Starr wants to cut down on adversarial and confrontational communication

I attended the "Listen and Learn" last night.  


Superintendent Joshua Starr gave a brief introduction and then took questions from the audience orally.  Helpers wrote questions on large pieces of paper so they were recorded.  The event was also videorecorded and audio recorded.  


Parents were bringing concerns to Starr's attention.  Both the "listen" and the "learn" referred to Dr. Starr.  He did not really give out a lot of substantive information.  It was more of an information gathering exercise to see what the  community's concerns were. He did not attempt to provide answers to any of the concerns, they were just noted for him to be aware of.  He stated that after he had held all of these "Listen and Learn" events, he would hold community forums in the new year to address specific issues like special education, gifted education and Race to Nowhere concerns.

He stated that he felt that No Child Left Behind was a useless law, and that he believed it would be revisited and changed before the deadline, and the failure to meet test score issues would be moot.

He stated that Montgomery County Public Schools were the "the first school district in the country to get to the moon," and that his job was to "get the district to Mars."

He is a big proponent of differentiation by the teacher within the classroom, and not grouping by ability.  (He's concerned about what message that sends to the students who would be wondering why certain kids would go to different teachers for math, for example.)

  

His three main concerns were:

1) Transparency - he wants to create more of it regarding how decisions are made.

2) Initiatives - he wants to analyze if there are too many, choose which ones to keep and then focus on how to ensure accountability and follow-through

3) Variability - how to deal with it among schools and teachers to make sure all students have access to a high quality eduction.

He said he wants to cut down on adversarial and confrontational communication by sharing information and making decisions that are best for the students but also reasonable with the budget and other constraints.

He mentioned that he has been asked to cut $25 million from the capital projects budget at a time when the school system has 147,000 students and is increasing by 3,000 students per year.

Starr mentioned that he would be looking into quality of school lunches

Starr said he can be followed on Twitter at MCPSsuper

Below are concerns that parents raised:

• SAT score variability by High School
• AYP - schools with high ESOL or special ed need more support - Starr responded to this by promoting more professional development for teachers
• Raises for teachers needed
• Poolesville cluster reassigned community superintendent - Starr responded that this was just to even out numbers among superintendents
• School system confrontational with parents about special needs students
• Germantown elementary rebuilt?  More schools needed to house students
• Children attending proper schools based on address - Starr dismissed this concern, said that people check this routinely
• Safe, drug and bully-free schools
• Overcrowding at Northwest High School at lunch
• Magnet schools taking the "cream of the crop" from local schools, thus affecting test scores - Starr responded that he supports magnet schools and gifted programs, believes in choice; however, he estimates that only 3-5% of student population is truly "gifted" and would require such services.  Rest of MCPS' 39% gifted students are just "really smart" and can be taught in their home school.
• SRO program - Starr supports if support from police department and it is clear that principal of school has authority over SRO in how to handle incidents
• Concern that Curriculum 2.0 would be too challenging for students already struggling - Starr described 2.0 as just integrating the teaching of the subjects and including more technology
• How can school assist students with transition to adult life - Star talked about teaching social and emotional competence
• Too much middle school acceleration in math and languages affecting college applications
• High School course offerings not meeting the needs of students who have been accelerated in Middle Schools
• Math content too broad - Starr said they would be narrowing content and focusing on specific skills - said he realized Math would be a big issue and he is going to look at the workgroup report, consult parents and experts in the field and then make a final decision on Math that would be permanent.  Starr said he thought all academic skills should be taught through the lenses of science and history. "because that's where you really learn how to think.  You can learn all the skills from the other subjects through study of science and history."
• Budget and staffing concerns - Starr said that it is up to the parents to let the county know how much they value education.  He said he would be an advocate, but that he has to work with the budget he is given.  As constituents, parents should let elected officials know they want more money for schools.

Hope that summary was helpful,

Amanda Graver

Board wants Cell Tower Appeal Dismissed

Wheaton High School

The Board of Education has never voted in public to place a cell phone tower at a public school site in Montgomery County.  Yet, cell towers are seen at 13 public school sites in the following parts of the county:  Silver Spring (6), Gaithersburg (2), Rockville (2), Germantown,  Kensington and Sandy Spring.

It is therefore impossible for the public to ever appeal a public vote of the Board of Education to build a cell tower on a school site, because the Board never takes a public vote.

The only public vote taken by the Board of Education on a cell tower installation is after a school site has been leased to a private cell tower company and the Board votes on the easement for the separate utility company.

Even though the cell tower leases show that they must be signed for by the Board of Education, the Board never signs these documents.

In this response to an appeal of a recent Board vote on easements for six cell towers, the Board calls the appeal "illogical."

