Saturday, February 16, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Breaking: MD State Superintendent Did Not Revoke MCPS Teacher John Vigna's License as Required in COMAR
The Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) states that if a teacher is convicted of a crime of child abuse or resigns after an allegation of child sexual abuse that teacher's license to teach shall be revoked.
The Maryland State Superintendent is well aware of this Regulation as she wrote about it in a May 23, 2017, memorandum.
On June 9, 2017, Former MCPS elementary school teacher John Vigna was convicted of four counts of sex abuse of a minor and five counts of third-degree sex offense.
As of today, John Vigna's license to teach in Maryland has still not been revoked.
That means that his name has not been reported to the National Database for the reporting and dissemination of the names of teachers who have had their licenses revoked. It also means that if John Vigna were to have his sentence reduced or completed he would be released from prison without notification to other jurisdictions that his Maryland teaching license should have been revoked.
What's going on Maryland State Department of Education Superintendent Karen Salmon?
How many other Maryland teachers have not had their licenses automatically revoked as required by COMAR? Where are those teachers today? Are they in classrooms or activities where they have direct contact with children?
MSDE Superintendent Karen S... by on Scribd
Police sources: Magruder H.S. breaches policy by not calling 911 following violent fight
DERWOOD, Md. (ABC7) — Three law enforcement sources say Magruder High School violated clear, written policy by not calling 911 or the school resource officer following a violent fight earlier this week.
The altercation, which took place around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, left a freshman in the ICU with a skull fracture and blood clot in his head. Surgery might be required.
"They told his mother, your son's puking, I think you need to take him to an emergency room," the boy's father, Shane Van Dyken, told ABC7 earlier this week. "They didn't call an ambulance, they didn't call nobody... Makes no sense."
Van Dyken said his wife picked up their 14-year-old son around 12:50 p.m. He was "covered in vomit" and showing "clear signs" of a head injury. Their first stop was MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, but staff there explained the teen's injuries were severe. They directed the family to seek advanced treatment at Children's National Medical Center in D.C.
"I mean my son's here, at the hospital with a fractured skull and bleeding from his head and nothing was done at the school."
https://wjla.com/news/local/magruder-hs-violates-policy-by-not-calling-911-following-violent-fight
Schools director began contract talks before starting job #PerformanceMatters #JackRSmith #NoBid
Montgomery County Public Schools spent $1.5 million on a no bid Performance Matters contract in FY18.
MCPS Superintendent Jack R. Smith brought in a no bid Performance Matters, LLC contract along with a consultant connected to Performance Matter, LLC.
Two MCPS administrators were on Shawn Joseph's (Nashville) transition team.
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MCPS Superintendent Jack R. Smith brought in a no bid Performance Matters, LLC contract along with a consultant connected to Performance Matter, LLC.
Two MCPS administrators were on Shawn Joseph's (Nashville) transition team.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph began talks with a Utah-based technology company about a potential no-bid contract two weeks before he formally took command of the Nashville school system, emails uncovered by NewsChannel 5 Investigates reveal.
The emails, obtained through the Tennessee Public Records Act, show that Performance Matters had discussions with Joseph about how to “extend our partnership,” suggesting the company’s contract with Shelby County schools could be a “purchasing vehicle” for Metro Nashville Public Schools.
That process, known as “piggybacking,” allows companies to get government contracts without having to compete with other vendors.
“We may be able to discuss a pilot this year [if] the costs are right!” Joseph said in a follow-up email two weeks after he became director of schools.
Instead, less than six months into Joseph’s tenure, MNPS signed two no-bid contracts with Performance Matters, totaling $1.8 millon.
As a result of questions raised by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, the district admitted this week that it broke state law in awarding a $1 million, no-bid contract with Performance Matters for a student assessment platorm, piggybacking on a contract with Orange County, Florida, schools.
State law only allows piggybacking on in-state contracts.
The district signed a second, $845,000 contract with the company that was piggybacked on the Shelby County contract, although Metro changed the terms. Experts say that also violates state law...
...In a written statement, Metro Schools suggested that the Performance Matters contracts originated in 2016 after “a transition team made up of local, state and national experts shared that Nashville needed to focus on student achievement – with a sense of urgency.”
