Thursday, December 16, 2010
Weast: "I'm about to cry on the inside on this thing."
Excuse me Superintendent Weast, before you start crying could you please explain why the American Express credit card bill for 1,400 MCPS employees is $5.2 million?
That averages out to $3,755 per card. Please provide the monthly American Express statements showing what these funds were used for.
And before you grab a tissue, could you explain why MCPS paid Deutsche Bank NTC $22,095,384 in FY10? Yes, we know it's a silly question. But the word "Deutsche" doesn't show up anywhere in published Board of Education minutes so it's a little tricky for the public to figure out this $22 million payment. Thanks ever so much.
The Washington Post: Montgomery schools chief wants $60M more, raises for employees
Here is the list of MCPS payments to vendors over $25,000 sorted from highest to lowest.
FY10 MCPS Database Highest to Lowest
That averages out to $3,755 per card. Please provide the monthly American Express statements showing what these funds were used for.
And before you grab a tissue, could you explain why MCPS paid Deutsche Bank NTC $22,095,384 in FY10? Yes, we know it's a silly question. But the word "Deutsche" doesn't show up anywhere in published Board of Education minutes so it's a little tricky for the public to figure out this $22 million payment. Thanks ever so much.
The Washington Post: Montgomery schools chief wants $60M more, raises for employees
"I'm down to bare bones here," Weast said. "I'm about to cry on the inside on this thing."
Here is the list of MCPS payments to vendors over $25,000 sorted from highest to lowest.
FY10 MCPS Database Highest to Lowest
MCPS Database of Vendors that Received Payments of $25,000 or more in FY10
Here is the list of vendors that received payments of $25,000 or more from MCPS during Fiscal Year 2010 in document form.
Source: MCPS FY 2010 Database
FY10 MCPS Database
Source: MCPS FY 2010 Database
FY10 MCPS Database
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Delegate Al Carr Rocks!
Back in the winter of 2009, Delegate Al Carr was pushing for legislation to require MCPS to create a searchable website of expenditures of over $10,000 to vendors. The Parents' Coalition advocated for this legislation and supported Delegate Carr's efforts through public comment in Rockville and Annapolis.
The Board of Education lobbied the legislature to raise the expenditure threshold to $25,000 and pushed to delay the implementation of the website until January 1, 2011. The bill passed the House and then the Senate with the changes requested by the Board of Education.
And today, the MCPS Funding Accountability and Transparency website is live!
Some members of the legislature did not see the need for this legislation. One Delegate said that "The information is already there. It is transparent."
Now that the website is up, let's take a look.
Let's say you want to know the annual American Express bill for the 1,400 +/- MCPS credit cards. Go to the Board of Education minutes and search for "American Express." You will come up with a July 14, 2009 Board of Education approval for an American Express contract (shown in image) but no dollar amount.
Now, with the new website you can enter "American Express" (see image at top of post) and find out that in Fiscal Year 2010, MCPS paid American Express $ 5,257,632.
That's $5.2 million in MCPS spending that was not "transparent" in the Board of Education minutes.
Thanks Delegate Al Carr and the Montgomery County Delegation for pushing through this legislation!
Gazette: Achievement gap on AP scores grows in Montgomery County schools, as overall performance dips
GAZETTE: Wednesday, December 15, 2010: Achievement gap on AP scores grows in Montgomery County schools, as overall performance dips
by Andrew Ujifusa | Staff Writer
Read the complete article at the Gazette website by clicking HERE.
by Andrew Ujifusa | Staff Writer
"The county school system touts the growing number of students taking Advanced Placement tests, but overall performance has declined recently and the achievement gap between racial groups has grown over the past five years."
Read the complete article at the Gazette website by clicking HERE.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Video: Choosing a New Superintendent Panel Discussion
On December 13, 2010 the Montgomery County Civic Federation held the first public discussion on the topic of Choosing a New Superintendent for Montgomery County Public Schools. The panel discussion is below in 3 parts.
Board member flashes MCPS credit card to public
At the December 13, 2010, Montgomery County Civic Federation Panel on Choosing a New MCPS Superintendent the discussion turned to audits of MCPS.
At one point the Maryland State Office of Legislative Audits report was mentioned with regard to the 1,400 American Express credit cards in use in MCPS. At that point in the discussion, Board of Education member Phil Kauffman reached into his wallet and pulled out his personal MCPS AMEX credit card and showed the audience. See the video below.