Kennedy High School - view from side street

Cell Tower Appeal Response

MontCo budget cuts could crowd already crowded schools | Rachel Baye | Education | Washington Examiner

MontCo budget cuts could crowd already crowded schools | Rachel Baye | Education | Washington Examiner

Illegal Demand Letters Persist in MCPS

Here's a letter demanding payment of an illegal curricular fee from 2009. Note the threats if the fee is not paid. This particular fee was later deemed a "mistake" by Superintendent Jerry Weast and the demand for payment was dropped.
Demand Letter for Consumer Science Class Fee
Now see what a 2011 MCPS Demand Letter looks like. Note the threats if the illegal curricular fee is not paid.  In this letter the fee is for a class required in order to receive a high school diploma. It's a light copy, here's the text of what this letter from MCPS says will happen if the illegal curricular fee is not paid:

Students with obligations are restricted from participating in any extracurricular activities; including clubs, SGA, drama productions, dances and sports.  Students who are juniors or seniors are not eligible to receive a lunch pass to go off campus or get a parking permit until obligations have been cleared. Seniors must clear obligations prior to graduation.

MCPS Demand Letter for Curricular Fee

Board sends personal invitations to 2,000 to participate in Community Conversations

The Board of Education has directed each MCPS Principal to submit the names of 10 parents/guardians to receive personal invitations to the Board's two Community Conversations in October.  


There are 200 schools in MCPS. That means the Board will be sending out 2,000 invitations to these public forums.  


Principals were to have submitted their list of 10 parents/guardians by September 2, 2011. The memo below also notes that principals were involved in last year's Community Conversations in the same way. 


Should we assume that the Superintendent's Listen and Learn tour has been orchestrated the same way?



BOE Handpicking the Public

MD Atty Gen: How to Appeal an Illegal Class Fee

From the Maryland Attorney General's office:

...we are safe in saying that anything directly related to a school's curriculum must be available to all without charge...

KameenOAGLetter

Board Atty on Your Child's Right to a Free Public Education

Here's what the Board of Education's attorney has to say about the charging of student fees by MCPS.

BreslerLetter

Happy Labor Day and Thank You

The Parents Coalition wishes everyone a happy, restful Labor Day. Thanks to all the teachers, union members, and people who work so hard to care for and educate our children. And grateful thanks to all the Union members who worked and fought so hard for our safe workplaces, our 8-hour work day. and our child labor laws.

IAF Audit Reports still kept under wraps a year after BOE committee members urge changes

Nearly a year after members of the Board of Education Fiscal Management Committee requested MCPS staff to develop an implementation plan for posting the Independent Activity Fund (IAF) audits on the web, the audits are still unavailable to the public except through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

The September 13, 2010 minutes of the Fiscal Management Committee state:

Committee members reiterated their ongoing desire to have each school’s Independent Activity Fund audit, including the principal’s response, available on the web and requested that staff come back with an implementation plan.

According to the IAF Manual, money in each school's IAF is managed by the principal but belongs to the students. (The IAF manual was previously available on the MCPS web site, but was removed by MCPS after continued news reports about misuse of IAF funds at numerous schools.)

Many IAF audit reports obtained during the past several years by the Parents' Coalition have revealed extensive violations of IAF management and spending rules.

In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores

The MoCo BOE and the County Council have spent tens of millions of dollars on tech gadgets for the classroom. Do these tech gadgets really help our children? Mr. Barclay, where are the metrics? Read the article by Matt Richtel from today's New York Times, excerpts below. For the entire article go here.

By MATT RICHTEL
Published: September 3, 2011

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Amy Furman, a seventh-grade English teacher here, roams among 31 students sitting at their desks or in clumps on the floor. They’re studying Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” — but not in any traditional way.

In this technology-centric classroom, students are bent over laptops, some blogging or building Facebook pages from the perspective of Shakespeare’s characters. One student compiles a song list from the Internet, picking a tune by the rapper Kanye West to express the emotions of Shakespeare’s lovelorn Silvius.

The class, and the Kyrene School District as a whole, offer what some see as a utopian vision of education’s future. Classrooms are decked out with laptops, big interactive screens and software that drills students on every basic subject. Under a ballot initiative approved in 2005, the district has invested roughly $33 million in such technologies.

And:

Hope and enthusiasm are soaring here. But not test scores.

Since 2005, scores in reading and math have stagnated in Kyrene, even as statewide scores have risen.

To be sure, test scores can go up or down for many reasons. But to many education experts, something is not adding up — here and across the country. In a nutshell: schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning.

FY11: AMEX bill UP $313K

Here's how the Board of Education spent some of your tax dollars in Fiscal Year 2011. 
This is not a complete list of expenditures. This is only vendors where payments were made over $25,000, as required to be made public by the Maryland Funding and Transparency Act. 
For fun, take some of these vendors' names and see if you can find evidence of them in Board of Education minutes showing votes approving this spending. Some of them will show up, others won't.

The highlighted vendors are just to pick out a few that might be of interest...
Let us know what you find of interest on this FY11 list. (FY10 list can be found here.)