Joseph’s transition team did not release its final report until February 2017...
Thursday, February 14, 2019
What did MNPS [and MCPS] get for $1 million? Potentially, not much #PerformanceMatters #JackRSmith #NoBid
Like Nashville, TN, Montgomery County Public Schools also had a no bid Performance Matters contract and in FY18 spent $1.5 million on that contract.
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What did Metro Nashville Public Schools get for $1 million?
In the case of a student assessment program developed by a company that Schools Director Dr. Shawn Joseph liked, the answer may be: not much.
As NewsChannel 5 Investigates previously reported, after Joseph's arrival in Nashville in 2016, he ordered MNPS staff to sign a deal with Performance Matters for its Unify student assessment platform.
"In 2016, a transition team made up of local, state and national experts shared that Nashville needed to focus on student achievement -- with a sense of urgency," Metro Schools said in a written statement.
Without giving any other company a chance to offer its services, Metro Schools signed the $1 million deal with Performance Matters, piggybacking on a deal the company had struck with Orange County Public Schools in Florida.
After questions raised by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, MNPS admitted it violated state law when it piggybacked on an out-of-state contract.
But our investigation also discovered questions about whether the Performance Matters contract was really utilized by Nashville teachers...
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
MNPS official failed to disclose consulting fees from vendor group #ERDI #PerformanceMatters #Amplify #Gallup #Panasonic @mcps @mocoboe
...ERDI is an industry trade group that pays school officials to sit down with technology companies, giving them feedback on products they hope to sell to those officials.
The group's affiliated companies include eight with whom Dr. Joseph's team has signed contracts -- for more than $17 million.
Back in June, school board member Amy Frogge publicly questioned the administration's ties to ERDI -- and the potential conflicts of interest when district officials take money from the group.
"ERDI's sole purpose is to act as a middleman between school districts and ed vendors," Frogge told her fellow board members...
Metro Schools broke law, misled school board about contracts #PerformanceMatters @mcps @mocoboe #SuperintendentJackRSmith
Montgomery County Public Schools spent $1.5 million on a no bid Performance Matters contract in FY18.
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Our exclusive investigation also uncovered evidence that, in doing so, Joseph and his team repeatedly misled members of the Metro School Board about key aspects of the deals.
"That just raises red flags for me," said school board member Amy Frogge, who has emerged as a frequent critic of how Joseph's administration has handled the district's business. “Those are alarm bells.”
In a written statement, Metro Schools insisted that mistakes were made “in good faith.”
The contracts in question involve Performance Matters, a Utah-based firm that markets student assessment software to help educators track student progress and professional development software to monitor training that teachers are required to complete.
Joseph, who took control over the Nashville school system in July 2016, had appeared in a slickly produced video that touted how Performance Matters' student assessment software had been utilized in his previous job in Prince George's County, Maryland...
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Could MoCo Bus Fines Go to Paying Off Debt in Dallas Left by Failed Stop-Arm Camera Ticketing Scheme?
If any part of fines from stop-arm camera tickets ends up with the former CEO of Force Multiplier Solutions, Robert C. Leonard, then Montgomery County Public Schools use of this stop-arm camera system could end up with fine money connected to the litigation mentioned in the article below.
Also note this article says the FBI investigation is ongoing as of August 2018.
To pay off debt left by corrupt school-bus agency Dallas County Schools, officials are suing to recover funds from conspirators who defrauded taxpayers.
Also note this article says the FBI investigation is ongoing as of August 2018.
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...The dissolution committee also seeking to recoup taxpayer money that was illegally funneled to corrupt officials and others involved in the conspiracy. Under federal racketeering statutes, plaintiffs can recover triple damages.
“I’m hopeful that we will get some money back,” , chief executive officer of the dissolution committee. “The amount of money that they’ve lost is just staggering.”
“It was a conspiracy of a number of defendants and individuals that involved bribes, kickbacks, real estate fees and commissions paid,” added Stephanie Curtis, an attorney for the DCS dissolution committee.
