How does MCPS get away with spending this much money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But the higher ups have all the money to pay themselves, but can’t give teachers their salary steps. ‘Superintendent Monifa McKnight topped the list with a $320,000 salary—an increase of $25,000 from her salary as interim superintendent the previous year. McKnight is also entitled to receive $48,000 a year in deferred compensation, according to her contract, and may receive additional salary raises pursuant to annual performance reviews by the school board.’ It’s disgusting and parents need to question how their taxpayer dollars are spent.

Why is that disgusting? That seems like a salary in line with superintendents elsewhere and is what I would expect a chief executive of a major organization to earn.

Well the usual malcontents just want to feel aggrieved and recite the usual litany of complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because there is no accountability.

Bingo.

Except for the accountability that voters hold them to which is to say they're completely accountable it's just that others aren't crazy and don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No accountability and the school system is TOO big. I grew up with a smaller town-based school system and you would actually see the superintendent and the BOE members out in the community often.

I know! Don't even get me started on bocce!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is far from perfect, but as the recipient of much of their money, in the form of special needs educational support for my oldest child, I understand that their many special programs (Autism, Asperger's, GT/LD, magnets, etc) are expensive. And yet they are what makes MCPS great - it's one of the few school systems in the world that tries to support ALL students, not just the ones in the range of normal. So I applaud some of the principles and values behind the spending.

All means just you? MCPS actively fights parents is special needs children as evidenced by the millions they spend on lawyers to fight them. That is the principle you applaud.

Exactly this. They get the help that others of us don't. We've spent everything we have for many years to get our child what they need as MCPS refused. We either had to pay for an attorney or private services so we choose private services as MCPS was clear they wouldn't help. They don't support ALL students. They support a select few. Get out of your bubble. Not all of us are high income and it sucks never taking a vacation, never doing much of anything as our child cannot get much of anything and there is a clear need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is far from perfect, but as the recipient of much of their money, in the form of special needs educational support for my oldest child, I understand that their many special programs (Autism, Asperger's, GT/LD, magnets, etc) are expensive. And yet they are what makes MCPS great - it's one of the few school systems in the world that tries to support ALL students, not just the ones in the range of normal. So I applaud some of the principles and values behind the spending.

All means just you? MCPS actively fights parents is special needs children as evidenced by the millions they spend on lawyers to fight them. That is the principle you applaud.

Exactly this. They get the help that others of us don't. We've spent everything we have for many years to get our child what they need as MCPS refused. We either had to pay for an attorney or private services so we choose private services as MCPS was clear they wouldn't help. They don't support ALL students. They support a select few. Get out of your bubble. Not all of us are high income and it sucks never taking a vacation, never doing much of anything as our child cannot get much of anything and there is a clear need.

Part of that problem is there are 3X more special needs kids today than a decade ago, especially in the wealthier schools, where parents can afford to have a private diagnosis done, and unfortunately, the pot of money has remained more or less constant. I guess they could cut extracurriculars to fund these services at current enrollment levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is far from perfect, but as the recipient of much of their money, in the form of special needs educational support for my oldest child, I understand that their many special programs (Autism, Asperger's, GT/LD, magnets, etc) are expensive. And yet they are what makes MCPS great - it's one of the few school systems in the world that tries to support ALL students, not just the ones in the range of normal. So I applaud some of the principles and values behind the spending.

It might make the system great for special needs students, but average students are being shortchanged more and more each year to pay for all those special programs. My kid has over 30 kids in every class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No accountability and the school system is TOO big. I grew up with a smaller town-based school system and you would actually see the superintendent and the BOE members out in the community often.

Exactly. Pittsburgh suburb. Localized voting of known people you run into, with board members who send their kids to your schools and know and feel all the issues at home.

Has separation ever been proposed here?

I believe the county system is part of the state constitution, so would require amendment on a state level. I grew up with a town school system, and it is definitely better for the wealthy areas and worse for the poor areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No accountability and the school system is TOO big. I grew up with a smaller town-based school system and you would actually see the superintendent and the BOE members out in the community often.

I grew up in one of those racist to the core. NO thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No accountability and the school system is TOO big. I grew up with a smaller town-based school system and you would actually see the superintendent and the BOE members out in the community often.

