State Senator wants Constitutional Amendment to Permit Bus Fees

Here's a Gazette article on today's news that State Senator Rich Madaleno, Chair of the Montgomery County Delegation has introduced legislation that he thinks will permit MCPS to charge students fees to ride school buses.

Of course, the legislation would require a Constitutional Amendment as the Maryland Constitution guarantees students a free public education.

The Maryland Court of Appeals has already stated that "transportation is an integral part of education as we know it today."

Even the Board of Education's own attorney has told the Board that a bus fee would probably violate the Maryland Constitution's guarantee of a free public education.

But hey, what's the Maryland Constitution anyway but some moldy, old document!

Gazette: Bill would allow Montgomery school system to charge magnet students for transportation

Sen. Madaleno says it gives school system options; public hearing set for Dec. 6

Montgomery's public school students in magnet, immersion and other programs could be charged for bus rides to their schools if a bill proposed by the county's state legislators passes next year.

Sen. Richard S. Madaleno (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington, who drafted the bill, said he introduced it to give Montgomery County Public Schools a method to charge students in optional regular education programs for transportation provided by the school system.

Last year, as an option among broad budget cuts, the Board of Education considered the elimination of transportation for students attending magnet programs. It later backed off after an outcry from parents and students. The cuts would have saved the school system $4.9 million, or $1,026 for each of the 4,775 students in the programs, during a year in which the operating budget was cut from $2.2 billion in fiscal 2010 to $2.1 billion in fiscal 2011.

The proposed bill would repeal a Maryland law that prohibits Montgomery County from charging for transportation of students to certain programs, such as magnet, foreign language immersion and International Baccalaureate. Madaleno said Montgomery County is the only county in Maryland prohibited from charging a fee to students for transportation in these situations.

"Right now their hands are tied," he said...

 ...Madaleno said school officials did not ask for the bill, but said he had conversations with school officials about the situation. Instead of simply considering whether to cut the bus service, the repeal of the prohibition would allow the bus service to be funded and continue, Madaleno said.

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UPDATE 11/8/10:  Montgomery Co. House Delegation: Bus fee an infringement on right to free education

Pearson expected to acquire Wireless Generation

The Parents' Coalition has learned that Pearson Education is in talks to acquire Wireless Generation.


A formal announcement of the deal between these two MCPS partners is expected soon.

UPDATE HERE

Apple Ballot Surprise #2: State to Strip Rockville of Permit Power on School Sites

Did you know you voted for this? Did you like Surprise #1? 


Well if you voted for the Apple Ballot on Tuesday you voted for legislation that would strip the City of Rockville of the power to issue permits for school buildings located within their jurisdiction.


Guess those Apple Candidates were so busy campaigning they forgot to mention they had filed this legislation until the day after the election.


MC11-11

Apple Ballot Surprise: Bus Fees for MCPS students

Now that the election is over, the Apple Ballot candidates can get to work.


And so we see that on November 3, 2010 - just one day after the General Election, the Montgomery County Delegation led by Senator Rich Madelano sent an e-mail out from the Montgomery County Delegation announcing that the Delegation has filed a bill in Annapolis to allow MCPS to CHARGE STUDENTS A FEE TO RIDE PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSES. 


Yes, that's what you voted for on November 2nd. You just didn't know it. Surprise!


Thank the Apple Ballot for all that transparency in their agenda! Glad constituents were able to discuss this proposed legislation during the campaigns - oh that's right - they weren't because the candidates didn't reveal they had this up their sleeves.


MC10-11_pdf

SIPPI isn't GT

Elementary school pilot program can aid black and Hispanic students, officials say
Program better tracks student placement in math and reading groups
by Jeanette Der Bedrosian | Staff Writer

A new pilot program in Montgomery County elementary schools allows teachers to track students' reading and math scores at a glance and has increased the number of blacks and Hispanics tackling tougher course work, school officials said.

The Student Instructional Program Planning and Implementation — commonly referred to by school officials as SIPPI — is a computer program that highlights a student's name in red if there is a discrepancy between where a child is recommended to be placed and where he or she actually is placed. The program also creates a streamlined spreadsheet of data so information can be easily shared between schools, and it will likely spread to all the county's schools next year...