Hess Construction Company Inc $38,037,296
Dustin Construction Inc $34,906,517
Pepco Energy Services Inc $18,369,904
Oak Contracting LLC $17,717,575
Keller Brothers Inc $17,129,505
Deutsche Bank NTC $16,697,427
American Truck & Bus Inc $11,335,015
Pepco $10,407,695
Meridian Construction Co Inc $10,245,809
Washington Gas Light Company $9,493,602
Mansfield Oil Co $9,200,985
Data Networks Inc $7,328,117
Henley Construction Co Inc $7,180,323
Sheppard Pratt Health System Inc $7,147,262
American Express $5,571,127
Ivymount School $5,011,767
Dell Marketing LP $3,890,920
Foundation School $3,681,733
Banc of America Public Capital Corp $3,648,560
Tuckman-Barbee Construction Co $3,619,441
Shapiro & Duncan Inc $3,565,635
Dell Financial Services LLC $3,355,400
Kennedy Krieger Institute $3,342,531
Dairy Maid Dairy Inc $3,218,312
Walker Willis Corp $3,211,507
Verizon Maryland Inc $2,974,264
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission $2,950,348
William F Klingensmith Inc $2,932,149
RJ Crowley Inc $2,874,821
Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children $2,494,446
Unisource Worldwide Inc $2,421,495
Presidio Networked Solutions Inc $2,274,717
R D Bean Inc $2,259,885
Samaha Associates PC $2,073,643
Netcom Technologies Inc $1,986,805
Douron Incorporated $1,947,586
Montgomery Primary Achievement $1,901,329
Pro-Air Inc $1,782,756
Rda Corporation $1,753,056
Interstate Corp $1,735,989
Community Support Services $1,680,487
Hartford Computer Hardware Inc $1,392,767
Wells Fargo Business Cr Inc $1,391,952
Prevost Construction Co $1,379,532
The Katherine Thomas School $1,319,865
Bell TechLogix Inc $1,316,820
Muse Architects PC $1,288,570
Delmar Architects $1,284,945
Modular Space Corporation $1,278,030
Beltway International Trucks, LLC $1,254,507
Cole Roofing Co Inc $1,246,914
Centennial Contractors Enterprises Inc $1,210,452
Smith & Haines Inc $1,163,416
K Neal International Trucks Inc $1,137,556
TA Western LLC/Mcshea Management, Inc $1,125,671
J E Wood & Sons Co Inc $1,112,833
Allegheny Power $1,078,102
Grimm & Parker Architecture Inc $1,034,979
Moseley Architects of Maryland Inc $1,013,053
Saint Coletta of Greater Washington Inc $1,001,882
EELDS, LLC $990,066
Schwans Food Company $969,703
CDCI Inc $942,971
The McGraw Hill Companies Inc $935,726
M&M Welding & Fabricators $931,010
OfficeMax $927,184
Playground Specialists Inc. $890,294
US Modular Group East Inc $831,288
Carpet Experts Inc $829,704
Benedictine School $819,588
SPC Incorporated $810,803
Walton Madden Cooper Robinson Poness Inc $780,520
Metro Metal Services Inc $775,864
Pearson Education Inc $774,702
Maggin Construction Co Inc $770,373
George Washington University $753,552
Dade Paper Co $751,310
Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr LLP $750,056
Truman Arnold Companies $743,506
Brinjac Engineering Inc $734,924
Guest Services Inc $731,236
State Of Maryland $730,667
Reginald S Lourie Center for Infants & Young Children $727,807
Rolyn Companies Inc $707,302
Advoserv $697,384
Johns Hopkins University $692,945
Dori Foods Inc $682,500
Boland Trane Services Inc $681,995
Criswell Chevrolet $675,016
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company $671,485
H & S Bakery Inc $670,540
Mythics Inc $664,302
Highway & Safety Services Inc $655,082
S Freedman & Sons Inc $653,826
Pyramid Paper Company $642,031
Follett Educational Services Inc $636,016
Mallick Plumbing & Heating Inc $615,131
Scholastic Inc $605,668
Grieves Worrall Wright & O'Hatnick Inc $603,958
Pathways Schools $592,388
McGrath RentCorp $587,683
Orndorff & Spaid Inc $582,915
Baker & Taylor Inc $580,587
Royalle Dining Services Inc $570,844
CDW Government LLC $561,365
JK Architects & Associates $552,988
Tilley Chemical Co Inc $536,989
Meridian Surveys Inc $526,325
iAssessment LLC $522,250
Xerox Corporation $519,698
Proffitt & Associates Architects PC $513,782
Ridge School $513,600
Maryland Energy Administration $513,177
Maryland Unemployment Ins Adm $499,536
Leonard Paper Co $499,055