Why does a Board of Education member have a MCPS purchasing card? Board of Education members aren't in classrooms and aren't in charge of procuring individual items for school use. In this tight budget year can Montgomery County taxpayers really afford 1,400 +/- credit cards floating around MCPS?
Where is the audit that says that past abuses have stopped?
Here is what the purchasing cards are to be used for as stated in the MCPS Purchasing Card User's Guide:
Examples of permitted items include the following:
• Approved materials of instruction
• Books, periodicals, and newspapers
• Art supplies, glue sticks, and crayons
• Grocery items within documented limitations
• Sheet music
• Office supplies
• Computer cables and flash drives
• Audio/visual aids for students
• Stationery, such as specialized paper and pens and pencils
• School supplies, such as dry erase markers, paper towels, facial tissues, and band aids
• Clothing for needy students within documented limitations
• Storage containers for classrooms
• Approved software
• Landscaping items, such as bulbs, small trees, and supplies
What on this list needs to be purchased by Board of Education members?
At one point the Maryland State Office of Legislative Audits report was mentioned with regard to the 1,400 American Express credit cards in use in MCPS. At that point in the discussion, Board of Education member Phil Kauffman reached into his wallet and pulled out his personal MCPS AMEX credit card and showed the audience. See the video below.
Why does a Board of Education member have a MCPS purchasing card? Board of Education members aren't in classrooms and aren't in charge of procuring individual items for school use. In this tight budget year can Montgomery County taxpayers really afford 1,400 +/- credit cards floating around MCPS?
Where is the audit that says that past abuses have stopped?
Here is what the purchasing cards are to be used for as stated in the MCPS Purchasing Card User's Guide:
Examples of permitted items include the following:
• Approved materials of instruction
• Books, periodicals, and newspapers
• Art supplies, glue sticks, and crayons
• Grocery items within documented limitations
• Sheet music
• Office supplies
• Computer cables and flash drives
• Audio/visual aids for students
• Stationery, such as specialized paper and pens and pencils
• School supplies, such as dry erase markers, paper towels, facial tissues, and band aids
• Clothing for needy students within documented limitations
• Storage containers for classrooms
• Approved software
• Landscaping items, such as bulbs, small trees, and supplies
What on this list needs to be purchased by Board of Education members?
Doing the MCPS math at Montgomery College
Here's some information about MCPS graduates from a Gazette article (11/3/10):
And here is another Gazette article (12/8/10) that gives some information on students entering Montgomery College:
...About 30 percent of Montgomery County Public Schools graduates go to Montgomery College in their first year after high school, and 60 percent enroll by the second year, said school system spokesman Dana Tofig. About 10,000 students graduate from MCPS annually, he said...
And here is another Gazette article (12/8/10) that gives some information on students entering Montgomery College:
...A little more than 30 percent of students enrolled at Montgomery College take remedial reading and writing courses, while just over 60 percent of students require remedial courses in mathematics, said DeRionne P. Pollard, the first-year president of the college who attended the summit, which was hosted by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges...
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tonight in Rockville - Panel Discussion on Choosing a New MCPS Superintendent
Civic Fed Program/Panel: Choosing a New Superintendent
Please join us for an open community discussion on choosing a new superintendent for our public school system, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). I believe this is the first open community-wide discussion to be held on this process. All are invited for an open discussion.
PANELISTS (confirmed):
Lyda Astrove, Special Education Advocate
Emily Barton, Executive Director, Teach for America, DC Region
Phil Kauffman, Board of Education, member of the BOE ad hoc group, Superintendent Search Process
Neal McLuskey, Associate Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute
Fred Stichnoth, President, Montgomery County Gifted and Talented Association
TIME: 7:45 pm
DATE: Monday, December 13, 2010
LOCATION: 1st FL Auditorium, County Council Office Building 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Maryland
Directions: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/csltmpl.asp?url=/content/council/dir.asp
We hope for a wide-ranging open and frank discussion with lots of audience participation.
Please pass this email on to anyone who would be interested, including posting on school and neighborhood listservs. If you have questions please email or call me offline.
Thank you.
Paula Bienenfeld
Chair, Education Committee, Montgomery County Civic Federation
The $12 million MCPS turned down
Below is a newsletter from the Maryland State Department of Education. The first page of the newsletter shows a chart with the amount of funds each participating Maryland public school system will receive in Race to the Top funds.
Montgomery County is not listed on this chart.