...But while increasing access to challenging schoolwork is a worthy goal, SIPPI doesn't address the lack of genuine and consistent enriched curriculum for children now identified as Gifted and Talented, said Frederick Stichnoth, president of the Gifted and Talented Association of Montgomery County and a member of the Accelerated and Enriched Instruction Committee in the school system. The move appears to be part of the school system's transition to a one-size-fits-all education model, he said.

"I'm just against pretending, as I think MCPS and the board is, that somehow SIPPI is integral to [Gifted and Talented] or solves GT problems," he said...

Basic Multiplication Tables Not Taught in MCPS

The following question and answer is from the just released MCPS K-12 Mathematics Work Group Report. Nothing new about this response, MCPS parents have been told for over a decade to teach multiplication tables at home because schools weren't going to spend time on them. 

Question: Do you feel that your child is prepared with the mathematical knowledge he or she needs for his/her next steps? Next course? Why or why not? Explain.

• No. I was told a couple of years ago that MCPS math teachers cannot spend time teaching multiplication tables in class. I was told by my daughter's teacher that we needed to work on them independently at home. How can an entire county decide not to help kids with something as basic as multiplication? That affects everything from learning fractions and long division to mode/median and other higher-level concepts. (Bradley Hills ES PTA)

Examiner: "Montgomery schools officials did not reply to requests for current data."

Fairfax schools budget high number of asst. principals | Washington Examiner

Fairfax County bankrolls a higher ratio of assistant principals per school than any other large district in the Washington suburbs.

The school system's 195 principals are supported by 360 assistant principals, a ratio of nearly two per school chief. In neighboring district Loudoun County, that proportion is 1.4, and in Prince William County, it falls to 1.2.

Across the Potomac, rival Montgomery County flanked its 202 principals with 283 assistants last year, for a ratio of 1.4. Montgomery schools officials did not reply to requests for current data. Prince George's County echoed the 1.4 norm with 280 assistants for 203 principals.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Fairfax-schools-budgets-high-number-of-asst_-principals-1439840-106650828.html#ixzz14JuPShsk

Officials look for funds to fill ambulance fee gap | Washington Examiner

Officials look for funds to fill ambulance fee gap | Washington Examiner

County Executive Ike Leggett, while campaigning for the fee, said 87 firefighters would be handed pink slips, nearly a dozen police officers removed from schools and senior services slashed if voters blocked his proposal.

But the dire warnings didn't deter about 54 percent of county voters.

And County Council members, who must fill the gap immediately, are unsure about where -- or how difficult it will be -- to find the money.

"I think that this whole fret is just hyperbole," said Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring. "I don't believe we have to do any of these draconian cuts that the executive claimed we would."

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Officials-look-for-funds-to-fill-ambulance-fee-gap-1438959-106652938.html#ixzz14Jtr7V6p

Gazette: Proposed sale of former Peary High School spurs broader Montgomery council measure

Andrews bill would block lame-duck councils from approving property deals
by Margie Hyslop | Staff writer

Montgomery County Councilman Philip M. Andrews said Monday that he will introduce a measure to stop lame-duck councils from approving major property deals like the proposed sale of the former Robert E. Peary High School.

Andrews also sharply criticized County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) for pushing a proposal to sell the school and its 19.5-acre Aspen Hill campus for $1.9 million to Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy.

"I think the deal stinks; it's very bad for taxpayers," said Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg.

Andrews said there seems to be little difference between the deal that Leggett is proposing and one that former county executive Douglas M. Duncan called for in 2005...

...Andrews said a ban on letting council members who are or may be leaving office approve land deals in the month before the election makes as much sense as current bans on the council making zoning or certain water and sewer service changes during that period.

Andrews also did not back off remarks, attributed to him by The Washington Post, speculating that there might be a connection between Leggett's pushing for the school sale and campaign work by a former Duncan aide to win support for charging fees for ambulance rides, which Leggett has doggedly pursued.

"I wish I could say I don't think he'd resort to things that are inappropriate, but I don't think I can say that anymore," Andrews said.

Former Duncan aide Jerry Pasternak said he is working on the campaign to approve the ambulance fee, but that he has had no conversations with Leggett, council members or executive or council staff about the school...

