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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
New Superintendent to be named on February 8th
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Anonymous
I’m the PP you are trying to make fun of. I get up at 5:30 AM on weekdays and 6:30 AM on weekends for me is sleeping in. This is normal for many adults with kids. To the substance of your proposal, why should she get a 4 year trial period when she’s just had a trial period and has been found wanting? What sense does that make? In addition and this is important, when this county does not extend the contacts of supers it makes it harder to attract good candidates. When Starrs contract was not extended, it was extraordinarily hard to get recruit good candidates and I understand that Smith had to basically be begged to take it. So whoever is appointed should be considered permanent and you yourself admit that wouldn’t be a good idea based on her record so far. |
Anonymous
It's the unrealistic expectation that a super has godlike powers. MCPS is a big ship and hard to turn. |
Anonymous
What’s your point? Thats not an overwhelming number. It also doesn’t soeak to yhe qualification or desirability of any of the candidates. |
Anonymous
This! Plus the unrealistic expectation that DCUM would be happy with anyone. Not Weast, not Starr, not Smith, not McKnight. Which is why we elect a board instead of making crucial decisions based off DCUM fickleness. |
Anonymous
Unrealistic? More like educated and savvy populace that’s unhappy with half of MCPS third graders reading below grade level. These duds did real damage… |
Anonymous
How did the duds of MCPS do real damage? I ask you, barring some type of learning disability, what do you think tge home life of those third graders reading below grade level is like? Do you think they have parents reading to them every night? Do you think their parents are talking to them in a way that teaches them? Do you think tge parents sang the alphabet song to them as little kids? Do you think the parents worked on letters and the sounds they made? You can’t squeeze blood out of a rock. Learning begins at home. If parents don’t start the foundations at home, the teacher’s job is going to be so much harder. Those kids probably need a much more intensive academic experience compared to the kids of parents who taught their kids at home. Should we group all kids together who need that extensive support? Would you be okay if MCPS did such a grouping and it mainly consisted of blacks and Hispanics? |
Anonymous
She's done such an amazing job. I just don't get why there are so many downers. She's awesome! |
Anonymous
Yes. So awesome. Yea. |
Anonymous
You forgot the sarcasm tags! 
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Anonymous
Thank you for the opportunity to answer this important question. A school system I think has three responsibilities- a solid curriculum, science backed reading instruction and safe. Curriculum 2.0. (Weast, Starr, Smith) No phonics. (Weast, Starr, Smith) 53 sexual predators in 17 years (Weast, Starr, Smith). I could go on but this is basic blocking and tackling that MCPS leadership has failed to achieve for 20 years. Q.E.D. |
Anonymous
Smith had to be begged?????? Where you getting your kool-aid from? What a load of crap. |
Anonymous
Holy freaking moly. 
So you are blaming the inability of students to make grade level benchmarks on their race, ethnicity, and home life as opposed to a broken school system that is responsible for of all things, educating students? MCPS needs to put its big boy/girl pants on and recognize that yes, if 3rd graders are not reading at 3rd grade level then they need to fix it. Perhaps pay attention to a the little benchmarks a child started missing along the way. Perhaps don’t wait to evaluate a child for disabilities when there are a billion red flags signaling that there’s a problem. Perhaps don’t be so sure to judge that you know what goes on in the homes of others and have implicit biases as to the educational outcome of students. The top priority of MCPS is to teach. Dr. McKnight is not a newbie and she has demonstrated as Deputy Superintendent and Interim Superintendent she is not up to the task. If the Board of Ed won’t listen to parents, listen to the no confidence vote by the unions. |
Anonymous
A lot to decipher here. Wasn't trying to make fun of you, it's just an awkward time to hop on DCUM is all. I never said that the 4 years was a "trial period" by any means. The point I wanted to assert is that Superintendent contracts can be cancelled or non-renewed at any time. It will take multiple years for someone to fully grasp the dynamics of such a huge, diverse school district, not to mention the politics that come with it. Let's be real: as much as it should be about kids, it's equally about the relationships with internal and external partners as well and the appearance of looking in control, not the substance/follow through (which she has shown). Smith didn't have to be "begged". The original candidate, Andrew Houlihan, declined the offer when he was Houston's Chief Academic Officer because the Board was fractured at that time. He had thrown his name in there just for the sake of it and didn't actually expect to get it, just to angle for bigger districts in the future because, hey, he was a "finalist" for MCPS. Hence why he withdrew his candidacy the next day. How does all of that lead to me saying it's not a good idea to hire her based on record? I think it's better than people give her credit for. Sure, some things could've been handled differently on her part, but you can't please everyone and she's a quick study. Show me someone who is mastering the unpredictable COVID environment right now. |
Anonymous
And other similar sized districts have had 5 dozen apply for their search. Just because someone applies doesn't mean that they automatically have the mustard to hold their own. For a district like MCPS, 12 is quite low. |
Anonymous
Really? I think you need glasses. "Frantic parents watched in disbelief, waiting for their children to be released at Magruder High School" "As parents continued to wait, students were held inside for more than two hours after the suspect was apprehended while the Interim Superintendent made her way to the school. Parents have asked why it took the Interim Superintendent more than four hours to arrive on the scene. In addition, many parents watched in frustration as the press conference started and their children were still in the building. One parent asked, “Why are they congratulating themselves on a job well done before we even get to see our kids?” Students were released after 5:45pm more than four hours after lockdown began and more than two hours after a student was apprehended." https://original.newsbreak.com/@heather-jauquet-561408/2505040189085-frantic-parents-watched-in-disbelief-waiting-for-their-children-to-be-released-at-magruder-high-school "Montgomery Co. Public Schools teacher’s union votes no confidence; council holding emergency session" "out of nearly 7,000 members voting in a day, around 94% voted "no confidence" in both the Montgomery County School Board and Interim Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight." "the Montgomery County’s Education and Culture Committee is now planning an emergency session with MCPS next Thursday to discuss details not shared in the Wednesday night meeting." https://www.fox5dc.com/news/montgomery-co-public-schools-teachers-union-votes-no-confidence-council-holding-emergency-session |