"...legacy is routinely overblown."

Do students benefit from the exaggeration of the successes of a Superintendent?

The Washington Post, Education Secretary Arne Duncan's legacy as Chicago schools chief questioned

...But the new math scores signal that Chicago is nowhere near the head of the pack in urban school improvement, even though Duncan often cites the successes of his tenure as he crusades to fix public education...

In the interview, Duncan said he is careful not to exaggerate his record. Critics, however, say his legacy is routinely overblown.

"There's been this rhetoric about dramatic gains, dramatic success, that we have to replicate this model because of its dramatic success," said Julie Woestehoff of the advocacy group Parents United for Responsible Education. "And here in Chicago, we're looking at these schools and going, 'Uh . . . ' "

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...

Where has all the money gone?

Where has all the money gone?

As I begin to look at Jerry Weast’s proposed FY2011 Operating Budget, I must ask where has all the money gone. For 11 budget cycles Jerry has preached to the Montgomery County community about our need to invest in our children’s education, and lectured our elected leaders that to do anything other then give ½ our budget to the schools was immoral.

And like the lemmings, our Montogmery County community has marched in step with Jerry for a decade. But today I asked myself, again, where has all the money gone?

For starters: I see that next year's budget proposal allocates just 54 cents of each dollar to Instruction. The other 46 cents are for Overhead. Not necessarily meaningful, until we roll back the clock. As recently as 2002, 60 cents out of every dollar went to instruction. In terms of what Jerry proposed for next year this represents an extra $132 Million dollars of overhead that could have actually been invested in Instruction. Think of it: without another nickel of tax revenue or government aid, we could have been looking at an extra $132 million dollars to the classroom.

Reflected in another way, Non-Instructional Costs Per Pupil have risen by 102%, or doubled, since Jerry arrived in FY2000. Yet our investment in Instructional Costs Per Pupil has only increased by 70%. For comparative purposes, the Consumer Price Index only rose a cumulative 26% between 2000 and today, or around 2.7% per year. In other words, the community has dug deep into its pockets. But when overhead grows faster then the base there is good reason to question what it was spent on.

We can’t have what our Board of Education likes to call a “Courageous Conversation” about the MCPS budget without talking about Wages & Benefits. But that never happens. They won’t allow it to happen. Why are Labor negotiations not open to the public, or at least the media? And why are the Labor negotiations never completed until after the School Board's Public Hearings on the Budget? Who is protecting the public’s interest and where is our belief in open government?

The result has been that in Jerry’s decade he pushed and bullied the Board and County Council into approving wage scales for teachers that have grown at a compound rate of 7.4% per year for a decade. That is 2 ¾ times the rate of inflation. And when it looked like our political leaders might not go along, he deployed his $10M media empire and his fleet of buses to pack the hearing room.

On the Employee Benefit front, the situation is even more unsustainable for the taxpayers. Back in 2000 we had a budget allocation of 16 cents of every dollar funding employee benefits. Further, that rate had been stable dating back to at least 1994. But under Jerry and his “helium hand” Boards of Education, this allocation has risen steadily. So much so that next year's budget proposal commits over 23 cents of every school system dollar to just pay for employee and retiree benefits. That is a shift of $154 Million that could have, but does not, go to Instruction.

This data strongly suggests that despite the millions spent on spin and rhetoric, during Jerry’s decade, the real investment has favored protecting the bloated bureaucracy, oversized wage increases, and maintaining an extremely generous, but outdated system of employee benefits. As much as my comments may tick some off, the data suggests that these priorities have come first in line, and well before instructional services for children.

Bob Astrove
MCPS Operating Budget by Category

With Apologies to Roger Angell

The holidays are here and the year’s almost over;
We start to look back on a year filled with clover.

Happy Holidays to members of the Parents Coalition,
Here’s hoping for a better year-- we’ll be wishin’.

A Merry Christmas to Nancy Floreen, who bested the MoCo political machine,
Best wishes to her on her new presidency,
We’re sure she’ll keep faith with her constituency.

To Valerie Ervin and to Phil Andrews, we hope that your stockings are filled only with glad news. No coals only good things, to repair infrastructure; we need those new watermains before they all rupture.

In the upcoming year we’ll need all hands on deck to fix mold, leaky ceilings and bathrooms awreck. Our children need clean air with much less particulate and shiny new textbooks to make them articulate.

Here’s hoping we have transparency and less malice
For that we can look to Al Carr up in Annapolis.