J Vinton Schafer & Sons Inc $489,574
Wireless Generation Inc $482,091
Sharp Electronics Corp $478,789
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation $477,478
BGE $477,289
Johnson Truck Center LLC $476,971
Woods Services Inc $475,378
Maryland State Retirement and Pension System $470,201
University of Maryland $468,938
Phillips Programs $460,013
Northwest Evaluation Assoc $458,700
The Children's Guild Inc $455,133
McDaniel College Inc $443,889
Alarm Security Group LLC $432,685
Apex Companies LLC $427,881
Potomac Disposal Inc $421,731
Service Tire Truck Centers $419,226
Form Plastics Company $407,152
EIS Office Solutions Inc $403,224
BeeryRio Inc $400,207
Ascom Hasler Mailing Systems $395,000
Playcore Wisconsin Inc $392,135
Storm Water Management Facilities Repair Group Inc $380,092
Hord Coplan Macht Inc $377,317
Elcon Enterprises Inc $376,591
Francis O Day Co Inc $375,750
Harbour School $371,177
Triplenet Pricing Inc $368,222
The K Group Architects $364,603
TCV LLC $359,766
Krew, Jeffrey A $359,018
Linwood Childrens Center Inc $354,538
Brook Lane Health Services Inc $349,431
Williams Scotsman Inc $346,433
Hood College $343,359
Clampett Industries LLC $341,200
Perfection Learning Corp $337,413
Moseley Architects PC $336,587
Hadley Farms Inc $334,858
Kingmor Supply Inc $334,784
John W Brawner Contracting Company Inc $333,608
Rubeling & Associates Inc $332,005
OMF Contractors Inc $330,758
ConAgra Food Sales Inc $328,108
Blackboard Connect Inc $323,625
School Specialty Inc $323,099
XXI Office Plaza Associates $321,072
Episcopal Center For Children $320,725
Greenwood Publishing Group Inc $320,586
Shorehaven Inc $310,219
Mead Tree & Turf Care Inc $306,501
The Tree House Inc $306,077
J.G. Parks & Son $304,793
Smolen Emr Ilkovitch Architects $304,001
Hercules Fence Of Maryland LLC $302,520
Clinton Learning Solutions LLC $296,892
Central Truck Center Inc $291,638
Brandenburg Electric Inc $290,926
Gale Group Inc $290,005
Lakeshore Learning Materials $286,143
Gauthier-Alvarado & Assoc Inc $282,920
Scantron Corporation $281,744
Johnson & Towers Inc $280,248
Standard Stationery Supply Co $278,616
Daycon Products Co Inc $277,797
Calico Industries Inc $277,614
JR Simplot Company $275,221
Procom Corporation $270,916
International Baccalaureate $268,246
National Children's Center Inc $268,164
Ikon Office Solutions Inc $266,998
Sprint Nextel Corp $264,928
Tyson Foods Inc $263,521
VSC Fire and Security Inc $259,492
Carolina Imaging $256,167
Capstone Press Inc $255,231
American Tennis Courts Inc $254,247
McCain Foods USA Inc $251,767
AON Consulting $250,638
Lukmire Partnership Inc $247,929
United States Postal Service $247,833
Building Dynamics LLC $247,009
Yoti N N & Associates Inc $245,753
Sempco Inc $243,634
Edline LLC $243,250
Air Filter Maintenance Inc $242,989
Associated Catholic Charities Inc $239,947
MicroStrategy Services Corporation $238,143
Lab School Of Washington $238,074
Mercer (US) Inc $234,493
Chesapeake Communications Inc $233,789
Baltimore County Board of Education $230,412
Excelsior Software $227,050
Acme Paper & Supply Co $226,023
Towson State University $225,971
EMH Environmental Inc $224,880
Ridgefield Brand Corporation $218,298
Capitol Document Solutions LLC $218,228
Family Support Center Inc $216,084
Corning of Maryland Inc $212,166
Steel Products Inc $210,267
House of the Good Shepherd of the City of Baltimore $208,794
Out of the Shell LLC $208,577
ProQuest LLC $208,060
Robert Half International Inc $206,174
Washington Music Sales Center Inc $206,066
Colossal Contractors Inc $205,864
Rich Product Corp $202,500
NCS Pearson Incorporated $202,325
The Learning Center for the Deaf Inc $202,289
Northern Virginia Supply Inc $201,429
Taleo Corporation $196,700
B&H Photo Video Inc $196,210
Clifton Gunderson LLP $195,120
Control Sources LLC $195,027
Atlantech Online Inc $194,949
National Art & School Supplies $194,775
Discovery Education $193,281
Glover Equipment Sales Grp LLC $193,225
Eastern Food Services Inc $192,937
Lee, Ivin $192,385
