County (Md.) Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast on raising academic standards and narrowing the achievement gap.


Leading for Equity Begins with Preschool

Dr. Jerry D. Weast is superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest and most diverse school system in Maryland and the 16th largest district in the nation.


Learn about his ambitious comprehensive reform effort designed to raise academic standards and narrow the achievement gap — an effort that includes an investment in preschool education for both public and private providers. Hear how this effort has paid great dividends as the district’s most disadvantaged young children have demonstrated text-level reading skills comparable to those of their peers in wealthy suburbs and how your school board can play a critical role in quality preschool education in your district.

Investment in preschool education, huh? MPAC, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Someone forgot to tell you that Weast wants to shut down your program....

$32,782 coffee tab

Coffee or COLA?

With all due respect to coffee drinkers, is a $32,782 coffee contract required in a public school's "bare bones budget"?

Please note that the memorandum for this MCPS purchase shows it was a contract extension, no bids were taken.

This procurement was made in the summer of 2009, long after teachers had given up their COLAs and the school system was under various classroom related spending freezes.

If coffee is sold to students at lunch is MCPS recovering the cost, or is this purchase just for administrator and staff consumption? If you know, please comment.

UPDATE: Board & Weast mute as parents choke back tears

UPDATED: 1/16/2010

The Parents' Coalition has learned that two members of the Board of Education contacted the Arc of Montgomery County, and asked them to relinquish Operating Budget public testimony slots obtained by members of the public speaking in support of the MPAC program. (See original post below.) 

This attempt by the Board of Education to stifle families of children with disabilities represents the WORST kind of censorship attempt imaginable.

From now on, will the Board of Education pick and choose which community members it wants to hear from? If so, what is the purpose of public testimony at all?

FOR SHAME.

* * * * *
Original Post of January 14, 2010:

From the Special Needs Truth '08 blog:

Video Highlights: Testimony Against Plan to Displace Special-Needs Preschoolers

Lyda Astrove: "A one-size-fits-all model will not work for children with disabilities....It is not too late to reverse this disastrous course that has been pushed on you by the superintendent. Listen to your teachers and parents, and bring back the full continuum of services for students with disabilities."

Lyda Astrove: Testimony on Special-Needs Preschool from Mark Miller on Vimeo.

Bob Allnutt: "Concept of inclusion is popular and politically correct, but the fact is many children are incapable of learning in a typical environment."

Bob Allnutt: Testimony on Special-Needs Preschool from Mark Miller on Vimeo.
More video of public comment given to a mute Board of Education and Superintendent on January 13, 2010 from the Special Needs Truth '08 blog here.

Could you sit through the comments from 23 parents (many of whom were choking back tears) and teachers and not respond? That's what the MCPS Board of Education and Superintendent Jerry Weast did last night.

News Channel 8: Some big changes on the way

And for more on this story, Plan to Displace High-Risk Preschoolers in Maryland Attracts Media Interest

Washington Post Letter: Special kids should not be denied access to valued preschool

Special kids should not be denied access to valued preschool

...Mr. Weast submitted a budget that would place 3-year-olds with delays and disabilities in public schools, an unwise plan that disability advocates and parents strongly oppose. Today, MPAC is meeting the needs of 73 students in two schools. Mr. Weast's proposal would disproportionately affect African American and Hispanic students, who make up 65 percent of MPAC's students...

"Weast's Plan is Wrong"

Today's blog post is by Guest author Mark Miller, and is reposted from his blog, Special Needs Truth 08.

Why Dr. Weast's Plan is Wrong for Our County and Wrong for Our Children

I have posted a memo from Superintendent Jerry Weast to the members of the Board of Education, trying to justify his proposal to displace preschoolers with special needs from a school that has been effectively serving children and families for 50 years. I intentionally reprinted his entire letter, to give him an opportunity to share his position, unfiltered, to people like you who care about this issue. Now that I've done that, I'd like to react to some of his claims.

WHAT HE SAYS:
The district will spend "no additional dollars." The recommendation is "budget-neutral for the next fiscal year." The plan "may be more cost-effective, but that was not a deciding factor in making this educational decision."

WHAT THIS MEANS:
We all know states and counties are facing budget challenges, and if Dr. Weast came out and said budget cuts are forcing him to eliminate good programs for children with special needs and reduce the quality and intensity of early-intervention programs for young children, that would be sad but a fact we'd need to address. But if this is NOT a cost-savings measure, why is he trying to force through a radical change to the way children are served as a small item in the budget? This is the wrong time and the wrong way to make such a major change that will affect so many children.