For Duchy Trachtenberg, on a whim we’ll
hope the dreidel comes up -- gimel.

At this winter solstice its hard to believe its been one whole year since we met; to those new and old on the PCMC net.

And to our exceptional eagle eyes on development,
Donna Baron and Jim Humphrey, should be in their element
with master plans coming up by the score,
We hope the New Year brings less and not more.

And all good wishes to our hard-working Council,
Here’s hoping November elections don’t trounce you.

To Shirley Brandman, Board president past,
From all your friends who are pains in the ass.

To Kumar and Janis and kudos to Lyda,
Who all work so hard to make things all right-a.

For Louis who writes FOIAs with his mighty pen,
we hope you’ll keep at it in two thousand ten.

Merry Christmas Tim Hwang,
The youngest board member, we hope—
you get the vote!

A sweet and delicious bûche de noël for all of the citizens who make living here so swell.

To Diana Conway and all those who twitter, let’s make this a New Year that is all aglitter.

And fond Christmas wishes to kids at Monocacy,
You kept your school open by behaving so raucously,

A very good Christmas and Chanukah too to those hard-working ecokids – the Piney Branch crew.

And let’s not forget the county exec, Isiah Leggett who makes everything tick.

For Judy Docca and of course to Phil Kauffman let’s hope next year’s ‘retreats’ come none to often.

To Miranda Spivack and to Jen Beasley, keep writing your stories…
we wish you success and more news on the mores …
Of Dr. J. Weast and Rollin Stanley -- so please keep your pens and your notebooks quite handy.

And to Brad Pearson who uncovers the truth, thanks for your work, you are quite the sleuth.

We can’t forget friends Kate Ryan and Ms. Fabel, we wish for more stories when you are able.

And to newcomer Nelson hello to the fray,
We read your stories day after day.

To all those who participate in our democracy,
Here’s wishing a better 2010 than its s’posed to be.

We come to the last of our end-of-year doggerel,
With hopeful eyes forward to the New Year’s inaugural.

Goodbye to the old year and in with the new,
The Parents Coalition wishes you all fair adieu.

Happy Holidays and a Good New Year in 2010 from the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County.

DC Metro Moms: What's Happening to MCPS?

DC Metro Moms: What's Happening to MCPS?

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"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.

2011 MCPS Transportation Budget Petition - The Petition Site

According to the information on this petition, this effort has been started by a 6th grader.

2011 MCPS Transportation Budget Petition - The Petition Site

Jerry Weast, Superintendent of Schools, proposed to cut off all transportation for out of local buses, forcing any IB or magnet program students to find their own way to school. Many students, including myself, can NOT find this kind of transportation. Please spread the news about this problem.

$33,441 on Staff Appreciation at Churchill HS

On April 15, 2009 the Churchill PTSA presented public comment on the MCPS Operating Budget to the Montgomery County Council.  The Churchill PTSA advocated for more funding for the MCPS Operating Budget because of the elimination of illegal curricular fees.  The Churchill PTSA presentation included the following:

"We spend approximately $30,000+ per year to provide an on-going rigorous lab program to students. This equates to approximately $13.00 per student per year for science lab supplies. MCPS provides approximately $10,000 and student’s fees provide the remaining $20,000+."

Let's check that statement out. The last annual financial statement for Churchill High School as of the date of the PTSA comment was June 30, 2008. The Parents' Coalition has obtained the Churchill 2008 financial statement and it is shown below.  

For the year ending June 30, 2008, Churchill High School's Science Department had spent $14,522.93, not the $30,000+ that the PTSA claimed.  The Science Department had an ending balance in that account of $22,376.

If it is true that the MCPS Operating Budget allocated $10,000 to the Churchill Science Department, and the Science Department spent $14,522.93, then the actual gap between MCPS funding and what was spent was $4,522.93. It is impossible to tell from the financial statement how those funds were spent as there is no break down of disbursements. (A gap of more like $2.26 per student between MCPS funding and expenses.)

The PTSA math is also skewed as it states that Churchill High School spends $13 per student on science lab materials. If that were true the total spent on 2,000 students would be $26,000 (not $30,000+). If MCPS contributes $10,000 then the difference would be $16,000 if those numbers were accurate.  That would work out to an $8 per student gap. Yet, the PTSA states that Churchill High School is collecting between $10 to $25 per student.

Either way, the annual financial statement shows that Churchill High School was collecting more in student fees than were allegedly used for science materials. 