Gaithersburg Farmers Supply Inc $192,022
American Reprographics Inc $191,537
Lawson Software Americas Inc $191,220
Ricoh Americas Corporation $189,861
HMH Supplemental Publishers Inc $189,532
Mental Health Association Of Montgomery County $188,500
Nextel Communications $187,822
Finley Asphalt & Sealing Inc $186,790
M B Limited Partnership $184,416
Weyer's Floor Service Inc $182,410
M R Enterprises Inc $182,180
Diversified Educational Systems Inc $181,902
H Schrier & Company Inc $181,459
Cargill Kitchen Solutions Inc $180,948
WT Cox Subscriptions $180,771
PureWorks Inc $180,000
W W Grainger Inc $179,082
Norton Land Design LLC $176,875
Atlantic Beverage Co $176,484
Apple Inc $174,099
Kellogg Sales Co $174,051
Net Results Inc $173,752
Control Systems Sales II Corporation $168,011
Arts & Humanities Council Of Montgomery County $167,900
J & L Services Inc $166,930
Morgan's Inc $164,260
Aztech Datasystems Inc $163,112
City Of Rockville $162,191
Feesers Inc $161,420
Edvotek Inc $160,576
One More Story Inc $159,978
Recovery Point Systems $158,480
Project Lead The Way Inc $157,243
Automotive Support Services Inc $157,161
Briggs Ice Cream Co $154,930
Language Line Services $151,893
Best Battery Company Inc $151,557
WLC LLC $151,453
Dawkins Management Inc $150,450
Maxim Healthcare Services $146,805
Fisher Scientific Company $146,608
Research For Better Teaching $143,851
Lend Lease (US) Construction Inc $143,290
Para-Med Medical Transportation Inc $143,263
Nasco $141,164
AT&T Mobility $139,979
Cambridge Global Services Inc $138,764
B2E Consulting Engineers PC $137,710
Middleton & Meads Co Inc $137,364
F L Chamberlain Center Inc $137,325
Envision Technology $137,324
Fitness Resource $136,446
LVI Environmental Services Inc $136,332
Community Products LLC $136,023
College Entrance Examination Board $135,261
ISOindustries Inc $133,862
S&E Paper Inc $132,694
Advance Food Company $130,910
Daly Computers Inc $130,684
Gartner Inc $130,000
Carolina Biological Supply Co $129,091
Let's Do Lunch Inc $128,672
Venable LLP $128,087
Exchange Place Joint Venture $126,225
AFP Industries Inc $126,065
Sun Edison LLC $124,980
Pediatric Therapy Associates LLC $121,678
National Center On Institution & Alternatives $120,635
The George B Thomas Sr Learning Academy Inc $120,500
Verizon Wireless $120,439
Phonak Inc $120,206
Ryco Associates Inc $120,116
Crystal Springs Water $119,364
Carroll County Foods LLC $118,944
School-Link Technologies Inc $118,801
Advance Pierre Foods Inc $117,711
Mid-Atlantic Ag Consulting $117,673
Board of Child Care of the United Methodist Church Inc $115,104
Wausau Tile $114,720
Shafer Troxell & Howe Inc $114,299
Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC $113,471
Nicholas Pipino & Associates Inc $109,923
Baptist Convention of MD/DE $108,162
Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission $107,146
National Speech & Language Therapy Center $106,040
Jennie-O Turkey Store LLC $105,483
Copiers Plus Inc $105,168
S & S Tire Service,Inc $104,773
Cengage Learning Inc $104,587
Sundance/Newbridge Educnl Pub $103,369
Zeager Brothers Inc $102,530
Vanguard Modular Building Systems LLC $102,357
VSA Inc $102,064
Oce North America Inc $101,959
Secure Medical Care $100,360
Maryland School For The Blind $100,302
Curriculum Associates LLC $100,048
PreVisor Inc $99,815
Microsoft Corporation $99,609
AAF-McQuay Inc $99,339
Tech 4 Learning,Inc $98,657
Ronald A Williams Ltd $97,220
BMR Inc $96,380
Banner Glass Inc $95,851
Teltronic Inc $95,730
JM Smucker Company $95,069
Mendoza Ribas Farinas & Associates $94,520
Adventist HealthCare Inc $94,473
Site Construction Inc $94,089
CTB/Mcgraw-Hill $94,053
PNA Holdings LLC $93,253
Chelsea School $92,196
Summit Lake Camp $92,159
Wenger Corporation $91,427
Sweeney Brothers Inc $90,868
Modern Door & Equipment Sales Inc $90,772
Interstate Office Supply $90,751
Guitar Center Inc $90,204
Engineered Services Inc $90,196
American Scientific LLC $90,154
Strathmore Hall Foundation Inc $90,000
Intac Inc $88,653
Quill Corp $87,961
