What could be up? Elementary School Changes for next year?

[Anonymous]

MCPS sent out a back-to-school email in August that included this:

Your Student’s Meals at School

Fifty-eight MCPS schools will operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting this school year. Students enrolled at these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income. A list of the participating schools can be found here.

We encourage all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS sent out a back-to-school email in August that included this:

Your Student’s Meals at School

Fifty-eight MCPS schools will operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting this school year. Students enrolled at these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income. A list of the participating schools can be found here.

We encourage all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for the program.

So Central Office told families at CEP schools they didn't need to complete FARMS applications.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if MCPS would have gotten more funding from Maryland if more schools qualified for Title 1 status or is this a case of determining which schools receive title 1 but that amount of funding is set? Basically trying to sort if MCPS ‘left money on the board’ by not collecting farms data rigorously or if this is about which schools are title 1 but not how much total funds MCPS receives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS sent out a back-to-school email in August that included this:

Your Student’s Meals at School

Fifty-eight MCPS schools will operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting this school year. Students enrolled at these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income. A list of the participating schools can be found here.

We encourage all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for the program.

Unfortunately, there are no gluten-free meals!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly the MCPS staff sound incompetent. They are claiming that they need to rank schools by CEP and FARMS and "that's new". It's not clear what ranking "by CEP" means. From what I have read, there is no new federal restriction on collecting income data from families and using that to rank schools for Title 1. MCPS just didn't do it. They also claim they could not have predicted this happening and that is just stunning? Why couldn't you predict this??? It seems completely obvious. Lots of hemming and hawing about how this happens every year and how they don't want to take money from other schools and the principals decided. WTF. I feel bad for the BOE to to have to deal with these morons.

Incompetent morons is the right way to describe MCPS staff. This is nuts.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I meant to say the “central office” staff!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry I meant to say the “central office” staff!

Even though McKnight is gone, many of her high-level hires remain in place.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, that this was entirely predictable makes me wonder if at least certain staff members weren’t fully aware of what they were doing and doing it intentionally. Is there a list of the schools that are being added as a result of the new calculations?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, that this was entirely predictable makes me wonder if at least certain staff members weren’t fully aware of what they were doing and doing it intentionally. Is there a list of the schools that are being added as a result of the new calculations?

For what reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And this is not the first year CEP exists! They know this from previous years. The change is that MCPS CHOSE not to collect income information from families.

Correct, the guidance to the schools was to not collect FARMS data. Then at the Board meeting Dr. Pugh is saying the schools "chose" not to collect this data (which is a grueling, time-consuming process).

However, I think part of the source of this problem is that the folks who run the Title 1 system are unaware of the various poverty programs. The Director of Title 1 did not know that many of the poorest families are not eligible for SNAP! Policy makers should know the policy in their area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, that this was entirely predictable makes me wonder if at least certain staff members weren’t fully aware of what they were doing and doing it intentionally. Is there a list of the schools that are being added as a result of the new calculations?

For what reason?

To benefit some schools/demographic groups at the expense of others (specifically immigrant and undocumented families).

Incompetence is the likely culprit, it’s all just very odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS sent out a back-to-school email in August that included this:

Your Student’s Meals at School

Fifty-eight MCPS schools will operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting this school year. Students enrolled at these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income. A list of the participating schools can be found here.

We encourage all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for the program.

Unfortunately, there are no gluten-free meals!

They can be had if there's documented medical necessity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, that this was entirely predictable makes me wonder if at least certain staff members weren’t fully aware of what they were doing and doing it intentionally. Is there a list of the schools that are being added as a result of the new calculations?

For what reason?

To benefit some schools/demographic groups at the expense of others (specifically immigrant and undocumented families).

Incompetence is the likely culprit, it’s all just very odd.

That’s the thing- this all stinks like something republicans would cook up to benefit “Americans” over recent immigrants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The word is out that the new Title 1 formula MCPS is using cuts Oakview from Title 1 funding. This is because the CES students are from more affluent families which lowers the percentage of FARMS students.

If you are from Oakview or are an advocate for education come to the meeting Wednesday night.

This is not really true. Yes, there are CES kids that raise the income thresholds at Oak View, but it also has to do with the number of undocumented immigrants at the school who are not eligible for federal aid as well as the number of parents who just didn't bother to fill out federal SNAP forms because all kids were getting free and reduced lunch no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And this is not the first year CEP exists! They know this from previous years. The change is that MCPS CHOSE not to collect income information from families.

Correct, the guidance to the schools was to not collect FARMS data. Then at the Board meeting Dr. Pugh is saying the schools "chose" not to collect this data (which is a grueling, time-consuming process).

However, I think part of the source of this problem is that the folks who run the Title 1 system are unaware of the various poverty programs. The Director of Title 1 did not know that many of the poorest families are not eligible for SNAP! Policy makers should know the policy in their area.

You are saying that Nichelle Owens does not know basic rules relating to poverty. What about her supervisor, Damon Monteleone? No with him, as well?