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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It says this was in FY24 which means it was McKnight's operating budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Correct. It sounds like privileged, SGA-type MCPS students got a part-time job from the BOE.

You can debate whether that's a good or a bad thing, but let's call a spade a spade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

That's quite concerning, but also, I wonder, is it healthier for goalies to eat dirt all day in practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It says this was in FY24 which means it was McKnight's operating budget.

Taylor promised transparency, accountability, etc. Where is it? There is no excuse to pay students that kind of money for a document on how turf is bad. If it's important to them, they can do it for free. The wasteful spending needs to stop. Our kids and staff are in horrible conditions, academics are poor, safety is a huge issue, and he's still on a spending spree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

That's quite concerning, but also, I wonder, is it healthier for goalies to eat dirt all day in practice?

Or, maintain the fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It says this was in FY24 which means it was McKnight's operating budget.

Taylor promised transparency, accountability, etc. Where is it? There is no excuse to pay students that kind of money for a document on how turf is bad. If it's important to them, they can do it for free. The wasteful spending needs to stop. Our kids and staff are in horrible conditions, academics are poor, safety is a huge issue, and he's still on a spending spree.

I think this was a Lynne Harris boondoggle, given her direct involvement in this. McKnight doesn't deserve the blame here other than doing what she thought might be pleasing to one of her bosses, Lynne Harris.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

What is your complaint, exactly?

[Anonymous]

Turf is dangerous. ACL tears galore!

[Anonymous]

Can anyone point to documentation of this being voted on by the BOE, or being included in any operating budget, or is this just another "Parent's Coalition" rant with no there there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

So herbicides or PFAS is the choice for our children....

[Anonymous]

California has moved to shut down installation of artificial turf fields due to health concerns:

https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/10/california-synthetic-turf-pfas/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:California has moved to shut down installation of artificial turf fields due to health concerns:

https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/10/california-synthetic-turf-pfas/

This is a 2023 article....