...Ervin, chairwoman of the Education Committee, said the action seems rushed and called for a public hearing, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 in the council's third-floor hearing room, an aide to the councilwoman said.

IN: Weast, OUT: "PIAs"

The election results are in and Superintendent Weast or his clone can stay on in MCPS. 

If you are a parent, take note. While the Board of Education and MCPS will beg parents to "get involved" in their child's education, yesterday's election continues the policy that only certain parents will be permitted to get involved in their local schools. "PIA's" can stay home. 

Gazette: Montgomery school board incumbents complete a clean election sweep

All four incumbents on the Montgomery County Board of Education were on the way to victory by wide margins at the polls Tuesday, with 16 percentage points the smallest lead as of 11 p.m...

...With the four incumbents returning, the odds increase that Superintendent of Schools Jerry D. Weast's successor will follow his policies and share his objectives. Candidates said several times that one of the top priorities facing the school system is replacing Weast, who announced his retirement from the school system's top job. He has been superintendent since 1999.

O'Neill and other board members were criticized by some for their inability or unwillingness to differ from Weast on key policy issues. Challengers also criticized the school system's handling of special education students and fiscal transparency and efficiency.

Direct link to Board of Education member Patricia O'Neill's PIA parent comment here.  

Buyers: Nothing shady about Peary High deal - wtop.com

Buyers: Nothing shady about Peary High deal - wtop.com

Kate Ryan

...Representatives for a private academy leasing an old Montgomery County high school site say now that they are trying to seal the deal struck back in the 1990s, they're getting some resistance.
The sale of the old Peary High School came before the Montgomery County Council this week, but appeared to take several members by surprise, and before approving the plan, those members asked to put it on the agenda for next month...

BOE doesn't want property sold to private school - wtop.com

BOE doesn't want property sold to private school - wtop.com

Guest Post on "Race to Nowhere"

Hello!

My son is a bright, hardworking, musical kid. But the pressure he puts on himself to achieve is having some truly negative implications that you may or may not see at school. "Race to Nowhere," the film the Magruder HS PTSA is screening 11/4, tells the stories of many kids who are struggling with similar issues. For some it manifests as physical symptoms, for others it's emotional stress, others are socially isolated. And for one girl the pressure to be excellent was too much - she took her life at 13.

When I took my son to see this film for the first time, his immediate reaction was, "That's exactly my life." This is not what I want for my kid - or for any kid.

As an educator, I see my and other teachers' frustrations echoed in the film. The pressure to get through the curriculum, and meet state and national expectations can cause us to shortchange our students in ways that can have long term implications. I also see the students for whom the pressure is too much, too soon and by the time they reach middle and high school they've checked-out and don't even try to keep up, let alone excel.

I'm hopeful that the film screening and the follow-up discussions will be the start to developing some real solutions to help our kids achieve balance and for us to do the best job possible to help them reach their full potential.

As far as my son goes, he may take a different path to reach balance. He's applying to the Duke Ellington School for the Arts for next year. The academic rigor is nowhere near that at Magruder (especially in PEAC) and he'll get the music that is his passion  - and that may be a very good thing.

Feel free to share this with anyone you think may be interested in seeing the film. Here are the details:

What: Screening of the film, "Race to Nowhere" (www.racetonowhere.com) and facilitated discussion following the film
Who: students, parents, teachers, administrators - anyone concerned about kids
Where: Magruder HS Auditorium
When: Thursday, November 4, 7 PM
To purchase tickets ($10 in advance, $15 at the door, with proceeds going to Magruder's PTSA): http://www.racetonowhere.com/screenings/magruder-high-school

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Jennifer Boudrye

Young Activist Club to receive Community Hero Award

Please join the Montgomery County Civic Federation as we present the 'Community Hero Award' to the Young Activist Club of Piney Branch Elementary School on Monday, November 8th, 2010, at 7:45 pm.  The meeting is at the Montgomery County Council Building, 100 Maryland Ave., 1st Floor Auditorium, Rockville.

Paula Bienenfeld

Education Committee Chair, Montgomery County Civic Federation

MoCo schools double advanced reading recommendations | Washington Examiner

MoCo schools double advanced reading recommendations | Washington Examiner

Should County Council Sell 20 Acre School Site for $1.9 Million?

