Teachers, MCPS at Odds Before Negotiations Even Begin - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)
Sunday, October 9, 2022
Friday, October 7, 2022
MCEA objects to BOE setting terms before teacher negotiations can even begin. Say they do not want to agree to limited number of negotiations or have BOE record their names at meetings for fear of retribution. @mymcmedia @mcea @mcps
MCEA objects to BOE setting terms before teacher negotiations can even begin. Say they do not want to agree to limited number of negotiations or haver BOE record their names at meetings for fear of retribution. @mymcmedia @mcea @mcps pic.twitter.com/qWzpv6QTPO
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) October 6, 2022
Graffiti found at Pyle Middle School contained racist and homophobic slurs, antisemitic symbol
New information about the content of the graffiti emerged after police arrested and charged two boys in late August in connection with three separate instances of vandalizing a retaining wall behind the school.
According to a police press release, school security first encountered the graffiti during night patrol on June 25 after witnessing two individuals fleeing the scene by bicycle. The Black & White has verified that graffiti from the June 25 act of vandalism depicted the f-slur and sexually explicit drawings.
The July 16 act of vandalism took place on the school’s walls, basketball court and track, and included swastikas and the n-word, according to Nardi. The perpetrators graffitied the school a third time on August 21, defacing a wall near the school’s baseball field, according to police...
Columbia Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Shooting of Richard Montgomery Student
Although Weems, 24, spoke during the sentencing, he did not apologize or express remorse, according to the Howard County State’s Attorney’s office...
Montgomery County Police Investigating Attempted Abduction
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 4, 2022
Gaithersburg, MD – Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division, are investigating an attempted abduction of a juvenile female, on Monday, October 3, 2022, between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m., in the 2000 block of Georgian Woods Place in the Wheaton area.
The juvenile victim was walking in the area when she observed a black 4-door sedan with tinted windows pull up behind her. A male suspect got out of the vehicle and approached the victim, speaking in Spanish, and instructed her to get in the car. The suspect reached out and grabbed the juvenile victim's arm. The victim refused, pulling her arm away and observed a second male in the car. The victim ran from the area, unharmed.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5-feet, 8-inches tall with a thin build. He was wearing all black clothing, with black gloves and a black ski mask covering his face. The other suspect remained in the sedan and is described as a Hispanic male wearing all black clothing.
Detectives are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspects or the vehicle involved. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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Release ID: 22-480
Media Contact: CTDurham
Categories: kidnapping
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Breaking: County Executive Removes Plans for Bus Depot from Plans for Seven Locks Site in Rockville #MCPS #ShadyGroveBusDepot
At this evening's Forum to Address Controversial Proposed Bus Depot, Restoration Center in Rockville the forum started with an announcement that there will be no bus depot built on this site. According to County Executive Marc Elrich's Executive Staff, the plans for a bus depot at this site are no longer part of the planning process as long as the County Executive is in office.
This means that the plan to relocate the MCPS Shady Grove School Bus Depot to the Seven Locks site is no longer viable.
TONIGHT: County to Hold Forum on Seven Locks Detention Center / Restoration Center / Bus Depot Plans
Montgomery County will hold a hybrid in-person/virtual community forum, 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, on a planned bus depot and restoration center at a 25.8-acre site along Seven Locks Road.
The in-person event will be held at the Montgomery County Council third-floor hearing room, 100 Maryland Ave. To join the county forum virtually, visit bit.ly/CountyForum100622.
State audit details misspending in Montgomery school system - An ‘off the books’ vendor account, ongoing theft led to changes in the transportation department’s leadership this year
The details were part of a Sept. 29 audit by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services of the school system’s financial management practices...
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Tuesday, October 4, 2022
WTOP: Audit finds ‘off the books’ account used by vendors to pay Montgomery Co. schools staff
Nearly a year after Montgomery County, Maryland, police reported they were investigating “possible financial improprieties” in the county school system’s transportation department, a new state audit offers details on what generated its investigation.
According to the September 2022 report by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits, the Montgomery County school system’s own internal audit showed “questionable purchases” for gift cards, furniture and other items shipped to an unnamed transportation manager’s home.
The state audit also reports that Montgomery County Public Schools also discovered an “off the books account” maintained by a transportation vendor outside the control of MCPS’ Office of Finance. The report doesn’t identify the vendor, but states that the account that was used to make payments to several MCPS employees to buy goods and services in a way that was designed to get around the school system’s “established policies and procedures.”..
MCPS Transportation Managers’ Under Investigation for Possible Embezzlement
According to a recently released Financial Management Practices Audit Report by the Maryland General Assembly, two Montgomery County Public Schools transportation managers are under investigation for using almost $600,000 of MCPS funds for their personal use,
According to the audit by The Office of Legislative Audits, Department of Legislative Services, MCPS questioned some purchases during its normal review of credit card activity. An internal audit unit by the school district found “questionable purchases,” including gift cards, furniture, and other purchases that were shipped to an employee’s home...
***BREAKING*** $1.2M Deposited in "Off the Books" account used to make payments to MCPS employees from 2017-2021*** AND *** $572K in Questionable Credit Card Purchases by MCPS Staff from 2016-2022.