Montgomery College $86,316
Superior Supply Ltd $85,888
The Critical Thinking Consortium $85,650
Sport Supply Group Inc $84,830
Mckee Foods Corporation $84,668
Tito Contractors Inc $83,740
Abacus-N-Bytes Inc $83,383
R & S Auto & Truck Spring Works Inc $82,910
MMK Contractors Inc $82,802
Coughlan Companies Inc $82,440
D&H Distributing Company $81,851
Mather, Steve $81,405
Hunt Consulting LLC $79,800
Levin Professional Services Inc $79,597
J.S.B Industries Inc $79,565
Enernoc Inc $79,375
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP $78,754
Blue Star Group Inc $78,459
The Math Forum @ Drexel $78,000
Home Health Connection Inc $77,613
Suburban Propane $77,044
Maryland Instructional Computer Coordinators Association $76,610
Takoma Tree Experts Inc $76,492
Bowman Sales & Equipment Inc $76,311
NZI Construction Corp $75,943
Continuum Pediatric Nursing $75,254
3M CB LLC $75,032
Glennco Inc $73,786
Regency Cab Inc $73,496
James Posey Associates Inc $73,300
FCC Environmental LLC $73,111
Sbc Systems Company,Inc $71,475
Gipe Associates Inc $70,517
Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates $69,713
Macro International Inc $68,506
Tri Rehab Of Germantown Inc $67,869
East West Telecommunications Inc $66,220
Karetas Foods Inc $66,048
Scientific Learning Corp $66,027
MA Cecil & Associates Inc $65,915
Big Stuff Inc $65,598
NSDAR Treasurer General $65,500
BFPE International $65,093
National Educational Music Co $65,048
Waste Management of Maryland $64,545
Ferguson Enterprises Inc $64,242
Facts On File Inc $64,083
Myco Companies $63,813
Audio Visual Innovations Inc $62,269
Hurley Company $62,019
Web Electric LLC $61,975
Study Island LLC $60,982
Tumbleweed Press Inc $60,497
Macris Hendricks And Glascock $60,331
Computer Associates $60,103
Bridges Transitions Co $60,000
Marriott Foundation For People $60,000
Michael J Eig Esq. $59,900
B&R Design Group Inc $58,985
Sungard Availability Services LP $58,788
Follett Library Resources $58,664
Scholastic Library Publishing $58,635
Prentke Romich Company $58,080
Funds For Learning LLC $58,000
Sysco Food Services $57,265
Naviance Inc $57,189
Maxxess Systems Inc $57,104
Central Poly Bag Corp $56,889
Science Applications International Corp $56,674
Demoulin Bros & Co $56,250
Genn, Erik $56,210
Really Good Stuff Inc $56,080
ReliaPole Inspection Services Co LLC $55,998
Herman Born & Sons Inc $55,896
PCM Construction Inc $55,354
Goodman Food Products Inc $54,930
Golden Construction Inc $54,198
Graybar Electric Company Inc $53,243
Board Of Education Prince George's $53,190
Identity Inc $53,125
School Health Corporation $53,063
McKay, Dennis E $52,724
C&W Construction Company $52,173
Woodbourne Center Inc $51,761
Ark Systems Inc $51,599
APNT, Inc $51,461
Eschool Solutions Inc $50,804
Catherine Purple Cherry Architects, PC $50,435
Education Consulting Services Inc $50,080
George Mason University $49,504
Burdette, Koehler, Murphy & Associates Inc $49,247
Kelly Generator & Equipment Inc $48,653
Cannon Sports Inc $48,507
Central National Gottesman Inc $48,135
Classic Custom Products $47,872
Penn Camera Inc $47,579
Kaplan Early Learning Co $47,577
Deb's Diversified Industries Inc $47,463
Cumberland Hospital LLC $47,383
Keller Construction Management LLC $47,306
Formost Graphic Comm Inc $47,097
Environmental Consultants And Contractors Inc $47,085
DGS Educational Products $47,070
Maryland School For The Deaf $47,044
G&G Sales & Marketing $47,024
Maryland Association of Boards of Education $47,017
Comcast $46,834
Curtis Engine & Equipment Inc $46,578
Bob McCloskey Agency LLC $46,294
At Last Inc $46,291
Renewable Choice Energy Inc $45,580
Gompers, James E $45,497
Retro Environmental Inc $45,374
Allen & Shariff Engineering LLC $45,368
Atlantic Door Control $45,209
Environmental Group Inc $45,160
B & R Associates Service $45,096
Visual Sound Inc $44,418
Specialized Education of MD, Inc $44,230
Southern Playground Inc $43,503
Montgomery Alliance $43,435
Rosen Publishing Group $43,032
McCrone Inc $42,958
