Superintendent shall devote full time, attention and energy...

Take a look at this Superintendent's contract.

No, this isn't Superintendent Jerry Weast's contract. This is the contract entered into between the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Calvert County, Maryland. The contract was JUST SIGNED on Thursday, May 27, 2010 and it is already available for the pubic on the Calvert County Public School website! Talk about transparency!

Jerry Weast has been in Montgomery County since 1999 and the public hasn't seen his contract yet! 


And don't miss the clause in the contract shown below. Imagine a full-time Superintendent - no outside employment or professional activities for compensation without the prior consent of the Board. Has Superintendent Jerry Weast ever brought his schedule of outside activities before the MCPS Board for approval or review? Does Superintendent Weast disclose his outside activities on his Ethics disclosure form? Not that we have seen. Things to think about as MCPS hires its next Superintendent.

Jack Dale stays home, while Weast abandons district

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale was scheduled to present at the AASA Pre-Conference in Phoenix, Arizona today.

But he didn't show up.

Instead, a FCPS Assistant Superintendent gave the presentation.

...Dockery said Jack Dale, superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, who was not able to be at the session due to severe winter weather...

But, here in Montgomery County the weather wasn't so bad! Superintendent Jerry Weast decided he could leave his school district.

Apparently, it was more important to give a presentation on the creation of the Seven Keys in 1999 than stay in Montgomery County during the Blizzard of 2010.


Picture is of a MCPS elementary school parking lot as of Thursday afternoon, February 11, 2010.  More pictures here and here.

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....

Weast to skip parent forum

On Thursday, October 15, 2009, the MCPS Board of Education will be holding their second and final Community Forum.

At the Tuesday, October 13, 2009, Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Weast announced that he would be unable to attend the final Community Forum.

What is more important for a Superintendent than attending a long standing Community Forum where parents and community members can advocate for important budget priorities, especially this year when a spending freeze is in effect?

We'll let you know as soon as we find out.

P.S. Superintendent Jerry Weast was also a no-show at the January 21, 2009, Operating Budget hearing for parents and community members. 

Update: Superintendent Weast explanation to Board of Education for missing Operating Budget Community forum cannot be verified.

WPost: Superintendents Out of Town

The Washington Post is reporting on D.C. Area School Chief's Perk that Refreshes: Travel. The Parents' Coalition website chronicles the travels of MCPS Administrators on the Weast Watch page of its website.

What the article doesn't go into is what the Superintendents were missing when they were out of town. For example, Superintendent Weast has missed Board meetings and events such as graduations and the Superintendent's Performing Arts Award Ceremony when students would actually have had contact with their school system's chief. Last year Superintendent Weast traveled out of town to receive a "Tech-Savvy" Award sponsored in part by Promethean. Later in the year thousands of Promethean Boards arrived in MCPS classrooms.

As a follow up to this article, how about an article on how much time Superintendent's spend in schools with actual students? How many Superintendents have ridden a school bus with students, eaten lunch on the floor in a high school (no room in cafeterias), used a student restroom, attended a P.E. class on a field, or gone back stage for a performance? How many public school students have ever laid eyes on their school superintendent?