KID Museum moving to Bethesda Metro?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

You are the only one posting your kids had access to the bocce ball. They don't have it at either one of our schools. And, when ddi they do it? Your school probably already had the bocce sets as multiple schools already have programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

[Anonymous]

Since this thread was supposed to be about Kid Museum -

How many kids attended?
Which schools were they from?
For how long did they attend and how many times?
What did you get that was better than the $40 admission fee?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

You are the only one posting your kids had access to the bocce ball. They don't have it at either one of our schools. And, when ddi they do it? Your school probably already had the bocce sets as multiple schools already have programs.

Really? Our school has it too. I thought everyone did.Sounds like your school is choosing not to use this resource.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:Schools are scrambling to use Covid funds, as it’s a lot of temporarily available money. The challenge is that the money will not be there in a few years. Maybe the central admin thought getting bocce equipment is a good use of funds because they’d be start up costs as opposed to something they’d need to sustain. That doesn’t mean it’s the best use, but that might be the reasoning.

There are lots of ways to spend that money responsibly. This was not one.

OK, well they actually did propose to spend the ESSER III funds in lots of ways. According to the grant application linked earlier, only $223,800 was specified for bocce. The overall total amount of the grant was $252.2 million:


• The requested funds will be used to provide for:
o Position salaries;
o Non-position salaries;
o Stipends;
o Associated employee benefits;
o Contractual services;
o Special education compensatory services;
o Instructional materials and technology support and resources.

• The requested grant funds will support a total of 271 additional positions. The positions to be
added include: 113 teachers; 32 paraeducators; 50 social workers; 40 counselors; and a range of
other positions.

Given the half-a**ed analysis, you must work for the Central Office? Try again.

Page 28, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement Through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $527,400—In order to expand and enhance engagement opportunities for middle school
students, with particular emphasis on students with disabilities and targeted focus groups, program
offerings in the middle school interscholastic athletics program will expand to include bocce and
an additional sport to be offered during the course of the school year. Examples of possible sport
offerings include futsal, flag football, and tennis. Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities

Description Cost
Bocce—Stipends (3 years x 1 x $1,215 per
school x 40 sites)
$145,800
Additional Support—Stipends (3 years x 2 x
$1,215 per school x 40 sites)
$291,600

Page 35, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement Through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $453,000—Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school
level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities. The
additional sport offering will be identified through a collaborative process of stakeholders across
the middle school athletics program, with the focus of increasing participation opportunities for
targeted populations, including African American and Hispanic students. Contractual services
necessary for both programs are listed below.

Description Cost
Bocce—Officials (3 years x $175 per school
x 40 sites)
$21,000
Additional Support—Officials (3 years x
$350 per school x 40 sites)
$42,000
Additional Support—Transportation (3 years
x 5 x $650 per school x 40 sites)
$390,000
Total Cost $453,000

Page 40, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $197,000—Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school
level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities.

Description Cost
Bocce—Balls (3 years x 1 x $145 per school
x 40 sites)
$17,400
Bocce—Startup costs—Courts (3 years x 2 x
$350 per school x 40 sites)
$28,000
Bocce—Startup costs—Balls (3 years x 2 x
$145 per school x 40 sites)
$11,600
Additional Support—Equipment (3 years x
$500 per school x 40 sites)
$60,000
Additional Support—Startup costs—
Uniforms ($1,000 per school x 40 sites)
$40,000
Additional Support—Startup costs—
Equipment (3 years x 2 x $1,215 per school x
40 sites)
$40,000
Total Cost $197,000

Wow, why do they need three line items?

So these posters are against providing sports that disabled children can enjoy?

Yes, they'll rail against anything that they believe doesn't benefit just them and could care less about the welfare of others.

Right, because bocci ball is far more important than things like reading specialists, para's, speech pathologists, OT's, social workers.....

Special needs kids don't deserve balance in their lives?

How is it balance to ONLY fund Bocce and not any of the educational services they need to be successful?

Working overtime this evening. How was dinner? What did you charge it to?

Your idea that they "ONLY fund Bocce" is bizarre.

They certainly are not putting it to things like it, speech therapy, reading specialists and teachers. The things the sn kids really need.

There's plenty of funding for all these things and spending a small amount on sports which disabled kids can participate in is money well spent.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

You are the only one posting your kids had access to the bocce ball. They don't have it at either one of our schools. And, when ddi they do it? Your school probably already had the bocce sets as multiple schools already have programs.

Really? Our school has it too. I thought everyone did.Sounds like your school is choosing not to use this resource.

Name the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

And, in the meanwhile we just had a school shut down where repairs needed were ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

And, in the meanwhile we just had a school shut down where repairs needed were ignored.

Yes, stop wasting money on things like art or band! We demand it goes to fixing schools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

And, in the meanwhile we just had a school shut down where repairs needed were ignored.

Yes, stop wasting money on things like art or band! We demand it goes to fixing schools!

That wouldn't save them much money as MCPS has very little in terms of art and music. Better to cut sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

And, in the meanwhile we just had a school shut down where repairs needed were ignored.

Yes, stop wasting money on things like art or band! We demand it goes to fixing schools!

That wouldn't save them much money as MCPS has very little in terms of art and music. Better to cut sports.