WHAT HE SAYS:
"MPAC has been − and remains − a valued partner with MCPS, and we believe that program has served our children well."

WHAT THIS MEANS:
In partnership with MPAC, the county is effectively meeting the needs of preschool children who require intensive early intervention. If he truly values MPAC and its leadership, why is he trying to force through this change without consulting with them? After providing these services for 50 years, and partnering with the county for 30 years, MPAC has the expertise, commitment, and resources to further improve services for our county's children. But the larger point is, if it's not broke (as Dr. Weast acknowledges), why fix it? Or, in this case, possibly break it?

WHAT HE SAYS:
"MPAC is concerned about the prospect that there could be fewer referrals to their program and they have engaged their stakeholders in an effort to aggressively advocate against the creation of a public option for our families." [emphasis added]

WHAT HE MEANS:
Dr. Weast is feeling the pressure from parents whose children will be affected by this plan, and he's trying to tell board members that this is just a lobbying campaign orchestrated by MPAC. He's wrong. MPAC officials are not professional advocates, lobbyists, lawyers, bloggers, or communicators. They teach and they dedicate their lives to supporting children who need extra help. From what I've heard, they are spending a lot of time these days answering questions from concerned parents --"What will this mean for my child?" "Does this mean MPAC won't be here for other children?" "Who's making this decision, and what can I do?" If Dr. Weast thinks it's inappropriate for MPAC to answer those questions from the people they serve, he couldn't be more wrong. And for the record, I am a board member of the Arc of Montgomery County, which I have mentioned before, but I care about this proposal as a parent of a child who attended MPAC for three years and received exceptional instruction that I couldn't have found anywhere else, public or private. No one has told me what to say, how to say it, or who to say it to. I'm looking forward to testifying at the board hearing on Jan. 13, and I'm sure I'll be joined by many parents who are just as passionate as me about preserving special needs programs that work.

WHAT HE SAYS:
Parents will be better off with schools closer to their homes, instead of going to MPAC in either Silver Spring or Gaithersburg.

WHAT THIS MEANS:
Dr. Weast is taking a "one-size-fits-all" approach with this point, saying that proximity equals better education. That's a stretch. Here's a question for parents (whether or not your child has special needs) -- would you rather send your child to the closest school or the best, most appropriate school for your child? Well, when your child has special needs, that choice is even more important. Making the wrong decision or the wrong placement when your child is 3 is pretty risky, considering his or her brain is still developing, and researchers know more clearly than ever how important those early years are in a child's development.

WHAT HE SAYS:
This is about choice, and letting children attend preschool close to their homes.

WHAT THIS MEANS:
Where is the choice in eliminating a proven program that parents passionately support? Are current MPAC parents demanding public options closer to their homes? If they're happy with the program, I doubt it. Maybe in introducing this program in February, parents could be given a choice. The conversation may go something like this: "We know your child needs special services because of his or her delays/disability. We'll give you a choice. The first option is a program that has been effective for 50 years, with specialized teachers, therapists, and facilities, all in one building. You can talk to parents whose children have attended, to see if you think it might be a good fit for your child. The second option is a new preschool program the county is starting this year, and your child will go to a nearby elementary school. We've never done this before for children this age, and no teachers have been hired yet, and no training has been identified, but your child will be closer to home, and we're hopeful it will be a good program."

Yes, let's provide choice. Dr. Weast and the Board of Education should be MPAC's biggest champions, and more families (or at least the same number of families) should be able to choose to send their children to MPAC for the most specialized, intensive early intervention. Look into ways to expand preschool services for children in Montgomery County, but don't do anything that would threaten the viability of MPAC to provide the same level of service it has for 50 years.

***********

Superintendent Weast Responds about Plan to Displace Preschoolers with Special Needs

When I wrote to Superintendent Jerry Weast to express my concerns about his plan to displace preschoolers with special needs, I told him I would be happy to share his views if he would answer my questions. While he did not respond to me, I did receive this letter that he wrote to the Board of Education on Dec. 18. Here it is, in its entirety without editing or commentary. (I will post my response soon).

