Realistic Operating Cost for Regional Programs is at least 300%+ from Taylor's estimates

[Anonymous]

I did some homework and dug out Stafford County Public School (SCPS) FY27 operating budget. Taylor served SCPS where he introduced the original regional program idea, called "specialty centers" in SCPS. Here in MCPS, the regional model is 6X that program in SCPS (SCPS only has 5 HSs), plus more criteria-based programs. The specialty center rolled in with a 3-year phase (FY24-FY27). So now we can look at some realistic operating cost.

Transportation excluded, the operating cost (staffing, material, coordinator, training, etc.) is $4.8 million/year. That translates into $28.8 million/year for our regional programs (transportation excluded). And Taylor's estimate is $9 million/year (transportation excluded, see Page 2 here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DNLJXC4F4A19/$file/Regional%20Program%20Model%20FY2027-2031%20Budget%20251120.pdf)

$28.8 million vs. $9 million, this is a huge discrepancy and this is what you should expect as a taxpayer to pay.

[Anonymous]

I think they are going to have the schools figure it out and no more money. They placed some programs at schools that already have the framework.

[Anonymous]

Well they're working on step one to address this: ruin a W cluster and drive its high income earners out of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think they are going to have the schools figure it out and no more money. They placed some programs at schools that already have the framework.

True that a decent amount of the cost will be absorbed by existing programs, but these programs exist at a cost that has been there for years and will still be there. There will be no true "ramp down" phase but just one-way monotonic increasing trend in costs.

[Anonymous]

Send this info to the OIG for the county. They have someone in the office who is tasked with looking into MCPS specifically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send this info to the OIG for the county. They have someone in the office who is tasked with looking into MCPS specifically.

It's hard. This hasn't happened yet. When it happens, it's already too late and these are not fraud spending strictly speaking. They are wasting of taxpayers money as the results are not robust programs in every HS at a higher-than-expected cost, but more disparities amongst HSs and regions in Montgomery County. We can all foresee that but cannot stop that being happening.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t Stafford county more spread out than MoCo? I would assume Stafford would pay more for transportation. We are already paying a lot for bussing kids all over the county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t Stafford county more spread out than MoCo? I would assume Stafford would pay more for transportation. We are already paying a lot for bussing kids all over the county

That's why I exclude the transportation. And in their budget, transportation for specialty center is not singly listed out, so it's hard for me to estimate the cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t Stafford county more spread out than MoCo? I would assume Stafford would pay more for transportation. We are already paying a lot for bussing kids all over the county

OP says transportation excluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did some homework and dug out Stafford County Public School (SCPS) FY27 operating budget. Taylor served SCPS where he introduced the original regional program idea, called "specialty centers" in SCPS. Here in MCPS, the regional model is 6X that program in SCPS (SCPS only has 5 HSs), plus more criteria-based programs. The specialty center rolled in with a 3-year phase (FY24-FY27). So now we can look at some realistic operating cost.

Transportation excluded, the operating cost (staffing, material, coordinator, training, etc.) is $4.8 million/year. That translates into $28.8 million/year for our regional programs (transportation excluded). And Taylor's estimate is $9 million/year (transportation excluded, see Page 2 here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DNLJXC4F4A19/$file/Regional%20Program%20Model%20FY2027-2031%20Budget%20251120.pdf)

$28.8 million vs. $9 million, this is a huge discrepancy and this is what you should expect as a taxpayer to pay.

That assumes that MCPS will actually pay for staffing, materials, coordinators, and training after year one. They might just do start-up costs, then expect PTAs or other community orgs to support programs after that.

Like how the BCC Foundation supports their local IB program while the region Kennedy IB program founders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did some homework and dug out Stafford County Public School (SCPS) FY27 operating budget. Taylor served SCPS where he introduced the original regional program idea, called "specialty centers" in SCPS. Here in MCPS, the regional model is 6X that program in SCPS (SCPS only has 5 HSs), plus more criteria-based programs. The specialty center rolled in with a 3-year phase (FY24-FY27). So now we can look at some realistic operating cost.

Transportation excluded, the operating cost (staffing, material, coordinator, training, etc.) is $4.8 million/year. That translates into $28.8 million/year for our regional programs (transportation excluded). And Taylor's estimate is $9 million/year (transportation excluded, see Page 2 here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DNLJXC4F4A19/$file/Regional%20Program%20Model%20FY2027-2031%20Budget%20251120.pdf)

$28.8 million vs. $9 million, this is a huge discrepancy and this is what you should expect as a taxpayer to pay.

That assumes that MCPS will actually pay for staffing, materials, coordinators, and training after year one. They might just do start-up costs, then expect PTAs or other community orgs to support programs after that.

Like how the BCC Foundation supports their local IB program while the region Kennedy IB program founders.

PTA's cannot pay for staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did some homework and dug out Stafford County Public School (SCPS) FY27 operating budget. Taylor served SCPS where he introduced the original regional program idea, called "specialty centers" in SCPS. Here in MCPS, the regional model is 6X that program in SCPS (SCPS only has 5 HSs), plus more criteria-based programs. The specialty center rolled in with a 3-year phase (FY24-FY27). So now we can look at some realistic operating cost.

Transportation excluded, the operating cost (staffing, material, coordinator, training, etc.) is $4.8 million/year. That translates into $28.8 million/year for our regional programs (transportation excluded). And Taylor's estimate is $9 million/year (transportation excluded, see Page 2 here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DNLJXC4F4A19/$file/Regional%20Program%20Model%20FY2027-2031%20Budget%20251120.pdf)

$28.8 million vs. $9 million, this is a huge discrepancy and this is what you should expect as a taxpayer to pay.

Wait, according to these documents, they're assuming that like 5,000 kids per grade will enroll in a regional program (either at their home school or travel to one)? As in, almost half the kids? That seems nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think they are going to have the schools figure it out and no more money. They placed some programs at schools that already have the framework.

~35 programs exist currently. Another ~65 programs are new, so no framework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are going to have the schools figure it out and no more money. They placed some programs at schools that already have the framework.

~35 programs exist currently. Another ~65 programs are new, so no framework.

Some of the programs existed before and were closed due to lack of interest. Others aren’t going to be funded like the arts so it’s in name only.

[Anonymous]

I think it will be like the academy programs at some high schools. You take 2 special classes and get a tshirt.