Dr. Felder told not to apply for permanent superintendent role according to sources

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Felder is held in high regard with all of the unions because she earned our respect. She doing a great job as interim and we are losing a partner who truly collaborates and cares.

- A longtime mcea member

I see nothing to applaud about her tenure. MCPS was a mess when she stepped into the role and it’s remained one since she assumed the interim position.

Exactly what did you expect a 4 month interim Super to do?

Clean up shop, set priorities and hold people accountable for their failures and mistakes. Also be transparent and communicate better than her predecessor.

Felder is a short term Super. Her job is to calm things following McKnights departure, attend to the Beidleman situation as it continues to play out, get through budget in a difficult year, and steer things until the end of the school year (or an official Super is named), while setting transition plans for the official Super. And that alone was immense considering she was coming from outside of CO so drinking from a fire hose and having to play catchup.

Just because you had unrealistic expectations is not anyone’ else’s fault.

Do you think Felder has succeeded in "calming things" in MCPS? I don't think so and can't see how you do by any visible measure.

Part of the "calming things" you're talking about that people expected was her getting rid of McKnight's corrupt cronies and known MCPS abusers and bullies. That WAS part of her mandate as interim super.

As for your assertion that improved communications was an unrealistic expectation for an interim superintendent, we'll just have to agree to disagree, as I think being a strong, effective communicator is a must for anyone who occupies the superintendent role, interim, acting or permanent.

We’d first have to define what strong communication is because MCPS communicates all the time and folks don’t read, listen, or attend. Want examples? 1)Someone on the board this week asked why MCPS didn’t announce a survey that they sent 4 emails about, told schools to remind about, and even included in their weekly news. 2)We have a County Council claiming they didn’t know teachers could be impacted by the budget when we’ve been talking about it here since March and CO has been saying for a year how difficult this budget was going to be. 3)People are complaining about a budget for which every chapter was discussed in a BOE meeting, has been readily available for review online, CO held several community sessions to discuss and hear feedback, there is an entire webpage dedicated to asking questions or providing feedback.

What do you want them to do, tap you on the shoulder and say, “oh by the way there may be problems on the horizon?”

You're doing a lot of unnecessary and unsolicited work to defend MCPS and it's not clear what your motive is, other than you're a central office employee and ally of Dr. Felder who feels maligned by criticisms of MCPS.

Strong communication means:
- Communication that builds consensus and provides clarity across MCPS's stakeholder groups
- Communication that is clear, not misleading and easy to understand
- Communication that is connected to meaningful action and next steps
BONUS: Communication that inspires and moves people to invest in our school system

The last one is a bonus because it would be nice if an interim supe could inspire people with their words, but that is more of a fair expectation of a permanent supe. The first three bullets, however, are within the realm of fair expectations for an interim who needs to hold the fort.

You trying to blame the council for the visceral and negative response to teacher cuts is pathetic. MCEA AND the Council both said they were caught off guard at the last minute with the threat of teacher cuts by Felder and MCPS. And it's clear that the threat of the cuts was a political tactic on the part of MCPS to attempt to extort more money from the council, since magically, cuts are no longer needed and MCPS is AGGRESSIVELY walking back the +1 student per classroom messaging, going to pains that it won't happen in every school and every class.

The blame for the budget fiasco rests with Felder, MCPS and the BOE. Felder is only partially responsible since she stepped in midway through the process. But nonetheless, as the leader in charge at the time, she has to shoulder some of it.

Ask yourself, how is it that the County Council is caught off guard? DCUM has been talking about this since March, teachers have been talking about it since then, and yet you believe the council that is responsible for approving the entire budget were somehow left out cold with no idea this was a possibility?

Because they sent a letter the day before the budget was to be finalized? MCEA said they were equally caught off guard. What are you not comprehending?

How was MCEA caught off guard? Nonsense. There was a thread named Cuts on DCUM that began on April 19. And they knew before that. The council and MCEA knew way earlier than they want to admit because they want the BOE to take the fall on all of this.