The lawsuit’s targets include former DCS Superintendent Rick Sorrells, former DCS President Larry Duncan, and current Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, along with Louisiana-based school bus camera company Force Multiplier Solutions and its CEO Robert Leonard. A failed stop-arm camera ticketing scheme hatched by Leonard and then-Superintendent Sorrells back in 2010 precipitated the agency’s financial collapse.
Leonard’s associate Slater Swartwood, Sr. is also named in the suit. He was the first to be late last year. He pleaded guilty to federal money laundering conspiracy charges and . Swartwood was the middle man who helped funnel millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks from Leonard and Force Multiplier to Sorrells “in return for further agreements and camera-equipment orders.”
Sorrells repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but once Swartwood confessed, Sorrells out of millions of dollars. As superintendent, Sorrells awarded $70 million in contracts to Force Multiplier in exchange for $3 million in bribes and kickbacks. He used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle that featured luxury vacations, expensive sports cars, and fancy jewelry. Sorrells in April to wire fraud and is soon. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Duncan, who was president of the DCS board when then-Superintendent Sorrells and Leonard launched the stop-arm camera scheme, also denied wrongdoing. From 2012 to 2016, Duncan received nearly $250,000 in campaign contributions from Leonard and others connected with Force Multiplier that coincided with DCS board approvals of agreements with the company. Duncan claims the donations were legitimate, but it’s unclear why Louisiana residents would contribute to the campaign of a Dallas bureaucrat running unopposed. Duncan later gave some of that money to campaigns of other DCS board candidates, , who’s now a Dallas City Council member...
Inequities Discovered in Student Field Trips
Montgomery County public school students aren’t getting the same field trip experiences, with students in some poorer areas having fewer opportunities.
Students who go on field trips, regardless of their socioeconomic status, perform better in school, with nearly 60 percent reporting better grades and higher graduation rates, according to the nonprofit Student & Youth Travel Association.
The school system ensures all elementary schools have the opportunity to participate in at least one field trip, and many schools offer additional trips. But there are no similar guidelines at the high school level.
Cynthia Simonson, vice president of educational issues for the Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations, asked the school board at a recent public hearing to integrate field trip equity into new curriculum adopted earlier this month.
“We can do this better,” she said.
The school system estimates it would take $1.6 million to provide one trip per student — money that isn’t included in the proposed budget for next year.
County students took 2,099 field trips last school year to places across the region, such as the Maryland State House, colleges, national monuments and various museums, according to school data, which shows it costs an average of $300 to take a school bus on a single-day field trip, meaning the school system spent roughly $630,000 on buses for out-of-classroom experiences last school year...
Monday, February 11, 2019
From Greenwood to Annapolis: BCPS board members try for fourth time to secure state approval for White
A fourth attempt to confirm Interim Superintendent Verletta White as Baltimore County Public Schools’ (BCPS) permanent superintendent involved a road trip to Annapolis on Wednesday. It was the continuation of a struggle that first began at the system’s Greenwood headquarters in Towson last year.
Current and former Baltimore County school board members made an appearance in support of Senate Bill 222 which seeks to limit Maryland State Superintendent Karen Salmon’s authority when it comes to disapproving local superintendents for permanent placement...
Friday, February 8, 2019
Councilmember Craig Rice Thinks New Bus Camera Co. is Not Connected to CEO who Plead Guilty to Bribery and Conspiracy
Part 2 (See Part 1 at this link)
On September 25, 2018, the Montgomery County Council held a public hearing on the appropriation of bus camera citation fine money from MCPS to BusPatrol.
One member of the public spoke to this appropriation and expressed concerns about the contract, the lack of bids and the criminal money laundering convictions connected to the company that MCPS hired to install cameras on school buses. The company MCPS and the Montgomery County Police contracted with was called Force Multiplier.
When Force Multiplier shut down after the CEO Robert C. Leonard was arrested, the directors and officers reformed the company as BusPatrol. BusPatrol sold the same patented product that had been sold by Force Multiplier.
When Force Multiplier shut down, MCPS' Superintendent Jack R. Smith simply continued the contract with the same people, minus the CEO who was arrested, and did not bring the new contract to the Board of Education for approval. Superintendent Smith did not notify the Board of Education that Force Multiplier had been shut down by an FBI investigation. Instead, Superintendent Smith simply inserted the name BusPatrol as if it was just a name change.