Everything that isn't reading and math!

[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:

Anonymous wrote:We had a thread on this a few months ago. I have had 4 kids go through MCPS and my youngest is now in MS. How many field trips did your MCPS kid do pre-covid? How many post-covid? There has been a huge reduction in field trips over the years. Teachers don't want to organize. Principals don't consider them part of the curriculum. Now Covid is STILL a reason. All sorts of excuses. MCPS will barely use this museum. Must be someone on the board or leadership of the museum who knows someone in MCPS Central Office to advocate for this. I'd like to know who.

It’s one of the BOE members’ wives who founded it and runs it and the former superintendent (starr’s wife) is director of communications. We need an inspector general now!

Absolutely. MCPS desperately needs more oversight. It’s an incredibly corrupt system that wastes an incredible amount of taxpayer money.

I get that you like saying these things over and over but without any tangible proof, it's kind of meaningless.

Every couple days the same poster goes on a tired about the BOE and McKnight and spending. For example, they started the 10-page thread about a recruiting trip to an HBCU and I can't even remember the one after that because I stopped reading their nonsense.

By corruption, they mean they disagree with their spending priorities but hope by using a pejorative term to insinuate something nefarious which is apparently not the case.

Why is funding a private business a spending priority of a public school system? Shouldn't public school funding go to fund actual public schools?

They're paying them for services rendered, not investing capital. Kid Museum provides educational events for the MCPS kids.

Also Kid Museum is a non-profit.

What $2.5M in services for Bethesda students?

Our Bethesda kid went once at Davis. Stop with this. Purple line will provide excellent access.

How do the schools not in walking distance of the metro get there on the metro?

They could take the metro if they wanted to but I think MCPS has a fleet of electric busses.

How would they get to the metro? You'd need a bus or some way for many schools/families. Our school is no where close to the metro nor is our home.

Another $1.5M for BOE member's wife's business.

https://twitter.com/Andrew_Friedson/status/1522640682447478785?s=20&t=UjnvgqKNC09l1WdCe0DYPg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS spends half a billion dollars on special ed. A few hundred thousand for a sports program - one that benefits kids' mental health and fitness, and allows them to interact with the gen ed population - is money very well spent.

Agree 100%!! A lot of the people posting seem to be looking for anything to complain about. Also, my kids actually enjoyed bocce so I saw the impact of this first hand.

Really?
Which school was your kid at and where did they build the court?
What brand were the bocce balls?
What brand was your kid's bocce ball uniform?
How many referees where there?
How many sets of kids were playing?
Can you answer this?

40 sites were supposed to be established, with official courts, paid referees, uniforms with fancy $145 bocce ball sets.

If you google MCPS and bocce balls, apparently multiple schools already had it. So, it makes even less sense.

I read that the bocce pilot was so successful at the test schools that they needed to get it to the remaining ones ASAP. My kids got it for the first time this year at our school and it was so much fun! Glad to see the spend a few $$$ on something that kids enjoy for once.

Spending over 3/4 mil on $40 bocce balls? Thats 19,000 sets.. and if four on a team with two subs so everyone is involved.. let's see.. that should be about 114,000 students at MCPS playing this year?

That's strange. I don't see any of the kids at our school playing it. Wonder what happened?

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a thread on this a few months ago. I have had 4 kids go through MCPS and my youngest is now in MS. How many field trips did your MCPS kid do pre-covid? How many post-covid? There has been a huge reduction in field trips over the years. Teachers don't want to organize. Principals don't consider them part of the curriculum. Now Covid is STILL a reason. All sorts of excuses. MCPS will barely use this museum. Must be someone on the board or leadership of the museum who knows someone in MCPS Central Office to advocate for this. I'd like to know who.

It’s one of the BOE members’ wives who founded it and runs it and the former superintendent (starr’s wife) is director of communications. We need an inspector general now!

Absolutely. MCPS desperately needs more oversight. It’s an incredibly corrupt system that wastes an incredible amount of taxpayer money.

I get that you like saying these things over and over but without any tangible proof, it's kind of meaningless.

Every couple days the same poster goes on a tired about the BOE and McKnight and spending. For example, they started the 10-page thread about a recruiting trip to an HBCU and I can't even remember the one after that because I stopped reading their nonsense.

By corruption, they mean they disagree with their spending priorities but hope by using a pejorative term to insinuate something nefarious which is apparently not the case.

Why is funding a private business a spending priority of a public school system? Shouldn't public school funding go to fund actual public schools?

They're paying them for services rendered, not investing capital. Kid Museum provides educational events for the MCPS kids.

Also Kid Museum is a non-profit.

What $2.5M in services for Bethesda students?

Our Bethesda kid went once at Davis. Stop with this. Purple line will provide excellent access.

How do the schools not in walking distance of the metro get there on the metro?

They could take the metro if they wanted to but I think MCPS has a fleet of electric busses.

How would they get to the metro? You'd need a bus or some way for many schools/families. Our school is no where close to the metro nor is our home.

Another $1.5M for BOE member's wife's business.

https://twitter.com/Andrew_Friedson/status/1522640682447478785?s=20&t=UjnvgqKNC09l1WdCe0DYPg

Wow...