There were multiple rounds of cuts. The first round was before the April thread. The second round was in the last 2 weeks.

Yes but the ones in the last 2 weeks should not have been a surprise, since they were tied to the class size increase that Felder told them in April would be a result of an underfunded budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t follow MCPS leadership very closely but McKnight’s emails were very off putting. Felder if I judge for her communication skills seems better.

I think Felder doesn't mind being edited, or is a good writer on her own. McKnight is a terrible writer and seems like the sort of person who would believe she didn't need an editor, so awful, awful writing was sent out publicly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t follow MCPS leadership very closely but McKnight’s emails were very off putting. Felder if I judge for her communication skills seems better.

I think Felder doesn't mind being edited, or is a good writer on her own. McKnight is a terrible writer and seems like the sort of person who would believe she didn't need an editor, so awful, awful writing was sent out publicly.

You guys think Felder or McKnight wrote their own emails? I'm sure they're all assembled by Chris Cram and his team with their names attached upon review.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Felder is held in high regard with all of the unions because she earned our respect. She doing a great job as interim and we are losing a partner who truly collaborates and cares.

- A longtime mcea member

I see nothing to applaud about her tenure. MCPS was a mess when she stepped into the role and it’s remained one since she assumed the interim position.

Exactly what did you expect a 4 month interim Super to do?

Clean up shop, set priorities and hold people accountable for their failures and mistakes. Also be transparent and communicate better than her predecessor.

Felder is a short term Super. Her job is to calm things following McKnights departure, attend to the Beidleman situation as it continues to play out, get through budget in a difficult year, and steer things until the end of the school year (or an official Super is named), while setting transition plans for the official Super. And that alone was immense considering she was coming from outside of CO so drinking from a fire hose and having to play catchup.

Just because you had unrealistic expectations is not anyone’ else’s fault.

Do you think Felder has succeeded in "calming things" in MCPS? I don't think so and can't see how you do by any visible measure.

Part of the "calming things" you're talking about that people expected was her getting rid of McKnight's corrupt cronies and known MCPS abusers and bullies. That WAS part of her mandate as interim super.

As for your assertion that improved communications was an unrealistic expectation for an interim superintendent, we'll just have to agree to disagree, as I think being a strong, effective communicator is a must for anyone who occupies the superintendent role, interim, acting or permanent.

We’d first have to define what strong communication is because MCPS communicates all the time and folks don’t read, listen, or attend. Want examples? 1)Someone on the board this week asked why MCPS didn’t announce a survey that they sent 4 emails about, told schools to remind about, and even included in their weekly news. 2)We have a County Council claiming they didn’t know teachers could be impacted by the budget when we’ve been talking about it here since March and CO has been saying for a year how difficult this budget was going to be. 3)People are complaining about a budget for which every chapter was discussed in a BOE meeting, has been readily available for review online, CO held several community sessions to discuss and hear feedback, there is an entire webpage dedicated to asking questions or providing feedback.

What do you want them to do, tap you on the shoulder and say, “oh by the way there may be problems on the horizon?”

You're doing a lot of unnecessary and unsolicited work to defend MCPS and it's not clear what your motive is, other than you're a central office employee and ally of Dr. Felder who feels maligned by criticisms of MCPS.

Strong communication means:
- Communication that builds consensus and provides clarity across MCPS's stakeholder groups
- Communication that is clear, not misleading and easy to understand
- Communication that is connected to meaningful action and next steps
BONUS: Communication that inspires and moves people to invest in our school system

The last one is a bonus because it would be nice if an interim supe could inspire people with their words, but that is more of a fair expectation of a permanent supe. The first three bullets, however, are within the realm of fair expectations for an interim who needs to hold the fort.