What is clear from the Churchill High School Independent Activity Fund (student funds) financial statement is where they have been spending $30,000+.  According to the June 30, 2008 financial statement, Churchill High School has been spending that kind of money on Staff Appreciation. 

Churchill Audit Statements 063008

Maryland's Montgomery County Public School system faces more declining performance indicators

Maryland's Montgomery County Public School system faces more declining performance indicators

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2/3 of candidates for Milwaukee Sup job have MCPS connection

The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports on a current MCPS associate superintendent and a former MCPS deputy superintendent vying for the job of Milwaukee Public School superintendent.

The Milwaukee School Board has narrowed its list of candidates for Milwaukee Public Schools' next superintendent to three, the school district announced in a news release Thursday night.

The three finalists are:

• Robert Alfaro, area superintendent of the Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nev.

• Stacy Scott, associate superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Md.

• Gregory Thornton, superintendent, Chester Upland Public Schools, Chester, Pa.

And here is a Seattle Times article from 2007 when Gregory Thornton was also applying to be the Superintendent of the Seattle school system.   

The Philadelphia Inquirer revealed that Thornton was one of two district officials who signed off on a $926,000 no-bid contract with Plato Learning five months after the education-software company subsidized their trip to South Africa. According to the paper, the district acknowledged the ethics violation last year and promised disciplinary action against Thornton and the other official.


In an interview today, Philidelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas said the district formally investigated the matter and found Thornton had already planned the Africa trip before taking the job with the Philidelphia district.

Read this article closely. It says that a trip to Africa that was partially paid for by an education vendor was planned before Mr. Thornton started at the Philadephia position.

In June of 2004, the month of the Africa trip that was partially paid for by an education vendor according to The Philadephia Inquirer, Mr. Thornton was still employed by MCPS (see bottom of page 23).

School on Tuesday Dec. 22?

Kids, do your homework.  Maybe its the Obama factor, and the school system doesn't want to look foolish after last winter's comments from the White House about school closings for a little bit of snow.  Or maybe because the kids in Rockville who would sing "No school tomorrow" and wear their PJs inside out to keep school closed have graduated. 

Despite the record snowfall in Montgomery County this weekend, looks like schools will open on Tuesday.  No official word from Carver yet, but here is what I see.   

Snowplows are out in MCPS school parking lots, in anticipation of kids returning to school on Tuesday after the BIG SNOW.   Snow plows were at Fallsmead ES at 10:30 am today (Dec. 21) and at Wootton HS a few minutes ago (12:30  p.m.)

I am impressed.  Remember all those years when MCPS just waited for the snow to melt?   Not this time. 

Schools are closed on Monday -- So what is the BOE doing?

Exclusive video of the Board of Education

Contributed by Blair Wilen, Magruder High School

Student database gives rise to student worries | Washington Examiner

Student database gives rise to student worries Washington Examiner

All posts on the new MyMCPS database & social networking system for teachers here.

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?

Personal Use of MCPS Vehicles

Thursday, December 17th, 2009, was a busy shopping day at the Rio Center, in Gaithersburg. Parking lots were so full, some folks had to park behind the Dicks Sporting Goods store in order to finish up their holiday purchases. But even at 10:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning, MCPS employees had time to stop by the shopping center in between rounds of fixing bathrooms, HVAC systems, etc.

I wonder how long this MCPS employee had been waiting for his co-worker to return to the MCPS truck?

Weast orders 59 buses!

On December 9, 2009, Superintendent Jerry Weast released the MCPS proposed FY11 Operating Budget. Along with the release of the budget, Superintendent Weast released a list of Potential Budget Reductions. The list of Potential Budget Reductions showed what Superintendent Weast might cut if he doesn't receive the full Operating Budget funds that he has requested. 

Included in the "cut list" is this:

But have no fear! Superintendent Weast has just ordered 59 new buses to be delivered next summer!  So next year's order of new buses is already on its way.

MCPS students will have the new buses they need for the start of the FY11 school year!

So what are the "23 buses" at $250,000 that Superintendent Weast would cut from the FY11 budget? Would those be buses for the FY12 school year?

Note: School buses cost on average between $70,000 and $98,000 depending on the size and functions of the bus. What would Superintendent Weast's "cut" of $250,000 relate to for 23 buses?

The cost of 23 new buses would be more like $1.8 million.  