Office of the Superintendent of Schools
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Rockville, Maryland

December 18, 2009

Members of the Board of Education Jerry D. Weast, Superintendent of Schools

Expanding Public Prekindergarten Options for Special Education Students

In my Fiscal Year 2011 Recommended Operating Budget, I have proposed that we increase our district’s capacity to deliver pre-school special education services to our students while spending no additional dollars. The proposal calls for six locations to open in school buildings around the county that will serve a total of up to 36 students. We plan to begin the program, which will serve 3-and 4-year-olds who have demonstrated significant developmental delays, at one school in February so that families can see the program in action. The six locations will be in the schools where we currently have School/Community-based programs for students with significant disabilities and will undoubtedly be closer to home for many families who will need to access these services.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has not had a public program to serve these students previously. Many of these students attended the Montgomery County Achievement Center (MPAC), a nonpublic school under the auspices of the Arc of Montgomery County. MPAC has been−and remains−a valued partner with MCPS and we believe that program has served our children well. However, we also believe that our families should have a public opportunity for placement of their young children with significant developmental delays. This recommendation is budget-neutral for the next fiscal year because it assumes the same cost per student regardless of whether students are served in MCPS or through MPAC. Ultimately, we believe a public option for these students may be more cost-effective, but that was not a deciding factor in making this educational decision.

Understandably, MPAC is concerned about the prospect that there could be fewer referrals to their program and they have engaged their stakeholders in an effort to aggressively advocate against the creation of a public option for our families. I certainly appreciate their perspective and understand that they believe their program may not be viable without continued referrals from MCPS. Having said that, I believe it is in the best interest of our families to provide them with more choices to access our high-quality programs in schools that are closer to their homes.

MPAC operates programs at two sites − in Gaithersburg and Silver Spring−while our proposed six sites would be dispersed across the county at Glen Haven, Wayside, Sherwood, Cashell, Germantown, and Luxmanor elementary schools. Families taking advantage of the public option would have access to the wealth of special education services that we already provide in our elementary schools. These classes, which will have a maximum of six students each, will be part of the MCPS Preschool Education Program, a well-established, high-quality program. In addition, our program will offer the opportunity for students to interact with their non-disabled peers, which is not an option through MPAC.

As you know, a student’s placement into one of our programs or a program like MPAC is determined through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. We will continue to work closely with our families at every step of the process to determine the most appropriate placement for their children. Thus, it is premature for MPAC to conclude that they would receive no referrals from MCPS to their program. It is important to note that we continue to see increases in the numbers of preschool students with special needs. We will continue to work with MPAC and other community partners to provide high-quality services to our students with special needs.

We are excited about this new option for our families and invite you to visit one of our pre- school special education programs in action. Questions about these plans may be referred to Ms. Chrisandra Richardson, acting associate superintendent for special education and student services, at 301-279-3604. I will continue to keep you informed.

oops....I did it again

During a 2 1/2-hour meeting between those in the school community
and members of the County Council on the council's education
subcommittee, Frieda Lacey, the deputy superintendent, apologized for
the manner in which the public had been excluded from making the call
on the sensitive budgetary matter.

"It was a huge mistake of the school system," she said of the fact
stakeholders have not been kept fully abreast of the proposal."

*****************
Remember that? It wasn't all that long ago that the Deputy Superintendent, Frieda Lacey, was apologizing to the County Council for failing to tell members of the disability community about changes planned to special education programs and services.

Now they've done it again. MCPS is planning a massive shift of special education preschoolers, ONCE AGAIN with no notice to, or consultation with, the disability community OR the affected stakeholders: parents of children receiving intensive special education preschool services at the Montgomery Primary Achievement Center.

Wonder what the Baldridge reviewers would have to say about this one? No notice to, or consultation with the community, no advance planning, and not even any notice whatsoever to the current service provider that this change was even a possibility. Just "head 'em up, and move 'em out." No documentation showing the real costs of moving the children vs. keeping them in an existing program, no conversations with the current service partner on how to coordinate a successful transition...and on and on.

With apologies to Britney Spears, some music is in order:


I think they did it again
They made me believe they care what we think
Oh, baby
It might seem like a rush
But it doesn't mean they'll deviate
'Cause to lose families' trust
That is just so typically MCPS
Oh, baby, baby

Weast Plans Displacement of Disabled Preschoolers

Hidden in Jerry Weast's budget documents is another blow to the special needs community.

The Montgomery Primary Achievement Center, which has provided quality early-intervention services for preschoolers with significant disabilities, including autism and mental retardation, is under attack by Jerry Weast. Last year, with no warning, the "Collaborative Autism Preschool Program" of MPAC was eliminated by Weast's budgetary slight of hand, and given the stamp of approval by Shirley Brandman and the Board of Education.

