$2M no bid contract to Joftus wife? BOE to approve on 9/8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Educator here. I believe that what KID offers is valuable, but it needs to lay out exactly how they are choosing which students and schools they serve, what they provide in those field trips, and how much it costs taxpayers per child. The arrangement should be handled the same way MCPS handles outsourcing any service. If there is no competition then they will get the contract. And I am confused. I expected Scott Joftus to take the teachers’ and administrators’ and SEIU staff’s “no confidence” votes more seriously. His decision to vote in Dr McKnight showed a lack of understanding of educators’ concerns and possible repercussions, including talented people leaving MCPS. I know he didn’t respond to all the teachers and principals who reached out to him prior to his vote, and I think he harmed KID by being on the board. I do think he’s ethical and smart, but I’m disappointed. He should have waited for the election rather than get appointed early. I think that will hurt him in the election. The appearance is that he was put on the board as a guaranteed vote for Dr. McKnight, which is unfortunate. I’m less concerned with his ability to be impartial on KID stuff. I wish he had been braver in his first months on the board. At least he’s not going to ban books or do crazy paranoid stuff to the curriculum if he wins, so there’s that.

Educator here. What do you have against Kid Museum? Kid Musuem was VERY transparent with costs. It's a grant. So Title 1 schools are served first. This has been around way before Joftus was on the board...so...not sure if you are paying attention or not.

As an educator, you should re-read my post. I specifically said I like KID and that that's not my issue.

Ok Karen - I don't think you really part of MCPS. Kid Museum has not been harmed. As an educator, stick to teaching.

I can teach in MCPS and like KID Museum and also wish Scott Joftus had taken the unions’ concerns more seriously and also want more transparency about which schools are getting KID’s services and what those services cost. Those are not mutually exclusive viewpoints. The irony is that you keep slamming me for slamming KID, when that isn’t what I said at all. I don’t think Joftus is unethical. I don’t think KID is a waste of money. You’re arguing against yourself and not helping the organization, if that’s your goal. Calling people Karen is not going to help your cause either. Makes you sound misogynistic.

Thanks Betty. Is that better? I'm not arguing against myself. Your post makes no sense and isn't on topic. Joftus really had nothing to do with the zero confidence vote. All educators know that he is the low guy on the totem pole in regards to experience on the board. He hasn't even served a year. JFC

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It certainly looks like someone is making a tidy profit on the Kid Museum property. According to this document, the Kid Museum Twinbrook Metro property was acquired by Thompson Twinbrook, LLC for $4.9 million, and the seller is now asking for $9.65 million. MCPS Navarro was in the same group as Brewer, Lesser Lambert, Riley, Ossont, Dise. According to the document, the council staff recommended $5.93 million to acquire the property plus $1M to design it.

Twinbrook LLC seems to be a shell company for "20 ENTITIES OTHER THAN CORPORATIONS", so it's difficult to trace who's actually behind the curtain.

https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_md/W17514605

https://opencorporates.com/officers/327141386

https://opengovus.com/virginia-business/L0169757

Is KID gong to move to twinbrook site? That was talked years ago before they moved to Bethesda Downtown where real estate is very very expansive. By the way, why does KID need to OWN a piece of real estate?

They don't own real estate, except in people's heads.

They're a non-profit and file annual reports. You can find them on propublica.

https://www.google.com/search?q=propublica+990+%22kid+museum%22+bethesda&source=hp&ei=58sdY-r4Aqef5NoPxPemsAE&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAYx3Z9_8Ut4LJ7CHG66Y1JqpUeFYOcClh&ved=0ahUKEwiqiLnE1oz6AhWnD1kFHcS7CRYQ4dUDCAg&uact=5&oq=propublica+990+%22kid+museum%22+bethesda

Technically true. They won't own. Looks like they will co-own? I. Summary of Transaction, Challenges and Unknowns.

https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

Not sure co-ownership of land works for a non-profit? If they have an asset and go out of business, how does that work? Do they get the money from the sale? Non-profits pay out salaries. There are a lot of charity CEO's who rake in over 500k.

The document also says the Council will provide matching funds from other sources? Is MCPS the "other sources"? And does that mean if MCPS provides 6m then the council will provide 6m? That's confusing in itself since the donations from prior years amounted to 1.4m, so I'm guessing 1.4m is their normal annual operating budget according to prior filings?

Does that mean that all Kid Museum would need to do is open then shutter their doors the next day, and sell their ~5m interest in the property?

Also, that $4.55m price bump from 4.9m to 9.65m from purchase to sale was only from 2016 to 2019. Double? $4.55m in three years? That's some nice cheese.

Pretty sure the reference to "co-owning" in that document refers to the county and the city of Rockville co-owning the property, not the museum.

That makes even less sense. You're saying that the City of Rockville is giving them 5m, Montgomery County is giving 5m, and MCPS is giving 6m to them?

So how does that work? Does Kid Museum pay rent to Rockville or MC, or both? How much? And why Kid Museum? Why not some other non-profit? How did Kid Museum become the most critical investment over every other non-profit?

I don't think you're reading the docs correctly.

Just reading what it says. Navarro should know, right? How is it not a 16m boon for Kid Museum?

[Anonymous]

Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

Wait. The former superintendent’s wife Emma Starr (Josh Starr) is the spokesperson for the KID Museum in addition to Joftus’s wife who runs it? I did not know about that nugget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

Wait. The former superintendent’s wife Emma Starr (Josh Starr) is the spokesperson for the KID Museum in addition to Joftus’s wife who runs it? I did not know about that nugget.