iParadigms LLC $42,795
Pasco Scientific $42,426
Total Kitchen Care LLC $42,400
Cross Restoration Inc $42,198
University Of Maryland Foundation $42,123
T L Garden & Assoc $42,023
Cambium Learning Inc $41,762
Abdo Publishing Company $41,322
Monocacy Custom Services Inc $41,171
Vehicle Maintenance Program Inc $40,592
Chesapeake Ceramic Supply Inc $40,355
Egel, Andrew L $39,630
Sorg & Associates PC $39,547
Lee Technologies $39,185
Willard Packaging Co $39,114
Barnes & Noble Booksellers USA Inc $39,003
Dillon, Alice $38,921
Recorded Books $38,882
Benchmark Education Co $38,671
Capital Compressor Inc $38,666
ABC CLIO Inc $38,600
Everbind Marco Book Company $38,108
Food Pro Corp $38,062
Marlow Sports Inc $38,055
Dixie Electric Inc $37,900
The Arrow Project $37,659
JAP Tech Services $37,630
Key Mix LLC $37,144
Tedco Industries Inc $37,131
G E Richards Graphics of Maryland $37,020
Charles P Johnson & Associates $37,006
CN Robinson Lighting Supply Co $37,006
Haggerty, John $36,765
Land O'Lakes Inc $36,587
Okapi Educational Publishing Inc $36,583
MDM Office Systems Inc $36,440
W.B. Hunt Co., Inc $36,114
McDonough Bolyard Peck Inc $36,112
Blackboard Inc $36,000
Great Books Foundation $35,804
Reynolds Consulting Engineers Inc $35,748
En Net Services $35,603
Campbell Ceramic Supply $35,536
Rolling Doors Of MD Inc $35,116
Micro Computer Solutions Inc $35,000
Board Of Educ Washington Co $34,967
Riverside Publishing Co $34,917
Angel Learning Inc $34,800
EBSCO Publishing $34,628
Maryland Correctional Enterprises $34,150
Superior Water Services Inc $34,117
Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. $33,780
Tricon Chemical Corporation $33,737
Leary School $33,478
Meyer Material Handlg Prod Inc $33,372
Lego Dacta-Pitsco LLC $33,349
Crawford Services LLC $32,718
Danse Equip Co Inc $32,610
Jostens Inc $32,579
Herff Jones Inc $32,528
Bottomline Technologies $32,446
Lashof Violins, LLC $32,270
L & L Music Wind Shop Inc $32,138
Math Teachers Press Inc $32,056
School & Office Services Inc $31,455
Montgomery Co Dept of Health & Human Services $31,300
Peripole Bergerault Inc $31,239
Roberts, William J $31,191
Vista Higher Learning $31,072
Laytonsville Turf Farm LLC $31,041
Cedar Ridge Children's Home & School Inc $31,040
Genesis Il Inc $31,021
Daktronics Inc $30,778
Pro-Ed Inc $30,662
Fox Micro International $30,398
Alvah M Squibb Co $30,293
Maryland Interpreting Services Inc $30,234
Spanish Speaking Community $30,117
Rubens, Ruby $30,000
Premier Agendas Inc $29,977
Cranston, Arthur S $29,698
A Daigger & Company Inc $29,615
Taylor Security & Lock Co Inc $29,439
Double K Contractors Inc $29,438
Waterman, Frank N $29,389
Marshall Cavendish Corp $28,996
Pritchett Controls Inc $28,966
FPC Distribution $28,669
Multi-Health Systems Inc $28,544
EAI Security Systems Inc $28,495
The DBQ Co $28,377
Safety Kleen Systems Inc $28,084
Commissioners Of Poolesville $28,048
Stanbury Uniforms Inc $27,837
George B Thomas Learning $27,773
Soccer International $27,690
Corporate Occupational Health Solutions $27,673
National Professional Resources Inc $27,652
Foodco Inc $27,595
DISYS Solutions Inc $27,576
Child's World $27,549
Systcom Inc $27,510
Campbell Glass & Door Service Inc $27,422
Snap-On Industrial $27,395
Charles County Public Schools $27,389
Corbett Technology Solutions Inc $27,372
Archipelago Learning Inc $27,321
LanSchool Technologies LLC $27,253
Permabound $27,099
Turf Center Lawns Inc $27,055
Apex Learning Inc $26,900
USC Canterbury Corp $26,868
United Parcel Service of America Inc $26,769
FWD Media Inc $26,754
Psychological Assessment Resources Inc $26,691
Lerner Publishing Group $26,656
Dynavox Systems LLC $26,286
ECS Mid Atlantic LLC $26,275
WLR Automotive Group Inc $26,231
Burmax Company Inc $26,204
Digi-Block Inc $26,000
Super Duper Incorporated $25,869
Sports Imports Inc $25,840
Fig Leaf Software Inc $25,795
Maryland Treatment Centers Inc $25,684
Articulate Global Inc $25,514
MWB Architects PC $25,500
School Media Associates LLC $25,452
Hogan Lovells US LLP $25,128

