2011 Operating Budget and Magnet busing

[Anonymous]

Did they get rid of the busing for the magnet gift/talented programs for 2011? I am having trouble finding out. It was proposed, but I don't know the final outcome. Thanks for any help.

[Anonymous]

Nothing's been decided yet as far as I know. The Board of Education will make those determinations sometime this summer.

[Anonymous]

This came across school listservs yesterday. Does not look good.

Delegates and Board members,

Thank you to Operating Chair Pam Moomau for her summary of the County Council budget decisions (May 20). As she noted, the good news is that the cuts beyond the $137 million proposed by the County Executive are now "just" $24.4 million rather than the $33 million we heard last week. The bad news, of course, is that MCPS still has to identify another $34.4 million in cuts. (They had identified $127 million and now need to add the additional $24.4 million to the $10 million they had not yet identified.)

As pointed out by Pam, communities must communicate to the BOE what programs are priorities. Through conversations with BOE members, we have learned that the $34.4 million in cuts may potentially include:
a.. Adding 2 students per classroom (for a total of 3 additional per classroom when taking into account all budget cuts)
b.. Junior Varsity sports
c.. summer school
d.. magnet programs
e.. magnet transportation
f.. paraeducators
g.. counselors
h.. maintenance and building service workers
i.. focus and reading initiative teachers
j.. middle school athletics
k.. any other items mentioned in Dr. Weast's list of potential cuts: http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/FY2011/pdf/BudgetPossibleReductions_Recommended.pdf

I know it's the end of the year with all the crazy "busy"-ness that entails, but it is important as community leaders that we all step up our game and advocate like crazy over the next two weeks. Final BOE action on the Operating Budget is June 8. Let's fill their inboxes this coming week!

One program that has completely been sacrificed is the EFO (Educational Facilities Officer) program. The possibility of MCPS funding even 1/2 of the EFO program has been eliminated following a budget agreement between MCPS and the Council. Note that the police budget was reduced by 3.9% overall but the EFO program was eliminated entirely.

MCCPTA supports the EFO program and if ever there was a time your voices were needed, it is now. Please look for another email shortly on an advocacy campaign specific to the EFO program. We encourage you to participate!

So please share with your communities the need to let our voices be heard.

To advocate, email or call the County Council at:
a.. Phil Andrews 240-777-7906 [e-mail]
a.. Roger Berliner 240-777-7828 [e-mail]
a.. Marc Elrich 240-777-7966 [e-mail]
a.. Valerie Ervin 240-777-7960 [e-mail]
a.. Nancy Floreen 240-777-7959 [e-mail]
a.. Mike Knapp 240-777-7955 [e-mail]
a.. George Leventhal [e-mail]
a.. Nancy Navarro 240-777-7968 [e-mail]
a.. Duchy Trachtenberg 240-777-7964 [e-mail]

Email the Board of Education at: [e-mail]

Thank you, as always, for all you do!
Kristin Trible
President
MCCPTA

[Anonymous]

And if Jerry Weast had just agreed to furlough the teachers like the rest of County employees, none of these cuts would be necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And if Jerry Weast had just agreed to furlough the teachers like the rest of County employees, none of these cuts would be necessary.

I'm totally against teacher furloughs. Teachers don't make enough as it is and they need planning days. Furthermore, our kids need the instructional days. Why should academics come after things like transportation or JV sports?

[Anonymous]

I am against the furloughs too...they affect every single child and teacher. IMO we need to rethink some of our magnet choices..which are great and an asset..but it doesn't seem like we can afford specialty programs like that until the budget issues ease.

[Anonymous]

If MCPS would stop worrying about style/appearance more than substance we wouldn't be in such a mess. Get rid of the Promethean boards and artificial turf fields! Does MCPS believe that parents are gullible enough to think that beautiful schools = great education?

[Anonymous]

PP has it right. Weast feels free to spend money on expensive Promethean Boards, artificial turf, "academies" for parents and a bloated bureaucracy. These things need to be cut before services that directly affect kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP has it right. Weast feels free to spend money on expensive Promethean Boards, artificial turf, "academies" for parents and a bloated bureaucracy. These things need to be cut before services that directly affect kids.

Agreed, but things like promethean boards are already purchased. He needs to reduce ongoing expenses, most of which are personnel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am against the furloughs too...they affect every single child and teacher. IMO we need to rethink some of our magnet choices..which are great and an asset..but it doesn't seem like we can afford specialty programs like that until the budget issues ease.

I don't really see why the answer is to get rid of magnets. My child is in a magnet, and it doesn't seem like any extra special resources are being expended on her class. One has to pay for a teacher to educate those kids -- it's 25 kids who need a teacher wherever they are. It's not like they have any extra resources in her class. The only difference is the curriculum. Instead of having to take Math 4, she gets to take math 6. Instead of reading a 4th grade level book, they read 8th grade level books. It's not like the 8th grade level book is more expensive than the 4th grade level. A book is a book. MCPS has to pay for books for them to read and for math textbooks; it's just a different level that's being paid for -- no more or less.

Transportation to magnets might be an extra cost. The process to develop the curriculum was an extra cost, but that's already been expended and cutting the magnet program won't get the curriculum development costs back.

I'd rather see class size go up a student or two, and, of course, the administration (like any good management) ought to demonstrate that they are taking equally deep/painful cuts as well. Has the MCPS travel budget been slashed? Has the ratio of management to teachers been cut in such a way that managers have to manage more? Has the Superintendent taken the same salary freeze as the teaching staff?

[Anonymous]

Doesn't Weast make over $250K a year in salary plus over $100K in contributions to his pension? Aren't there a lot of county administrators making $200K plus? I'm not opposed to making money, but then again, this is supposed to be public service and these salaries are better than you could make working for the Federal government. The link below is from 2006 and lists school salaries in MoCo:

http://www.gazette.net/specialfeatures/salaries/top500education.html

I don't think Weast is getting furloughed this year, or taking a cut in hours like the paraeducators.

[Anonymous]

Slash stuff like this: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/development/teams/diversity/diversity_book_club.shtm

Your tax dollars hard at work...on a book club.

[Anonymous]

How about language immersion? At College Gardens less than 1/2 the children that start Chinese Immersion in K are still in it in 5th grade. They have a combined 4th and 5th grade class. What are we accomplishing with all that extra bussing/1/2 pos for the coordinator/curriculum/books etc. An extra child or two per class is a big deal when we are already close to or at 30 in many classes...

[Anonymous]

Magnets don't cost more money -- the same class sizes (or in the case of some of the immersions, bigger classes esp. for K - 2nd grade). The only additional cost is the transportation, which is what's on the table and, in some programs, a half a position for coordination.

Compare that to the bloated administrative salaries, trips to conferences so they can brag about MCPS' "achievements," money spent on parenting academies and other non-instructional items .... it's a drop in the bucket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't Weast make over $250K a year in salary plus over $100K in contributions to his pension? Aren't there a lot of county administrators making $200K plus? I'm not opposed to making money, but then again, this is supposed to be public service and these salaries are better than you could make working for the Federal government. The link below is from 2006 and lists school salaries in MoCo:

http://www.gazette.net/specialfeatures/salaries/top500education.html

I don't think Weast is getting furloughed this year, or taking a cut in hours like the paraeducators.

Oh hell no. Did you hear the County Council hearing on the budget, where the Councilmembers said they were voluntarily taking furloughs and salary reductions. One of them wondered aloud if Weast was going to do the same, and he just said "everyone has an opinion."