Disgusted with MCPS

[Anonymous]

Here is the reality - it costs more on a per child basis to educate a ESOL low income minority child than a Special Needs student. Unfortunately MCPS budget has been overwhelmed by the massive number of ESOL students. There is only so much money that MCPS has and they are forced to use the educational budget on ESOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reality - it costs more on a per child basis to educate a ESOL low income minority child than a Special Needs student. Unfortunately MCPS budget has been overwhelmed by the massive number of ESOL students. There is only so much money that MCPS has and they are forced to use the educational budget on ESOL.

Data please. Remember that SN encompasses a wide variety of needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reality - it costs more on a per child basis to educate a ESOL low income minority child than a Special Needs student. Unfortunately MCPS budget has been overwhelmed by the massive number of ESOL students. There is only so much money that MCPS has and they are forced to use the educational budget on ESOL.

Why do you assume all ELLs are low income minorities? My W cluster school has a high ESOL pop. Lots of Russians, various Eastern Europeans, Portuguese, and Israelis --all white. Even our non-white ELLs are mostly not Latino and certainly not low income. Instead we have French, Arabic, Urdu, Korean, and Japanese, speaking children of doctors, lawyers, and business people from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is the reality - it costs more on a per child basis to educate a ESOL low income minority child than a Special Needs student. Unfortunately MCPS budget has been overwhelmed by the massive number of ESOL students. There is only so much money that MCPS has and they are forced to use the educational budget on ESOL.

Hi, racist troll. In reality, please show me the money. You are making stuff up.

If MOCO public schools in reality spent the money they used to pay for litigation denying children with special needs access to FAPE, we wouldn't be complaining.

Please go back to your regularly scheduled trolling and stay off the SN board.

[Anonymous]

I'm a MS teacher and I also happen to have a child with special needs, so I see both sides of this.

First, OP, I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, and you're right, it shouldn't be this hard! MCPS as an institution is terrible for special needs.

Re the individual teachers, though, as a teacher, my guess is that it's not that they don't want to accommodate or don't care about your child--it's simply that they are exhausted and overworked! Six classes of 30 kids each--before adding anything, we are already stretched thin. To add multiple different individual accommodations (because there are multiple IEPs/504s, each of which is different) on top of already having 180 students...well, I'm not surprised that something has to give. Don't get me wrong, it shouldn't happen and I'm not suggesting you just accept it. Again, I'm a special needs parent myself. But please know that it is very hard to meaningfully individualize programs when one already has so many students, and I'd venture to say that teachers are doing the best they can. In other words, there is no hidden malice or lack of caring. To you, your child rightfully is the center of the universe, as mine is to me, etc.--but to your child's teachers he is one among 180.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm right there with you, OP, except I'm in FCPS - and I actually did file a state complaint. I only regret that I didn't do it earlier! I can't believe my advocate didn't have me do it sooner (I do as much as I can myself to keep costs down but still end up spending thousands on her every year - I have no choice). I heartily encourage you to find a reason to do so. Although, unsurprisingly, my complaint wasn't upheld and my appeal was (incorrectly, I believe) summarily dismissed, I'm told it's a black mark against the principal and the Procedural Support Liaison (PSL). That was well worth it! In fact, I've used what happen as a reason to inform the central office that either a different PSL attend the meetings or, if the same PSL will be there, a central office FCPS special ed policy/due process specialist accompany her to the meetings. Told them if one is not available, I the meeting should be rescheduled until one is. The old specialist came to the meeting but our 'old' PSL who is now in the supervisory chain attended. Hugs.

Good for you! A dear friend was in a crazy situation with FCPS last year and I really felt she should have filed a state complaint, and she didn't want to complicate the situation. We have had some terrible procedural support liaisons. I hope you complained about PSL "S.L." (a lazy fool) or "E.T" (a complete obstructionist).

[Anonymous]

In another large school system they allocate funds to each charter school by number of students and whether they are ESOL or Special Needs. I was stunned but guess what they allocate more money for Each ESOL student than for Special Needs. They have all the data, ran the numbers and determined ESOL students require more funding on a per student basis.

[Anonymous]

Those PSLs make way more than teachers, too. Six figures.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry this is happening to the OP. You are not the only one. Nothing will change until we vote out the school board members who allow this to go on year after year. They know about it, but they just don't give a. #%#%.
MCPS administrators act this way because they know they won't get promoted if they "cater" to special needs kids..only when the tables are turned and they learn they will be disciplined for violating special needs kids' rights will we have a chance for good outcomes in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a MS teacher and I also happen to have a child with special needs, so I see both sides of this.

First, OP, I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, and you're right, it shouldn't be this hard! MCPS as an institution is terrible for special needs.

Re the individual teachers, though, as a teacher, my guess is that it's not that they don't want to accommodate or don't care about your child--it's simply that they are exhausted and overworked! Six classes of 30 kids each--before adding anything, we are already stretched thin. To add multiple different individual accommodations (because there are multiple IEPs/504s, each of which is different) on top of already having 180 students...well, I'm not surprised that something has to give. Don't get me wrong, it shouldn't happen and I'm not suggesting you just accept it. Again, I'm a special needs parent myself. But please know that it is very hard to meaningfully individualize programs when one already has so many students, and I'd venture to say that teachers are doing the best they can. In other words, there is no hidden malice or lack of caring. To you, your child rightfully is the center of the universe, as mine is to me, etc.--but to your child's teachers he is one among 180.

NP here - I totally get this, MS teacher. I have never found reason to blame a particular individual. In my son's ES, they are all individually intelligent, sympathetic and try their best. Except their best isn't enough because of limitations in the system, especially the large numbers of students they care for. I deplore the sad reality that it's either MCPS, with or without and advocate, or really expensive private schools. I don't even like any of the private schools! I'd really prefer a public school system that works a little better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In another large school system they allocate funds to each charter school by number of students and whether they are ESOL or Special Needs. I was stunned but guess what they allocate more money for Each ESOL student than for Special Needs. They have all the data, ran the numbers and determined ESOL students require more funding on a per student basis.

In this mythical school system, was it b/c they weren't reserving money that would go to SN students for litigation against their parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm right there with you, OP, except I'm in FCPS - and I actually did file a state complaint. I only regret that I didn't do it earlier! I can't believe my advocate didn't have me do it sooner (I do as much as I can myself to keep costs down but still end up spending thousands on her every year - I have no choice). I heartily encourage you to find a reason to do so. Although, unsurprisingly, my complaint wasn't upheld and my appeal was (incorrectly, I believe) summarily dismissed, I'm told it's a black mark against the principal and the Procedural Support Liaison (PSL). That was well worth it! In fact, I've used what happen as a reason to inform the central office that either a different PSL attend the meetings or, if the same PSL will be there, a central office FCPS special ed policy/due process specialist accompany her to the meetings. Told them if one is not available, I the meeting should be rescheduled until one is. The old specialist came to the meeting but our 'old' PSL who is now in the supervisory chain attended. Hugs.

Good for you! A dear friend was in a crazy situation with FCPS last year and I really felt she should have filed a state complaint, and she didn't want to complicate the situation. We have had some terrible procedural support liaisons. I hope you complained about PSL "S.L." (a lazy fool) or "E.T" (a complete obstructionist).

At one point, we actually filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in the US DOE (not in MCPS here). They did not find against the school (and though I'm obviously a bit biased, we had a lot of their own precedent to use and it's hard to believe they didn't find against the school) but it definitely got the school system's attention. The experience has made us a lot less fearful of aggressively advocating on our own (we for a while used an advocate but found it a big waste of money ultimately). Good luck, OP!