MCPS’ Internal Audit Unit conducted a limited review in October 2021 of a
transportation management employee’s credit card activity. The Internal Audit
Unit issued a report dated November 17, 2021, which identified questionable
purchases (such as gift cards, furniture, and purchases shipped to the employee’s
home) made by the management employee.
MCPS further discovered the existence of an account maintained by a transportation vendor outside the control of MCPS’ Office of Finance that was funded with amounts owed to MCPS. This “off the books” account was used to make payments to several MCPS employees and to purchase goods and services circumventing MCPS’ established policies and procedures. Specifically, the account was funded with amounts due to MCPS for liquidated damages resulting from the transportation vendor failing to deliver goods timely and credits for certain items included in the original bus procurement contract and paid for that were subsequently cancelled.
Based on the results of the internal audit and the discovery of the account maintained by the vendor, MCPS reported the questionable activity to the Montgomery County Police Department. Additionally, MCPS hired an accounting and advisory firm in December 2021 to conduct an independent forensic investigation of the aforementioned account and certain transactions during the period from July 2016 to January 2022.
In February 2022, the firm issued a report which identified that approximately $1.2 million had been deposited in the account and that payments totaling approximately $649,000 were made either directly to MCPS employees or for purchases of goods and services purportedly on behalf of MCPS during the period from October 2017 to November 2021. As of November 16, 2021, the account had a balance totaling $535,036. The firm also reviewed MCPS credit card purchases during the period July 2016 to January 2022 and identified purchases totaling approximately $572,000 made by transportation department employees that were considered questionable or required additional review. The firm stated in the report that additional work would be necessary to fully investigate the aforementioned activity.
On November 15, 2021, MPCS placed two transportation management employees on administrative leave pending investigation into the questionable purchases. One of the employees was subsequently terminated in February 2022 and the other employee resigned in March 2022.
As of April 7, 2022, we were advised by MCPS management that MCPS, the Montgomery County Police and State’s Attorney Office, were still conducting investigations related to these issues. Specifically, MCPS was pursuing collection of the credit balance totaling $535,036 with the transportation vendor, was modifying its process for purchasing buses, and developing procedures for how it accounts for changes to bus specifications; including ensuring that credits from 13 vendors are handled properly. Furthermore, MCPS management advised us that it provided training on proper credit card usage, decreased credit card purchasing limits as necessary, and eliminated credit cards based on limited or no purchasing activity. Finally, MCPS was planning to further review certain questionable credit card purchases identified by the firm...
3/5 of Montgomery County Planning Board Given Reprimands for Inappropriate Conduct in the Workplace: Casey Anderson, Partap Verma and Carol Rubin. Council "Disappointed."
Montgomery County Council Issues Reprimands for Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Anderson and Two Planning Board Commissioners Partap Verma and Carol Rubin.
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 4, 2022—Montgomery County Council President Gabe Albornoz released the following Council statement about issuing reprimands for inappropriate conduct in the workplace for Montgomery County Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson, Vice Chair Partap Verma and Planning Board Commissioner Carol Rubin:
“The Council is extremely disappointed in the violations of Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) policy by Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson, as detailed in an advisory memorandum from M-NCPPC’s inspector general. The memorandum also found violations of Commission policy by Vice Chair Partap Verma and Planning Board Commissioner Carol Rubin.
“Montgomery County Planning Board leadership must model the behavior that we want all employees to display. In order to hold the three commissioners accountable for their actions, the Council has issued reprimands that will result in Chair Anderson losing four weeks of his salary and Vice Chair Verma and Commissioner Rubin each losing one day of their respective salaries. The three commissioners also must attend Employee Assistance Program counseling which is consistent with the Commission’s protocol.”
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Monday, October 3, 2022
Report: MCPS Public Information Act Fees Found to be Unreasonable
• PIACB 21-14 (July 23, 2021) Agency: Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”) Issue: The complainant alleged that fee estimates for three different PIA requests were unreasonable: (1) $1,360.32, for “emails, notes, text, files, phone Seventh Annual Report of the State Public Information Act Compliance Board 8 calls, notes of phone calls, etc.” between eight individuals over a span of five and a half months; (2) $16,524.60, for any communications between more than 20 individuals that contained the complainant’s last name over a span of almost two and a half years; and (3) $725.21, for “telephone logs and ledgers and all related notes, emails, messages, and all attachments” between two individuals on 24 specific dates. Decision: The fee estimates appeared precise and based on a detailed calculation of anticipated costs. Because the MCPS asked for prepayment, the Board reviewed the fee estimates. The Board asked the MCPS for more information about the tasks associated with responding and the anticipated volume of responsive records, which the MCPS provided in part. The Board found that all three of the estimated fees were unreasonable to some extent and ordered reductions, with the caveats that if final fees were in excess of the estimates, then the MCPS could charge the complainant the difference and, if final fees were below the estimates, then the MCPS must refund the complainant the overage paid...
Friday, September 30, 2022
Tradition at Bel Pre ES helps students get to and from school safely
Tradition at Bel Pre ES helps students get to and from school safely: MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Staff at Bel Pre Elementary School have taken the school buses to and from school with students during the first week of school for the last seven years…
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