In response to the public comment about MCPS dealing with a company that had been shut down after an FBI investigation, Councilmember Craig Rice said, "...other remaining members of the company were found to be of no wrongdoing and that's the reason they started their own company. Certainly you can understand a business who has someone who is corrupt does not reflect on all of the employees of that corporation."
What Councilmember Rice failed to mention is that the "new" bus camera company was actually the 4th name change for the same group and the "new" company is still using the same product owned by the CEO who was arrested and plead guilty to bribery and conspiracy.
When Force Multiplier was shut down after the CEO Robert Leonard was arrested and plead guilty to bribery and conspiracy, remaining officers formed a new company using the same products. The new company was called BusPatrol and according to their statements, they purchased the assets of Force Multiplier.
The underlying product being sold by BusPatrol is based on a Patent that is registered to the CEO of the former company who was arrested. See the chart above.
That means that it is possible that the person that was arrested and plead guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges could still be profiting from the sales of the patented bus camera system in use by MCPS.
But no elected officials or County administrators are going to investigate this no bid contract and no County Inspector General is going to examine this bus camera scheme that costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in police, school system, and court personnel yet yields zero revenue to the County.
School bus camera tickets still raising questions in some parts of Texas #BusPatrol #alertbus.com @RicePolitics @mcps @mocoboe
Amy Hamilton lives in Elgin, a town on the east side of Austin. Last month she got a collection demand for a $422 overdue fine for driving past a school bus that was stopped. She acknowledges that she did it, though not intentionally; an online video link shows her car passing the bus.
And those are the only simple things about what should be a simple case.
The demand letter came from a collections group in Carrollton, in North Texas. The letter says it was a “city of Pflugerville” bus she passed. That town, just north of Austin, doesn’t operate school buses.
The letter says she ignored the original ticket mailed to her in May, so that a late penalty was added to the original fine. Hamilton says she never got the original notice. It’s an all-too-common occurrence when agencies issue tickets or bills for things like automated tollway charges or red-light camera infractions to motorists who, at the time, don’t even know they’ve been tagged.
The collection company says the infraction happened in Austin. But officials in both Austin and Pflugerville deny issuing the original ticket or, in fact, having the authority to do so, since no officer in their employ saw the infraction or knew anything about it.
Who does know about it? BusPatrol, the private company that owns the camera that captured the video — a company, not any political subdivision with ticket-issuing power. The company got involved with Texas school bus safety after a major scandal involving payoffs and federal felony charges took down officials of another company originally involved, as well as leaders of a now-defunct school bus agency in Dallas...
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Taxpayers League: County Executive's Transition Plan
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
to our monthly meeting, February 20th, 2019
7-9 pm
6th Floor Potomac River Conference Room
County Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850
"County Executive's Transition Plan"
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Today in Annapolis. What happened to $6.4 Million of Bus Camera Fine Money? @mcps @mocoboe
Maryland General Assembly on Wednesday February 6th, 2019 at 1 pm
February 6, 2019
Statement in SUPPORT from Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD
The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland is speaking in support of Senate Bill 92 today because time and time again we see public education used as a profit center for companies that do not add any value or dollars to public school classrooms.
Today, we bring to you the example of the no RFP, no bid, no public discussion contract that has been established between Montgomery County Public Schools and a company called Force Multiplier. This deal was executed with out any public procurement process and now the public is left asking, “Where does all the money go?”
The contract allegedly requires Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to pay $18 million for cameras to be installed and operated on MCPS school buses. MCPS is to turn 100% of the fine revenue over to the bus camera company until the $18 million number is reached.
NO revenue is received by either MCPS or the Police Department until the $18 million is paid off. Yet, both organizations must employ staff to handle these transactions.
The original contract for bus cameras was with a company called Force Multiplier, but they shut down when their CEO was arrested by the FBI in a massive bus camera scandal that rocked the city of Dallas, Texas. The company reformed as BusPatrol and the MCPS Superintendent simply inserted the name of BusPatrol for Force Multiplier and continued the contract without a public discussion or Board of Education vote.