You trying to blame the council for the visceral and negative response to teacher cuts is pathetic. MCEA AND the Council both said they were caught off guard at the last minute with the threat of teacher cuts by Felder and MCPS. And it's clear that the threat of the cuts was a political tactic on the part of MCPS to attempt to extort more money from the council, since magically, cuts are no longer needed and MCPS is AGGRESSIVELY walking back the +1 student per classroom messaging, going to pains that it won't happen in every school and every class.

The blame for the budget fiasco rests with Felder, MCPS and the BOE. Felder is only partially responsible since she stepped in midway through the process. But nonetheless, as the leader in charge at the time, she has to shoulder some of it.

Ask yourself, how is it that the County Council is caught off guard? DCUM has been talking about this since March, teachers have been talking about it since then, and yet you believe the council that is responsible for approving the entire budget were somehow left out cold with no idea this was a possibility?

Exactly. Gotta love Evan Glass' fake on-camera shock and outrage about the cuts that he had known about for weeks. I don't think I'll be voting for him when he runs for county exec. And of course, there is Will Jawando, the chair of the council's education committee, who expressed concern and surprise at the cuts as well. What a couple of dopes.

Jawando likes his five minutes of fame. They just cut multiple programs, including an autism program and he claimed his kid had autism. He needs to stand up and fight more.

[Anonymous]

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

[Anonymous]

Alright. Hopefully this isn't a disaster. Can we help Felder pack her bags?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t follow MCPS leadership very closely but McKnight’s emails were very off putting. Felder if I judge for her communication skills seems better.

I think Felder doesn't mind being edited, or is a good writer on her own. McKnight is a terrible writer and seems like the sort of person who would believe she didn't need an editor, so awful, awful writing was sent out publicly.

You guys think Felder or McKnight wrote their own emails? I'm sure they're all assembled by Chris Cram and his team with their names attached upon review.

Most of them are of course written by others but having seen writing they theoretically did write on their own (like their dissertations), McKnight is a terrible writer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

[Anonymous]

Why not announce the candidates and people have an option. Transparency seems to be an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

Same DCUM, same complaining about anything and everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

Same DCUM, same complaining about anything and everything

Same MCPS apologist. Will they cover your consultant rate to work on the weekend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

Same DCUM, same complaining about anything and everything

These people just love to hear themselves complain. One week it's teachers are too lenient the next it's teachers are too hard. They really just like complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

Same DCUM, same complaining about anything and everything

Same MCPS apologist. Will they cover your consultant rate to work on the weekend?

Same tired old trope, assuming anyone who disagrees with you must work for MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

ModeratelyMoco wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is Felder out at the end of this month? Will they appoint another interim? I can't imagine they will be ready to hire a permanent superintendent by then.

Yes, I expect her to be and there to be a new permanent superintendent by the end of the month.

This process has been ongoing for quite some time and I expect news before the end of the month if not sooner.

And here we go:

Board to Make Announcement About MCPS Superintendent Monday, June 17

The Montgomery County Board of Education will make an announcement about the superintendency of Montgomery County Public Schools at 3:00 p.m., Monday, June 17. The Board conducted a thorough national search that included robust community input. This input helped shape a leadership profile that guided the Board during candidate review. Community leaders were also included in the interview process. Learn more about community engagement during the superintendent search, including what we learned, on our website.

The Board is pleased to report that a number of experienced, diverse, and highly-qualified candidates were considered for the superintendent position. “We are excited to announce our final candidate to the community,” said Board President Karla Silvestre. “The Board is confident in this leader’s ability to guide MCPS forward.”

The announcement will be livestreamed via the MCPS homepage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. The Board will formally appoint the new superintendent at its regularly scheduled business meeting June 25.

Same BOE, same myopic priorities, same MCPS, same opacity. Why would we expect a different type of autocrat at the top?

Same DCUM, same complaining about anything and everything

Same MCPS apologist. Will they cover your consultant rate to work on the weekend?

If they showed the kind of dedication they show to defending MCPS on this forum as they did to actually doing their jobs in the school district, we’d have a lot less to talk about.