Now it is the main MPAC program slated for the chopping block. The MPAC program has served Montgomery County children well for over thirty years, and provided an important part of the continuum of special education programs and services for children whose needs exceed what can be met by a public school program.

CLICK HERE to see the You Tube video about what has been proposed.

Will the Board of Education allow this to happen?

Berthiaume: "I'm sorry...had I known...I would have sat stone faced."

Statement of MCPS Board of Education member Laura Berthiaume on February 9, 2009, during Board of Education discussion of resolution to vote on MCPS FY10 Operating Budget
(transcribed from webcast at 1:25:57)

Once I pass my vote on this proposed budget, the budget will move forward and I will support it as it will be the decision of the whole board, which I will be obliged to support. To be on the team means to support the team position, and I will. But I do not believe that to be a team player means to sit mute when the play is being called, or to fail to vote in good conscience yea or nay, or to fail to explain my vote on how the play should be executed and so I am going to do that now.

First, I want to say that I am disappointed that the Board was unable to have the benefit of the evaluation of the Learning Center transition before acting today. The resolution before us specifically approves the 2010 Special Education staff plan as proposed. I don't know how the Board can effectively provide oversight on, or input into, a special education staffing plan when it is missing vital information on whether or not one of the major moves in how we provide special education services over the last two years has in fact worked for the special education students receiving those services. This is the equivalent of buying a "pig in a poke".

Second, I do not agree with the Board's current approach to the budget. As this stands, it does appear that a majority of the Board is committed to passing the Superintendent's budget without change. Apparently on the theory that the federal, state and county numbers at this time are uncertain and furthermore that to change anything at all is to somehow invite the County Council to change the numbers in the eleven categories as set forth in the resolution. The uncertainty as to the federal and state numbers can be rectified, as I believe we are going to entertain a motion to amend, to take up those considerations in April, rather than in June. At that time those state and federal numbers will be certain. I hope and encourage the Board to support that motion.

The uncertainty as to the county number is present every single year. To take the position that the Board will always support the Superintendent's Budget in February, without change or until it comes back from the County Council, lest the Council interfere with the budget, effectively means that every February the Board will always accept the Superintendent's recommended funding. By taking this position the Board is agreeing to basically limit its role to behind the scenes advocacy for priorities that may, or may not ever receive public exposure. And furthermore, is largely agreeing to limit its role to that of cheerleader for the budget. What is left to be decided in June is solely whether anything will be restored, not whether anything that perhaps should have been cut was not in fact cut.

Keep in mind that our inaction now does in my opinion effectively doom the Middle School Magnet Consortium and the Reading and Staff development positions, because teachers will need to commit to positions for the next school year and many will chose to take new positions or leave the system, rather than bet on an uncertain restoration of the cuts.

It seems to me moreover that a failure by the Board to actually evaluate and make appropriate changes to the proposed budget now is in fact itself an invitation to the County Council to meddle. If the Board will not do its own business as a body that is supposed to oversee the school system budget, and do so in a representative fashion for the best interests of the students, taking into account public testimony, then I see no reason why the County Council should hesitate to do our business for us. Beyond this it seems to me that to take this approach to the Budget wastes an awful lot of time and effort, both by the Board and by the community at large.

If it is the Board's intent to always support the proposed Budget in February, as is, with no changes, and then to make changes around the edges only in June after the County Council has adopted its budget, then perhaps we should just have the Superintendent present the budget to the County Council directly in February. Let our PTA's and parent's advocate directly to the Council. For it is clear we'll take no action right now as a result of the public's advocacy. And perhaps not very much action at a later time. After all, it will always be true that the school system as a whole will have moved ahead by June on the assumption that 99% of the Budget is a done deal. It seems to me to be inefficient and unseemly to sit in front of a crowded room in January full of people who think that their pleas will result in action now, if we know that no changes will be made. To raise hopes and expectations when the reality is that there is no hope is unfair.

As I left one Budget hearing I heard one parent say to another that the Board seemed to be moved by the stories that we heard of the children in the MPAC program. And there was real excitement in that parent's voice. I was the Board member who responded so enthusiastically. To that parent, I'm sorry. Sorry I responded so positively to your story. Had I known how misleading my reaction was, I would have sat stone faced.

In sum, if the Board will not do its job, then I will cast my vote against the budget because I believe we have a job to do. After I cast my vote, as I said, I will support it once it passes. But I encourage the Board to take this up again in April and to do its job now. Thank you.