Bus camera citations for passing a stopped school bus cost drivers $250 each.
The Montgomery County Police state that 34,436 citations have been issued as of FY18. That number of citations would yield approximately $7,976,550 million in revenue.
However, when the citation fine revenue is tracked through MCPS for the same time period in FY18 only $1,553,230 is found.
To understand how many people and organizations handle fine revenue, please see the attached [below] flow chart.
This is exactly the type of public school procurement issue that is ripe for investigation by an Inspector General. Please support this legislation.
Part 2: Councilmember Craig Rice Thinks New Bus Camera Co. is Not Connected to CEO who Plead Guilty to Bribery and Conspiracy
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
WUSA9: Mont. Co. 311 person blew us off and basically said "stay home."
Rockville man can't get to physical therapy because of broken sidewalk. He claims Centurylink hasn't fixed the problem in 3 weeks
The Kruathamer family has contacted 311, Montgomery County, Centurylink and the folks with the American Disabilities Act and no one has been able to fix the problem.
Illinois wipes out statute of limitations for child sex abuse
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed legislation that will remove the statutes of limitation for sexual abuse crimes.
Rauner signed the measure Friday. Sponsor state Sen. Michael Hastings of Frankfort says the legislation puts in place “best practices for dealing with sexual assault cases statewide and puts a system in place that will encourage survivors to come forward and receive justice when they are ready.”..
Monday, February 4, 2019
WSSC smart meters on the agenda for tonight's off camera Montgomery County Delegation meeting (2/4)
The Montgomery County Delegation's Metropolitan Washington Committee is scheduled to meet at 7pm on Monday 2/4/19 to continue discussing and potentially vote on smart meter legislation. WSSC, the municipal water utility serving Montgomery and Prince George's Counties plans to spend $100M to automate its meter reading operations by installing AMI smart meters. Delegate Al Carr has introduced MC/PG 101-19 that would require a study of the cost effectiveness of AMI smart meters and place a temporary moratorium on their implementation at WSSC.
The meeting location is room 218 of the Lowe House Office Building, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
WSSC opposes the bill. The Delegation received testimony supporting the bill on the grounds of cost, privacy, health and the impact on the labor force. The ACLU, AARP and AFSCME 67 all support the bill. The hearing was held in Rockville on December 3, 2018.
One option is a compromise: amend the bill to replace the moratorium language with language allowing customers to opt out of a smart meter at no charge.
The meeting is open to the public. The members of the Metropolitan Washington Committee are: Del. Al Carr (chair, D18), Del. Kathleen Dumais (D15), Del. Gabe Acevero (D39), Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D20), Del. Sara Love (D16) and Del. Julie Palakovich Carr (D17).
Link to meeting agenda: http://
Text of the bill:
http://www.
Fiscal and Policy note:
http://www.
Sponsor testimony:
https://docs.google.com/
WSSC's testimony:
https://drive.google.com/open?
Link to WSSC's AMI smart meter FAQ page:
https://www.wsscwater.com/AMI
Contact info for members of the Montgomery County Delegation:
http://www.
The meeting location is room 218 of the Lowe House Office Building, 6 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
WSSC opposes the bill. The Delegation received testimony supporting the bill on the grounds of cost, privacy, health and the impact on the labor force. The ACLU, AARP and AFSCME 67 all support the bill. The hearing was held in Rockville on December 3, 2018.
One option is a compromise: amend the bill to replace the moratorium language with language allowing customers to opt out of a smart meter at no charge.
The meeting is open to the public. The members of the Metropolitan Washington Committee are: Del. Al Carr (chair, D18), Del. Kathleen Dumais (D15), Del. Gabe Acevero (D39), Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D20), Del. Sara Love (D16) and Del. Julie Palakovich Carr (D17).
Link to meeting agenda: http://
Text of the bill:
http://www.
Fiscal and Policy note:
http://www.
Sponsor testimony:
https://docs.google.com/
WSSC's testimony:
https://drive.google.com/open?
Link to WSSC's AMI smart meter FAQ page:
https://www.wsscwater.com/AMI
Contact info for members of the Montgomery County Delegation:
http://www.
Friday, February 1, 2019
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