Spotlight on WHEATON High School

Highlights from the Report on Audit of Independent Activity Funds for the Period November 1, 2007 through March 31, 2009

"In accordance with the August 4, 2008, memorandum from the chief operating officer (COO), the expenditure of general funds to provide refreshments for staff meetings (IAF account 11) and appreciation (IAF account 20) is limited to $45 per staff full time equivalent per fiscal year. You have exceeded this allowable amount for fiscal year 2009 as of March 31, 2009. We also found instances in which expenditures for these items were incorrectly classified and recorded in various other accounts."

"In addition, our review revealed the following weaknesses in accountability for the trip to New Orleans:

***

MCPS form 280-41 indicated 10 students paid various amounts to go on the trip, but other information indicated that 19 students participated.

***

Although the completed MCPS form 210-4, Travel/Study Approval for Overnight and Extended Trips out of the Washington Metropolitan Area indicated "fundraising and grant funding" as a source of money for those students unable to pay, it did not appear that fund raising or grant revenues were recorded in the IAF, and trip expenses appear to have been paid directly by the non staff member or his corporation

****

We recognize that the New Orleans trip served a worthwhile educational purpose. The failure, however, to record all transactions associated with the trip in the IAF records weakens accounability and makes it impossible to determine if all fees paid by students were applied to the cost of the trip, or to determine the effectiveness of trip planning."

Whitman Black & White: MyMCPS should not be unrestricted for teachers

In an online Black & White opinion piece dated December 11, 2009, Walt Whitman High School (Bethesda) student Alana Neuman asserts that the new MyMCPS system allows broader access to student data than necessary.

From Ms. Neuman's article:

Any MCPS teacher can view a student’s data if that student attends or previously attended the school that they teach at; a teacher needn’t have taught that student themselves.

[...]

Even if the majority of teachers don’t monitor myMCPS, the mere fact that teachers have unrestricted access to this information demonstrates MCPS officials’ disregard for students’ privacy. Even if MCPS intends to facilitate students’ academic success with this program, SAT and ACT scores aren’t public information that should be distributed among MCPS employees. School administrators and teachers need to obtain consent from students before planning to make use of their standardized test scores.

Back in October 2009, BCC High School The Tattler reporter Tena Thau wrote about MyMCPS in her article titled myMCPS: Facebook for Teachers?.

From Ms. Thau's article:

Students, on the other hand, are not as enthused.  MyMCPS allows teachers and administrators unrestricted access to students’ report cards, transcripts, accommodations, disciplinary history, attendance records, and even SAT and ACT scores. As a result, many students feel that their teachers have formed judgments about them, before they have even stepped into class.

“I don’t like the idea of teachers being able to know everything about their students’ past with the click of a button,” junior Zoë Thorpe explains.  “I feel like students should be able to go into a new class with a clean slate.”

But thanks to myMCPS, no such tabula rasa will exist for students anymore.  Of course, not all students are objecting.  Unsurprisingly, one senior class valedictorian says that she does not mind teachers’ easy access to her flawless four-year record.

The student privacy issues brought forth by Ms. Neuman and Ms. Thau affect students throughout MCPS and would seem to be a topic that could be addressed by the Student Member of the Board (SMOB).

Student record privacy is governed at the federal level by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The "More" Child", And so it begins; Proposed Cuts to Hit GT Hard

And so it begins: Proposed Cuts to Hit GT Hard

December 12, 2009 by SwitchedOnMom

I don’t have to tell you how I feel about the proposed elimination of transportation for “special” programs. These cuts potentially spell the death knell for the middle school magnets, elementary Center Programs but especially for the countywide IB magnet at Richard Montgomery High School. This program, which over the years has achieved national and international recognition (99% pass rate on IB exams; highest in the U.S.), draws the most talented students from across the entire county. Take away the transportation and many, many top students simply will not be able to attend, eroding the program.

Of course Superintendent Jerry Weast is going to target GT programs for cuts, even when obvious cuts that wouldn't impact classrooms are staring him in the face.  He knows that GT parents are actively involved in their student's education and will protest to the County Council on his behalf. 

All Superintendent Weast really wants is more money to play with, he doesn't care how he gets it. GT parents are easy targets in this annual game. And to date, Superintendent Weast has always gotten an increase in the MCPS Operating Budget. Most parents do not realize that the MCPS Operating Budget has been increasing every year because they are constantly told of budget "cuts" at their local school. Where does the increase in the Operating Budget go every year?

We know where Operating Budget money went yesterday, it went to a catered breakfast and lunch, two consultants, and a book for each Board member (book $200 value - other costs unknown). Does that sound like a school system that is operating on a "bare bones" budget?