BOE spent $75,000 to let students study artificial turf

[Anonymous]

The Board of Education Gave Students $75,000 from the MCPS Operating Budget to Research Artificial Turf, then Shelved the Report.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2025/11/board-of-ed-gave-students-75000-to.html

[Anonymous]

Because the students are wrong

Synthetic turf is the only valid answer for school systems in most North American counties.

Playability, maintenance and hours of use outweigh the rubber crumb issue.

These children do not understand the incredible pesticide and herbicide maintenance program not to mention the man hours and equipment necessary for maintaining even 75% of the turf density the synthetic allows for. What baffled me is how it took $75k to come up with that report. They could’ve sat in a computer lab and ChatGPt’d that entire packet. Not a single real life example from any of the counties field - or a case study given a weekend of heavy rain, low temps and total playable surfaces between the two options.

It’s ok that he shelved it. He could’ve tossed the report into a mud puddle. The children have NO idea what they’re talking about.

[Anonymous]

Paid $75K or get a lid to tell MCPS to just copy someone else's homework?

Did the BOE approve this expenditure?


"By May 1, 2025, reach out to the Maryland Soccerplex located in Germantown, MD to consult an expert opinion on how to support successful natural grass at a reasonable cost efficiently. "

[Anonymous]

Another who agrees its ok to be shelved. Today's HS fields are incredibly overused, and the grass fields are in crappy condition because they don't have time or money to maintain them (except Churchill, and their booster pays to maintain it and they don't rent it out). Turf is the only way to keep the kids playing sports (and they added flag football and something else, cannot remember which), so there's even more use of the fields.

Our neighboring counties are turfing many fields (Howard County, Frederick County and many in Northern VA), and Montgomery County is smalling behind, way behind. Today's turf fields are much better and don't use the rubber pellets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paid $75K or get a lid to tell MCPS to just copy someone else's homework?

Did the BOE approve this expenditure?


"By May 1, 2025, reach out to the Maryland Soccerplex located in Germantown, MD to consult an expert opinion on how to support successful natural grass at a reasonable cost efficiently. "

The BOE approved the $75,000. But anonymous posters here are happy the BOE spent that money and never read the report.

[Anonymous]

What exactly is the $75K for? Makes no sense at all.

[Anonymous]

What on earth did the BOE use the $75k for in generating this report?

Also, I'm sorry, but the Student Climate Action Council, as co-sponsored by freaking then Board Member and environmentalist nut job Lynne Harris, was only ever going to have but one recommendation. So it was ridiculous to pretend like this would have ended up with any other than the expected result.

It does show how stupid, wasteful and ignorant the BOE is though with its expenditures. And the Parents Coalition is right: It proves the BOE and MCPS only pretend to care about student voice.

Now that being said, my cursory reading of this report says that these kids needed much better oversight. They did not interview the Director of Athletics and they only spoke Fani-Gonzalez on the County Council (who also is incredibly pro-environment like them) and not a single person involved with football. Their sourcing and research was flawed from the start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What exactly is the $75K for? Makes no sense at all.

I have to assume these students were paid an hourly wage to pull this report together. But is that $75k???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What on earth did the BOE use the $75k for in generating this report?

Also, I'm sorry, but the Student Climate Action Council, as co-sponsored by freaking then Board Member and environmentalist nut job Lynne Harris, was only ever going to have but one recommendation. So it was ridiculous to pretend like this would have ended up with any other than the expected result.

It does show how stupid, wasteful and ignorant the BOE is though with its expenditures. And the Parents Coalition is right: It proves the BOE and MCPS only pretend to care about student voice.

Now that being said, my cursory reading of this report says that these kids needed much better oversight. They did not interview the Director of Athletics and they only spoke Fani-Gonzalez on the County Council (who also is incredibly pro-environment like them) and not a single person involved with football. Their sourcing and research was flawed from the start.

That explains a lot. The BOE is paying themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paid $75K or get a lid to tell MCPS to just copy someone else's homework?

Did the BOE approve this expenditure?


"By May 1, 2025, reach out to the Maryland Soccerplex located in Germantown, MD to consult an expert opinion on how to support successful natural grass at a reasonable cost efficiently. "

The BOE approved the $75,000. But anonymous posters here are happy the BOE spent that money and never read the report.

Why do you assume the report was never distributed to the Board?

[Anonymous]

Turf causes cancer, particularly in hot conditions. There are studies that show soccer goalies get cancer more often than other soccer players, despite being a minority on the team. It's believed to be because they spend more time on the ground and possibly breathing in this rubber. https://www.kuow.org/stories/does-playing-soccer-on-artificial-turf-increase-cancer-risk-especially-in-kids

It's basically made from old tires being ground up.

[Anonymous]

It looks like the $75k was used for a number of things including to find a grant program and this research. The article seems misleading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paid $75K or get a lid to tell MCPS to just copy someone else's homework?

Did the BOE approve this expenditure?


"By May 1, 2025, reach out to the Maryland Soccerplex located in Germantown, MD to consult an expert opinion on how to support successful natural grass at a reasonable cost efficiently. "

The BOE approved the $75,000. But anonymous posters here are happy the BOE spent that money and never read the report.

Why do you assume the report was never distributed to the Board?

Board of Education discussions are public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like the $75k was used for a number of things including to find a grant program and this research. The article seems misleading.

Exactly how is that amount of money used to "find a grant program"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like the $75k was used for a number of things including to find a grant program and this research. The article seems misleading.

Exactly how is that amount of money used to "find a grant program"?

Superintendent Taylor doesn’t care. He paid MCPS students $75,000 out of the Operating Budget instead of cleaning up mold or fixing broken pipes. Now he can claim he admires and respects student advocacy.
While Taylor whines that everyone has to eat their broccoli in the tight MCPS Operating Budget, the reality is he has money to burn.