Recall that Superintendent Jerry Weast and the Board of Education refused to sign on to the State's Race to the Top application. Therefore MCPS will not receive what would have been their $12 million allotment of these funds.
Maryland Classroom October 2010
Montgomery County is not listed on this chart.
Recall that Superintendent Jerry Weast and the Board of Education refused to sign on to the State's Race to the Top application. Therefore MCPS will not receive what would have been their $12 million allotment of these funds.
Maryland Classroom October 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Rockville Patch: College Gardens Debate Could Frame New Law
Marcuccio calls for collaboration; Some worry the bill cedes too much to the county
On the eve of the county school board's vote to overrule Rockville planners and bring portable classrooms to College Gardens Elementary School members of the county's delegation to the General Assembly debated a bill that could determine how such decisions between schools and municipalities are made in the future.
Introduced by county Senate delegation Chairman Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Dist. 18) of Kensington, the bill would give the county government "exclusive authority to issue permits and enforce regulations and codes associated with the construction or remodeling of school buildings or the placement of relocatable classroom buildings."
The local legislation would apply solely to Montgomery County and must receive majority approval from delegation members in both chambers before being introduced in the General Assembly...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
New Superintendent Search Update
All,
On December 7th the Board of Education chose Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates, Ltd. (HYA) as the search firm to be awarded the contract to search for the new superintendent for MCPS. Six firms submitted proposals in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP). HYA was the same firm that was used in the last superintendent search, initially recommending Elfretha Massie, then, as a second choice, Jerry Weast.
In addition to HYA, the firms submitting proposals are:
Ray and Associates, Cedar Rapids, IA
Hudepohl and Associates, Dublin, OH
ProAct Search, Wilmette, IL
Greenwood Asher and Associates, Miramar Beach, FL; and
McPherson and Jacobson, LLC, Omaha NE.
The winning bid was $35,000 plus expenses (e.g., travel for applicants to be interviewed here). The fee schedule was one of the criteria examined in the choice of the wining proposal.
The Scope of Work requires public involvement. Please make sure you are involved in this search. Remember, even if you do not have children in the Montgomery County public school system, over 57% your tax dollars go towards this quasi-state system.
Paula Bienenfeld
Education Committee Chair, Montgomery County Civic Federation
On December 7th the Board of Education chose Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates, Ltd. (HYA) as the search firm to be awarded the contract to search for the new superintendent for MCPS. Six firms submitted proposals in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP). HYA was the same firm that was used in the last superintendent search, initially recommending Elfretha Massie, then, as a second choice, Jerry Weast.
In addition to HYA, the firms submitting proposals are:
Ray and Associates, Cedar Rapids, IA
Hudepohl and Associates, Dublin, OH
ProAct Search, Wilmette, IL
Greenwood Asher and Associates, Miramar Beach, FL; and
McPherson and Jacobson, LLC, Omaha NE.
The winning bid was $35,000 plus expenses (e.g., travel for applicants to be interviewed here). The fee schedule was one of the criteria examined in the choice of the wining proposal.
The Scope of Work requires public involvement. Please make sure you are involved in this search. Remember, even if you do not have children in the Montgomery County public school system, over 57% your tax dollars go towards this quasi-state system.
Paula Bienenfeld
Education Committee Chair, Montgomery County Civic Federation
Churchill: We don't need artificial turf
the observer: Artificial turf implemented throughout county, not CHS
Churchill High School (CHS) is famous for its stadium, particularly its high quality Bermuda grass field. Even though it is widely regarded as one of the finest maintained fields in the county, the future of its place here at CHS is sparking debate.
Throughout Montgomery County, artificial turf is being installed as the primary playing surface at high schools. Walter Johnson and Richard Montgomery are two of the schools that boast these budget-busting landscapes.
However, CHS seems steadfast is maintaining its reputation as the primary natural grass field in the county.
“Churchill has arguably the best athletic fields in the state so we don’t need a turf field,” athletic director David Kelley said. “I am a huge fan of our stadium field and I’m thrilled that we are able to offer our student athletes such a superior playing surface.”
Friday, December 10, 2010
MoCo schools hire same firm to find superintendent | Washington Examiner
MoCo schools hire same firm to find superintendent | Washington Examiner
The Montgomery County school board has hired the same firm to find its retiring superintendent's replacement as it used 11 years ago.Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2010/12/moco-schools-hire-same-firm-find-superintendent#ixzz17jJVBEePBut Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates is also the same firm that chose a candidate, mired in personal bankruptcy, who set Montgomery schools back when Superintendent Paul Vance was forced to stay on past his retirement date and HYA hurried to find a suitable runner-up: Jerry Weast, who will retire in June 2011.