And Joshua Starr is on the KID Museum board of directors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

Wait. The former superintendent’s wife Emma Starr (Josh Starr) is the spokesperson for the KID Museum in addition to Joftus’s wife who runs it? I did not know about that nugget.

And Joshua Starr is on the KID Museum board of directors.

Why does it matter what boards Dr. Starr sits on? Or what his wife does? He hasn’t worked in MCPS for 8 years. He is a volunteer on the board anyway. But if you like nuggets, the Starrs are friends with the Joftus family. Their kids went to school together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

Wait. The former superintendent’s wife Emma Starr (Josh Starr) is the spokesperson for the KID Museum in addition to Joftus’s wife who runs it? I did not know about that nugget.

And Joshua Starr is on the KID Museum board of directors.

Why does it matter what boards Dr. Starr sits on? Or what his wife does? He hasn’t worked in MCPS for 8 years. He is a volunteer on the board anyway. But if you like nuggets, the Starrs are friends with the Joftus family. Their kids went to school together.

No way! No one would ever have suspected that Starr and Joftus are friends. Then Joftus' wife gets millions from MCPS and Montgomery County out of the blue. Amazing coincidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Council staff recommendation
1) Recommend approval a $5.93 for acquisition.
2) Recommend approval of $1.00 million appropriation for design in FY 19.
3) Amend the product description form (PDF) to state that "the Council should not appropriate funds for renovation until design is complete and should be provided as a match to funds from other sources raised by the KID Museum."
4) Amend the PDF to condition expending design funds, apart from closing costs, on a requirement that DGS provide a copy to the Council of the finalized agreement between the County and the City for co-ownership of the building and a finalized memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space."
https://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2018/05/today-kid-museum-spokeswoman-is-emma.html?m=0

The question is what's in the MOU between the County and the KID Museum for use of the space?

And why Twinbrook LLC gets almost a $5m profit in 3 years?

What am I missing here?

Wait. The former superintendent’s wife Emma Starr (Josh Starr) is the spokesperson for the KID Museum in addition to Joftus’s wife who runs it? I did not know about that nugget.

And Joshua Starr is on the KID Museum board of directors.

Why does it matter what boards Dr. Starr sits on? Or what his wife does? He hasn’t worked in MCPS for 8 years. He is a volunteer on the board anyway. But if you like nuggets, the Starrs are friends with the Joftus family. Their kids went to school together.

No way! No one would ever have suspected that Starr and Joftus are friends. Then Joftus' wife gets millions from MCPS and Montgomery County out of the blue. Amazing coincidence.

The board hates josh Starr and fired him. That didn’t help KID. Keep up.

[Anonymous]

Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

I don’t know much about Julie Yang, but as a voter, I will check her out.

Doesn’t matter to me how or why the information has come out. Voters deserve to know the facts and then make decisions for themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

I don’t know much about Julie Yang, but as a voter, I will check her out.

Doesn’t matter to me how or why the information has come out. Voters deserve to know the facts and then make decisions for themselves.

Absolutely. Although a lot of this thread is not exactly what would qualify as "facts."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

I don’t know much about Julie Yang, but as a voter, I will check her out.

Doesn’t matter to me how or why the information has come out. Voters deserve to know the facts and then make decisions for themselves.

Absolutely. Although a lot of this thread is not exactly what would qualify as "facts."

according to Joftus and Starr. But facts as defined by the truth. Fixed it for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

I don’t know much about Julie Yang, but as a voter, I will check her out.

Doesn’t matter to me how or why the information has come out. Voters deserve to know the facts and then make decisions for themselves.

Absolutely. Although a lot of this thread is not exactly what would qualify as "facts."

according to Joftus and Starr. But facts as defined by the truth. Fixed it for you.

Nice try, but no. This thread is a whole lot of opinions and accusations, along with a smattering of possibly-tangentially-relevant facts, which are evidence of nothing like what is being alleged.

I'm still interested to hear which other places in Montgomery County are similar to the Kid Museum, that could provide STEM activities for elementary and middle school students in a large space. Are there any? I'm honestly curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good job to whoever was bringing light to this situation. It’s obvious from the social media pr team / boosters dispatched by the board that there is some significant nepotism and corruption going on. Sadly, nothing will change.

More likely Julie Yang/MCEA's social media PR team

I don’t know much about Julie Yang, but as a voter, I will check her out.

Doesn’t matter to me how or why the information has come out. Voters deserve to know the facts and then make decisions for themselves.

Absolutely. Although a lot of this thread is not exactly what would qualify as "facts."

according to Joftus and Starr. But facts as defined by the truth. Fixed it for you.

Nice try, but no. This thread is a whole lot of opinions and accusations, along with a smattering of possibly-tangentially-relevant facts, which are evidence of nothing like what is being alleged.

I'm still interested to hear which other places in Montgomery County are similar to the Kid Museum, that could provide STEM activities for elementary and middle school students in a large space. Are there any? I'm honestly curious.

Why don't you do some research? You clearly would not take anything here as a fact, even if it could be easily verified.

Here's another fact you don't want to know. Joftus is endorsed by Starr. Not only Starr, but also Weast and Smith. The good old boy network is behind him. And his wife gets a no bid $2.4 annual payout from MCPS. And Starr sits on the wife's Board of Directors .