Exactly. Pittsburgh suburb. Localized voting of known people you run into, with board members who send their kids to your schools and know and feel all the issues at home.

Has separation ever been proposed here?

I believe the county system is part of the state constitution, so would require amendment on a state level. I grew up with a town school system, and it is definitely better for the wealthy areas and worse for the poor areas.

It would be so great if we could jettison all the poor!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is far from perfect, but as the recipient of much of their money, in the form of special needs educational support for my oldest child, I understand that their many special programs (Autism, Asperger's, GT/LD, magnets, etc) are expensive. And yet they are what makes MCPS great - it's one of the few school systems in the world that tries to support ALL students, not just the ones in the range of normal. So I applaud some of the principles and values behind the spending.

All means just you? MCPS actively fights parents is special needs children as evidenced by the millions they spend on lawyers to fight them. That is the principle you applaud.

Exactly this. They get the help that others of us don't. We've spent everything we have for many years to get our child what they need as MCPS refused. We either had to pay for an attorney or private services so we choose private services as MCPS was clear they wouldn't help. They don't support ALL students. They support a select few. Get out of your bubble. Not all of us are high income and it sucks never taking a vacation, never doing much of anything as our child cannot get much of anything and there is a clear need.

Part of that problem is there are 3X more special needs kids today than a decade ago, especially in the wealthier schools, where parents can afford to have a private diagnosis done, and unfortunately, the pot of money has remained more or less constant. I guess they could cut extracurriculars to fund these services at current enrollment levels.

There are not more kids. The difference is more parents are asking for help and services an its more socially acceptable.

We don't have extracurriculars at our school so to me it wouldn't be an issue to cut them.

We couldn't afford it. We had no choice.

[Anonymous]

Everyone keeps talking about needing more mental health support for students. So instead of more counselors, we get electric busses. Priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is far from perfect, but as the recipient of much of their money, in the form of special needs educational support for my oldest child, I understand that their many special programs (Autism, Asperger's, GT/LD, magnets, etc) are expensive. And yet they are what makes MCPS great - it's one of the few school systems in the world that tries to support ALL students, not just the ones in the range of normal. So I applaud some of the principles and values behind the spending.

All means just you? MCPS actively fights parents is special needs children as evidenced by the millions they spend on lawyers to fight them. That is the principle you applaud.

Exactly this. They get the help that others of us don't. We've spent everything we have for many years to get our child what they need as MCPS refused. We either had to pay for an attorney or private services so we choose private services as MCPS was clear they wouldn't help. They don't support ALL students. They support a select few. Get out of your bubble. Not all of us are high income and it sucks never taking a vacation, never doing much of anything as our child cannot get much of anything and there is a clear need.

Part of that problem is there are 3X more special needs kids today than a decade ago, especially in the wealthier schools, where parents can afford to have a private diagnosis done, and unfortunately, the pot of money has remained more or less constant. I guess they could cut extracurriculars to fund these services at current enrollment levels.

There are not more kids. The difference is more parents are asking for help and services an its more socially acceptable.

We don't have extracurriculars at our school so to me it wouldn't be an issue to cut them.

We couldn't afford it. We had no choice.

Not to mention extra time on the SAT!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No accountability and the school system is TOO big. I grew up with a smaller town-based school system and you would actually see the superintendent and the BOE members out in the community often.

Exactly. Pittsburgh suburb. Localized voting of known people you run into, with board members who send their kids to your schools and know and feel all the issues at home.

Has separation ever been proposed here?

I believe the county system is part of the state constitution, so would require amendment on a state level. I grew up with a town school system, and it is definitely better for the wealthy areas and worse for the poor areas.

It would be so great if we could jettison all the poor!

We don't need to jettison all of the poor and special needs kids, just 20% or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone keeps talking about needing more mental health support for students. So instead of more counselors, we get electric busses. Priorities.

Buses don’t last forever. You don’t need counselors if you can’t get your students to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone keeps talking about needing more mental health support for students. So instead of more counselors, we get electric busses. Priorities.

MCPS needs buses to get kids to school. The bus fleet turns over. It's better to replace the diesel buses with electric buses than with more diesel buses, including for the lungs of the kids who ride the buses.