National History Day Curriculum Begins

Readers of this blog know that National History Day (NHD) is more than one day; it is a year-long intensive history curriculum in which students conduct original research related to the annual theme. This year's theme is: Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. To read more about the 2012 Theme and how to enter, go to NHD's webpage here, and the theme page here. Talk to your child's teachers about working on these topics. Some schools in Montgomery County, public and private, focus on the NHD theme and projects as part of the curriculum; at others, work on the projects are optional with support from teachers. Find out! Ask your child's teacher how they can participate. Homeschoolers also are active participants in NHD because of its rigorous curriculum. The 2012 NHD Curriculum Book is here.

The Parents' Coalition is a strong supporter of NHD and offers an annual prize on the topic of 'Education.'

And on a personal note, my own small business offers the annual PFB Consult Prize in Archaeology.

We encourage you to have your children participate in this year-long intensive curriculum. Teachers, parents, guardians, please email us and let us know if your child or student is involved in NHD.

Thanks!

Gazette: BCC to get look at three middle school design options Thursday

Committee split between designs, favors no school at all

Gazette: Schools superintendent recommends keeping students at Farquhar during modernization

But land swap option more popular with parents than neighbors

...Starr recommends the “land swap” option, which would allow the building to be built on property adjacent to the current school site... 

...The land swap is the preferred option of parents, who have opposed options that would involve sending the students Tilden. According to Google Maps, the distance between Farquhar and the Tilden Center is between 10 and 11 miles, although parents believe that the trip could take up to 90 minutes each way during rush hour... 

...The “land swap” option is contingent on support from the park and planning commission, but if the commission does not agree to the swap, Starr recommends a back-up plan that would relocate students to the Tilden Holding Center during the time of construction.Bill Gries of the Park Development Division said there are several variables that will determine when a decision could be made.They first must receive a letter from the superintendent officially requesting the property be considered for a swap as well as the deed to the property from property owner Pulte Homes. Then it will be scheduled for a discussion and decision at an upcoming planning board session... 

...The Hydes question the process, stating that they and other neighbors were not involved early on, since the project was described as a modernization project, not a relocation project...

NYT on free public education, why not Washington Post?

Too bad we don't live in New York. If we did our local newspaper would have just printed a piece in favor of following our state constitution's guarantee of a free public school education for all students.

Unfortunately, we live in Maryland and The Washington Post has said that "school fees are justifiable" for our students, even though those fees violate our state constitution.

No social justice here in Montgomery County.

“Most state constitutions, in fact, guarantee all students a sound, basic public education. These constitutional rights cannot be put on hold, even in tough times. It is unconstitutional to call on parents to pay for textbooks and lab fees for required courses. And art, music, sports, basic educational support services and many extracurricular activities that promote learning, creativity and character are not luxuries; they, too, are essential features of a sound, basic education.” 

NYT: When Schools Depend on Handouts

Starr: 2 Buildings Option for Wheaton & Edison Modernization

110830 Recommendation Wheaton Edison

ABC News: School Superintendent Takes $800,000 Pay Cut Over Next 3 Years

School Superintendent Larry Powell Takes $800,000 Pay Cut Over Next Three Years - ABC News

Wireless Generation refresher

This blog discussed purchase of Wireless Generation (WiGen) products some time ago but the breaking news that New York state has cancelled its contract with WiGen reminds me that we in Montgomery County, who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to WiGen, with unaccounted-for results, if any, could use a refresher, so here goes.

From Dumbo NYC, November 24th, 2010 here,

"Dumbo's Wireless Generation Acquired by News Corp for $360M"

"News Corporation yesterday announced an agreement to acquire 90% of Wireless Generation, a privately-held Dumbo-based education technology company for approximately $360 million in cash. News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch said in a statement that Wireless Generation is at the forefront of individualized, technology-based learning. As such, it is poised to revolutionize public education for a whole new generation of students. Founders of Wireless Generation, Greg Gunn and Larry Berger established the business in 2000 and has 400 employees (one of Dumbo’s largest employer) and delivers mobile and Web software, data systems and professional services designed to empower teachers."

and from the New York Daily News, here:

Rupert Murdoch given $27M no-bid contract from state Department of Education

BY RACHEL MONAHAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Sunday, July 31, 2011

"More than a dozen private firms wanted to work on a project like the one the state Education Department is set to award to a Rupert Murdoch-owned company in a $27 million no-bid contract.

Agency officials have cited "an extremely challenging time line" in their decision to partner with News Corp. subsidiary Wireless Generation to build a data system of student test scores and other information.

The Daily News has learned that the agency has explored the project for at least two years - proof, critics say, state officials had ample time to competitively bid out the contract and still meet a fall 2012 deadline for a federal Race to the Top grant."

and:

"The News has also learned that Wireless Generation paid as much as $5,000 a month to lobbying firms to advocate for the contract and Race to the Top funds with state officials."

and:

"•In August 2010, the state was named a winner in Race to the Top, netting nearly $700 million.
•Starting in September 2010, Wireless Generation paid as much as $5,000 a month to lobbying firm Public Strategies to gain "agency support" for a no-bid contract, records show."

Board of Ed loses Round 1 of Brickyard Middle School Site Appeal

The Montgomery County Board of Education attempted to stop neighbors around the Brickyard Middle School site from appealing their decision to lease the 20 acre property to Montgomery County for use as "ball fields."  The Board of Education had argued that these neighbors did not have the required standing to pursue appeals to the State Board. 


Yesterday, the Maryland State Board of Education ruled in favor of the neighbors right to appeal the decision of the Board of Education. 


The appeal will now go forward on the merits of the case.  



Brickyard Middle School Appeal Decision August 30, 2011