Board Education meeting Tues June 11

[Anonymous]

Will this be an all day meeting? Seems they have a lot to cover:
-Cuts
-MVA
-Class size increasing
-Principal announcements
-College Tracks

What else is on the agenda?

Will they discuss the 'change school start time' petition?:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/870/1181788.page#27607267

Hand washing before and after lunch in Kindergarten?

A MCPS wide 'no cellphone policy', so each school is not needing to come up with their own set of rules? Appalling PARENTS are having to collate materials to try to bring about change. Schools know yet do not enforce consequences. They also dont enforce dress code policy.

Safety and accessibility of school bathrooms?

Increasing CEOs?

Improving COMMUNICATIONS processes during emergencies.

More MC classes on site at the High Schools so students not need travel?

A system for ALL schools (MCPS wide) to upload health documents for school, sports, like school cash payment site.

Getting MCAP scores on ParentVue so no delay with mailings.

[Anonymous]

The agenda is here:

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CTNQV46806E4

[Anonymous]

Public comments are at 12:30 when most people are at work. How convenient.

[Anonymous]

Students are losing a school, teachers are losing jobs and your biggest worry is letting your kid sleep in later. Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public comments are at 12:30 when most people are at work. How convenient.

You are able to submit prerecorded video or audio comments.

[Anonymous]

I have some kids that would like to learn more about the functioning of government. Are there particular portions of the hearing that are likely to have more active debate or discussion about particular items? Looking at the agenda, it looks like the possibilities might be:
-- open public comments
-- final adoption of operating budget
-- final action, homework policy
-- charter schools discussion
Are any of these likely to be at all interesting or lively? These are kids aged 12 to 16 that would like to learn more about local government issues. (If anyone has a county council meetings that might be interesting, please let me know!)
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

There is an interview meeting open to the public for the new dude as MoCo Police Chief. Same date at BOE meeting - June 11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Students are losing a school, teachers are losing jobs and your biggest worry is letting your kid sleep in later. Wow.

Reading that PP's outline, it doesn't ask if sleeping in will be discussed in lieu of students losing a school or teacher losing job but read it to mean will the topic of school start times be discussed in addition to the other topics.

[Anonymous]

Lots of MVA supporters will be out to protest

[Anonymous]

How can one protest a Principal appointment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can one protest a Principal appointment?

Email a BOE member and they won't read it and it will be deleted. Call a BOE member's office and they won't call you back. That's how you protest a principal appointment in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have some kids that would like to learn more about the functioning of government. Are there particular portions of the hearing that are likely to have more active debate or discussion about particular items? Looking at the agenda, it looks like the possibilities might be:
-- open public comments
-- final adoption of operating budget
-- final action, homework policy
-- charter schools discussion
Are any of these likely to be at all interesting or lively? These are kids aged 12 to 16 that would like to learn more about local government issues. (If anyone has a county council meetings that might be interesting, please let me know!)
Thank you!

Hoo boy...

Public Comments -- Will be terribly rushed (2 minutes) and limited (20 slots). Of course, much more might be unworkable with a million people in the county. The BOE will do almost nothing to go into any depth (beyond bare acknowledgement) to respond to them, both from an agenda standpoint (trying to stick to that, whatever it might be that day) and a political one (addressing some public testimony might undercut MCPS initiatives, and the BOE, as constructed for a long time, has done little to question the system).

Budget -- Make sure they understand the power of the purse held by the County, how funding also comes from State & Federal sources, how variability there (see: bullwhip effect) can make local obligation variable, how the MoCo BOE is a very part-time, semi-independent MD state body assigned to oversight of MCPS, which nominally constructs the overall budget for BOE approval, how the BOE can't often get deep into budget detail (but will occasionally pick out an item of ineterst to them), how the pressure to fund the system is met by the pressure to minimize tax burden.

Policies (homework, etc.) -- Make sure they know that there are many, that they come up for review on a periodic basis (though some can jump the line at the Superintendent's rec or BOE's request), that there is a separate set of engagements with the public (proper effect uncertain), that the whole process can take a long time.

Charter Schools -- not going there. Too political. Could be lively, but probably overshadowed by the budget at the moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can one protest a Principal appointment?

Email a BOE member and they won't read it and it will be deleted. Call a BOE member's office and they won't call you back. That's how you protest a principal appointment in MCPS.

Sometimes contacting The Washington Post works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Students are losing a school, teachers are losing jobs and your biggest worry is letting your kid sleep in later. Wow.

What school is closing? The only closing I’ve heard so far is the MVA program

[Anonymous]

But how can you protest a promotion from AP to P appointment if you don't know the candidate is being considered? After, yes. But what about trying to stop the appointment before it happens?