The Montgomery County Council is considering selling a 20 acre former MCPS school site (the old Peary High School) in Rockville for $1.9 million based on a deal made in 1996. 


Here is what an outside evaluator had to say about the terms of the deal back in 2006:

...County Council requested an objective review of the assumptions and methodology used in the Administration’s calculations. The Council essentially wanted to know whether the Administration’s assumptions were reasonable and in accordance with industry standards, and whether the Administration took into account the value of the lease and the underlying property. 

Based upon the information available, the answer to the above questions would be “No.”...

Read the full report at this link:
November 6, 2006, Old Peary High School
UPDATE November 12, 2010: County Executive Ike Leggett announces amendment to proposed sale, and County PTA votes to oppose sale.

Patch: School Board Candidate Questions: Karen Smith District 3 Challenger

Patch reached out to all board of education candidates.

Patch: What are your top two priorities should you win?

Karen Smith: 1) Clarify the budget process by bringing in professional management auditors to help us do a perfomance audit, so that we can increase transparency and identify what we can cut with the least harm to the classroom during the lean times coming.

2) Change the tone of MCPS to be more collaborative, with both parents and staff. We should welcome parental input at every level. We need to listen more and litigate less. Also, MCPS has many intelligent and thoughtful teachers and administrators. Any proposed changes in curriculum and instruction will work better if teachers and administrators are brought in to the process in a school-by-school, genuinely collaborative effort. Recurring mandates from above without consultation are part of what drives good teachers to take jobs in private schools for less money...

continues here.

Artificial Turf Field at Richard Montgomery: 19 Bags of Infill

On Wednesday, October 27, I happened to be driving by our neighborhood school, Richard Montgomery High School, home of the first artificial turf field in Montgomery County Public Schools. This field is relatively new: installed a couple of years ago, despite community concerns about both the environmental cost and the financial cost.

Imagine my surprise that afternoon to see 19 large bags of “infill” sitting in the parking lot, destined to be spread on the Richard Montgomery field. And when I say large bags, I mean LARGE. See the photo. By the next morning, Thursday, October 28, at 10:20 a.m., all these bags were gone, and the field had a vehicle driving around on it, presumably grooming the field.

Just a few questions for our County Council and Board of Education:

1. Why did this relatively new field require an additional 19 bags of infill (aka crumb rubber)?
2. Does the fact that the field had to have a replacement of 19 bags of infill mean that the equivalent of 19 bags has been washed into the Chesapeake Bay watershed over the last two years?
3. Did Montgomery County Public Schools pay for these 19 bags of infill? What was the cost?
4. Did Montgomery County Public Schools pay for the supplier to spread the contents of the bags using their equipment? How much did this cost?
5. How often will additional infill material be required at Richard Montgomery High School field?

These and other questions need to be answered before MCPS engages in a wholesale replacement of grass fields with artificial turf.

ABC7: Retaining Walls at School Site in Silver Spring

ABC 7 News

Disproportionality in MCPS Special Education: Superintendent Weast has made NO PROGRESS

One of the major focus areas for MCPS for many years has been the over-representation of minorities in Special Education, often referred to as Disproportionality.  It was one of the major outcomes identified in MCPS’s “Success for Every Student Plan” dating back to the early 1990’s, and has been a major focus area of all MCPS strategic plans since.

So where have we come under Dr. Weast’s 11 years of leadership.  The short answer is NOWHERE.

In FY2000 14.7% of African American and Hispanic students were identified as disabled, and that was 3.7% higher than the rest of the MCPS population.   Today 13.9% of African American and Hispanic students are identified as needing Special Education which is 3.6% higher than the rest of the MCPS population.    

The conclusion is that over the past 11 years the over-representation of minorities has only been reduced by a statistically insignificant 0.1% (one in a thousand).  Despite a laundry list of programs, initiatives, trainings, and procedural changes we remain where we were over a decade ago.   None of Dr. Weast’s efforts in this major focus area have been effective.  Why not?  Perhaps we have not addressed the real problem?  Or, perhaps it has been a focus area in name only?

Bob Astrove