Time is running out for MCPS students, parents to fill out Anti-Racist System survey

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Montgomery County single parent Omodamola Williams has two daughters in the public school system and is deeply concerned about the way they're treated.

"It's more so passive-aggressive racism in a way and whatever my daughters go through, it's covered up and I have to find out through other means what's going on," said Williams.

He's sharing his concerns about racism in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) by filling out an Anti-Racist System survey that must be completed by March 31...

https://wjla.com/news/local/mcps-students-parents-anti-racist-system-survey-maryland-schools-crisis-classroom-montgomery-county-public-

Cut of the Week: $30,000 Consultant + $107,144 Part-Time Director

In light of the budget crisis that exists in Montgomery County, beginning today the Parents' Coalition blog will be submitting suggestions for ways to cut the MCPS budget without impacting classrooms. Here's our first suggestion. 

1.  In December 2010, MCPS produced a list of vendors that received over $25,000 in FY10 as required by a new law passed in Annapolis. Included on that list of vendors was a consultant that is paid $30,000 a year to work in the Study Circles program. The Parents' Coalition asks:  “Can’t we find highly qualified volunteers to conduct Study Circles?”

Of course, we can. Savings: $30,000. Impact to classrooms: $0.   

2.  In addition, the Director of the Study Circles program is paid a salary of $107,144 to run this program.  It appears that the Director is only a part-time position as this same person is also listed as working for a national organization as a Senior Associate.  How and when was this position created? Did other people apply for this position? 

Can this position be eliminated and filled by a community volunteer or another full-time staff member? Yes. (In fact a number of the Study Circles staff are AmeriCorps participants.  One of the Parent Community Coordinators in the office is paid a salary of $81,807.84. Is there really a need for more than one paid staff member for this program?)

Savings: $107,144. Impact to classrooms: $0. 

Total suggested cuts to the MCPS budget this week that would not impact classrooms: $137,144.

Please send your ideas for ways to trim the MCPS budget without impacting classrooms to: contact at parentscoalitionmc.com

Going in Circles Without Any Facts

by Joe Hawkins

When I worked at Teaching Tolerance Magazine (1992, 1993), I wrote a piece about study circles.  I like study circles.

Study circles were created in 1989 by the Study Circles Resource Center. Eventually, the Center evolved into the organization known now today as Everyday Democracy (click here for a link to that organization). Everyday Democracy uses study circles as a means for communities to discuss a wide range of social and public issues, including criminal justice, education, race, and neighborhood development.

On November 9, 2010, The Washington Post ran an article on study circles (“Trying to close the circle on race”—click here for a link to the article: ) and their specific use by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to explore issues centered around race. When reading the Post article, I wish I could have stopped the science part of brain from working.  MCPS is crediting its study circles with all kinds of miraculous deeds, including reviving PTA’s, mixing up kids of different races in school lunchrooms, academic achievement gap busting solutions, and increased enrollments by students of color in Advanced Placement courses.

You see the science part of brain is always asking for numbers, facts, and figures.  So as I read the Post piece, I was amazed at the absence of any facts and figures. And let’s be clear here, the Post MCPS study circles article implies that study circles are credited with improving race relations, as well as a whole lot of other things. 

Okay—I’m all for improving race relations, but what’s the baseline for race relations in the county schools?  For example, how did white and blacks parents feel about one another before the institution of study circles (in the schools with the circles)? And further, before study circles, where all the kids of color sitting separate from all the white kids in our school lunchrooms? How can we Post readers rightly judge the impact of these study circles for improving race relations if no one knows what the starting point is?

Now there is an official MCPS study circles evaluation report. That report is found here.

However, this report lacks a clear picture of where race relations stand in our schools prior to the introduction of study circles. In fact, based on my knowledge of the issue, the last time the county adequately assessed race relations—how well students of different backgrounds view each other—was in 1994 when the county’s Committee on Hate/Violence conducted a random telephone poll of county high school students. I was a member of that county committee.