Elfreda Massie was the deputy superintendent in Baltimore County when the Illinois firm presented her to the school board in 1999. Shortly after the board named Massie the official nominee, she disclosed that she and her husband had filed for bankruptcy twice, at least once within the year...
Montgomery County data fails the test
The Washington Post: Letter to the Editor - Montgomery v. Fairfax You do the math
The Dec. 5 Metro article "Montgomery trumpets AP data" quoted schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast as saying his county's minority students outperformed Fairfax County's because "the number of passing AP scores among African American and Hispanic students in Montgomery - 3,235 - was higher than the total number of those students who took AP tests at all in Fairfax - 1,746."
To accurately compare minority students' Advanced Placement test performance in the two counties, we would need to know how many minority students took AP tests in Montgomery or the total number of passing AP scores among minority students in Fairfax...
...I suggest that Montgomery County mandate a course in statistics, preferably an Advanced Placement course, as a prerequisite for high school graduation.
Sara PacquÃ-Margolis, McLean
Schwarzenegger Administration Settles Lawsuit With ACLU - Where's Martin O'Malley?
Ruling Vows To End School Fees - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A court settlement announced Thursday by the Schwarzenegger administration promises to bring school fees in California to an end.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups sued the state in September, saying the fees violated the state constitutional guarantee of free and equal public education."We had students where actually there name was put on the board for not being able to afford the textbook," Allen Brooks with the ACLU said.
The group said Folsom High School has been charging $20 to $35 for art supplies, and Colfax High School charges an athletic fee between $150 and $550.
"The governor believes that California's public education should be a free public education. And when we're charging illegal fees to students, that's not a free public education," Andrea McCarthy, the governor's spokesperson, said...
As a reminder, here is the excellent Whitman High School student news story on the illegal curricular fees charged in Montgomery County Public Schools.
Included in this news story is video of the lists of the names of students who have not paid fees on the Whitman High School hallway wall. Student names are posted to humiliate and bully students into paying illegal fees in Montgomery County too. Watch as Board of Education member Shirley Brandman says she doesn't know anything about the posting of student names at her local school.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken a stand on behalf of public school children.
When will Governor Martin O'Malley step up to the plate and speak up for public school children in Maryland? Maybe Maryland doesn't include Montgomery County?
Navarro Board's Plan: More Cameras, Less Security Staff
Don't worry if the County eliminates police officers in schools, remember that MCPS has thousands and thousands of top of the line - megapixel IP - security cameras to replace security staff!
While attending a conference* in Dallas, Texas in February 2009, MCPS Director of School Safety and Security Bob Hellmuth gave a video interview. In that interview, Mr. Hellmuth states that,
How much did the 13,000(?) cameras that were purchased to replace the existing security cameras in schools cost? There was no contract for this procurement so it's hard to know for sure if these thousands of cameras cost more or less than $23 million!
When was the cost-benefit analysis done on this procurement and where are the results?
Is it really cheaper to install cameras than hire security staff?
When did the Board of Education evaluate these options, review the costs and make this decision?
*Mr. Hellmuth attended a conference in Dallas, Texas during the MCPS "travel freeze" (click link and see page 5 of memo from MCPS COO Larry Bowers for statement on MCPS travel freeze due to budget restrictions)
This posting first posted March 27, 2009 then re-posted on April 29, 2009 on the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County blog.
While attending a conference* in Dallas, Texas in February 2009, MCPS Director of School Safety and Security Bob Hellmuth gave a video interview. In that interview, Mr. Hellmuth states that,
"It is so much cheaper to install cameras than it is to go hire additional security staff." (At minute 4:10)
How much did the 13,000(?) cameras that were purchased to replace the existing security cameras in schools cost? There was no contract for this procurement so it's hard to know for sure if these thousands of cameras cost more or less than $23 million!
When was the cost-benefit analysis done on this procurement and where are the results?
Is it really cheaper to install cameras than hire security staff?
When did the Board of Education evaluate these options, review the costs and make this decision?
*Mr. Hellmuth attended a conference in Dallas, Texas during the MCPS "travel freeze" (click link and see page 5 of memo from MCPS COO Larry Bowers for statement on MCPS travel freeze due to budget restrictions)
This posting first posted March 27, 2009 then re-posted on April 29, 2009 on the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County blog.
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