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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
MOCO parents - how much are we willing to put up with??
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Anonymous
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By now, we all realize that b/c of budget cuts our kids' classes will get bigger, the teachers will be overburdened, "specials" will cut and on and on. When is enough, enough? Are we going to allow the county to slash our once "gold-standard" public school system or are we, the parents, going to mobilize and do something? Is next year going to be 30 plus kids in a classroom, working on mindless worksheets, while the teacher is at wits-end?
Thoughts? What do you think would be the most effective method for parents to be heard: is it picketing in front of the school/administration building; is it keeping our kids out of school for one day as a county-wide protest? is it something else? So far at our school, all of the concerned parents (which is everyone!) feel powerless. We all complain to each other (and I'm sure parents at other schools do to) but no one knows how to harness our power to create some real change. Anyone have any good ideas? |
Anonymous
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Completely agree. I think we need to lobby the Board of Ed to cut useless programs and central office people, and keep their hands off teachers/classroom staff. At the end of the day, we elect the Board of Ed.
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Anonymous
| Where do you expect the money to come from? |
Anonymous
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http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2011/04/montco-council-panel-oks-bag-tax#ixzz1If9xgNyt
57% of the MoCo budget is the schools. In the article, The county pays 95 cents of every dollar in health care costs for school employees. Something has to give. The money comes from us and if you work in sector, you pay a lot more for health care. |
Anonymous
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83 % of the money goes to salaries and benefits of the employees- what do you think needs to happen?
go ahead say it, they need to scale those back- but the teachers, you know the ones that are in it for the kids refuse to do so. Do you know what the average teacher makes in Montgomery County? $76,483 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XQdBajgEN60/S3VirOCMSnI/AAAAAAAACwc/hGPFshvQGIc/s1600-h/Teacher+Salaries+FY+2010.jpg What is going to give? |
Anonymous
Why are you powerless? Didn't you ask the people you voted for where they stand on the budget when it comes to schools? I am willing ot bet you didn't, I am also willing to bet you don't want your taxes to go up, I am sure you don't want the county to pay $12 million to open the Filmore, and so on and so on. you are not powerless you just don't think your vote will matter. |
Anonymous
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Lots of employees aren't teachers. Cuts can be made to central administrators, etc.
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Anonymous
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Maybe if you paid attention to things you would have known about this
Tuesday, April 5 in Rockville, SEIU Local 500, MCEA, and MCAAP members along with parents and students will be rallying against budget cuts to schools in Montgomery County. MCPS is an incredibly successful school system (consistently rated among the best in the nation) with unions and tenure and without a single charter school. We’re not “waiting for superman” here. But all that we’ve built is threatened by budget cuts. Link to rally details and sign-up page: http://500.seiu.org/StandUp4Schools |
Anonymous
Wow, PP! a whopping $76K! Lord help us all when those greedy teachers start taking over the McMansions in Bethesda! |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| The problem isn't the school budget. The problem is that the county allows developers to come in and build new residential units. People move in,increase the population and all our infrastructure is stressed by the needs of a larger population with no increase in dollars to maintain/grow resources needed by a larger population. TAX THE DEVELOPERS OR put a moratorium on new residential building. BTW, I have lived in four other states and MOCO schools aren't all they are cracked up to be. Most are too big right now. The principal should know the name of and recognize every student. When they can't, the school is too big. |
Anonymous
They did that. The put a moratorium and lifted it just in time for the election. They also have in place the builders must pay xyz$ to go to the schools but they can apply for a waiver. When people vote in pretty much the same council election after election .................. crap in-crap out |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
Agree. I can think of plenty of things that could be cut without losing teaching positions and growing class sizes (e.g., central office, travel, conferences, parent academy, publications, furloughs for central office staff that make more than $150K a year, etc., etc.) Weast is proposing cuts that hurt students precisely because he wants to get parents pissed off enough so that they rally the County to give him the money he wants. He's a bully and the BoE rubber stamp everything he wants. The fact is that the County doesn't really have the money this year either. We need to send Weast and the BoE back to the drawing board and have them come up with better ways to save without touching the teachers and hurting our children. Perhaps his salary and benefits would be a good place to start? |
Anonymous
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20:09 - I agree completely. What is MoCo: lala land? Newsflash: the state of Maryland employees have had *four* years of furloughs. Where is the leadership in the school system?
Example: The highest paid employees - those earning more than $100,000 a year (and probably don't provide direct instruction) could lose two weeks' pay. Lowest-paid workers would be docked for three days. Salaries would return to current levels the next year. Or "reduction in service days" DURING THE SUMMER WHEN KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL. |