We are NEVER going back until covid is 100% gone - MCPS has no leadership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Stage 3 started today, including Kindergarten, students in vocational high school, and some additional students. Stage 2 was pre-K, special ed, and ESL students.

http://wcpsmd.com/news/wcps-announces-stage-3-start-october-12

MCPS doesn't even have a published phased plan for opening, while WCPS has already entered the next stage. Apparently they are able to figure out all the logistics, but it's just too difficult for MCPS.

It's weird how logistics are less complicated for a 22,000-student school district than for a 166,000-student school district.

NP I am going to assume that a 22000 district has fewer staff in central office and fewer staff in general. In addition, MCPS has a lot more money to go around per student.

You don't need to assume, you can actually look this stuff up.

$350 million for 22,681 students = $15,430 per student.

$2.7 billion for 162,680 students = $16,600 per student.

So MCPS has $1,170 more per student (8% more). What's the difference in costs of everything, between Washington County and Montgomery County?

[Anonymous]

MCPS is one of the top per-student in spending. Washington County is near the bottom.

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2019/02/20/funding-per-pupil-charts-for-2019/

[Anonymous]

Summary of last BOE meeting:
https://mococonnect2019.wixsite.com/2020/single-post/board-of-education-meeting-recap-october-6-2020

From that:

MCPS is required by the CDC to improve heating, ventilation and filters in our school buildings and although they are seeking additional funding from the County Council to make it happen, the changes are non-optional and the funding will have to come from other places in the budget if they can’t convince the Council to give them more money.

Based on that, it makes me think MCPS hasn't actually started the process of updating schools -- they are still scrambling to find funding. Why didn't they start this months ago?

Leadership failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excuses, excuses. Click on page 11 of this thread and read the 10/09/2020 19:45 post.

Washington County, MD is already partially open. They've managed to figure out how to safely transport kids on buses, fit the kids in classrooms, etc.

They're not Germany. They're an hour away from MCPS, in the same state. Similar infection rate, same governor, same president. The only difference: county leadership.

We are one of the largest school districts in the country and the largest in the state. You cannot compare what a smaller county is doing. Almost all our schools are over capacity and some haven't been fixed in 40 years. Small classrooms, small hallways, 25-35 kids per class. Some classrooms doing have working heat/ac. Some classrooms don't have windows. Many teachers don't even have their own classrooms.

And just like the PP said, the blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Montgomery County leadership.

Montgomery County voters and Montgomery County leaders have allowed this county to get to this position. Overcrowded schools and overcrowded classrooms. Promoting irresponsible overdevelopment (without calling for appropriate infrastructure) is partly to blame, as well as so many other factors.

But you can’t blame the Governor and you can’t blame the President for a completely dysfunctional county school system and an inept county leadership.

I can blame the president for a completely dysfunctional federal response to the pandemic. And I do. This is not an MCPS issue, because all of the big school districts are having the same problems. The issue is that the federal response was a failure.

In New Zealand, they're playing sports games in full stadiums. Meanwhile here you're trying to spread the idea that the closed schools are somehow Marc Elrich's and Jack Smith's fault. They're not. They're Trump's fault.

Also, no, the county school system is not completely dysfunctional, so that's some more disinformation you're spreading.

I blame individuals who have no common sense and zero feelings of personal responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excuses, excuses. Click on page 11 of this thread and read the 10/09/2020 19:45 post.

Washington County, MD is already partially open. They've managed to figure out how to safely transport kids on buses, fit the kids in classrooms, etc.

They're not Germany. They're an hour away from MCPS, in the same state. Similar infection rate, same governor, same president. The only difference: county leadership.

We are one of the largest school districts in the country and the largest in the state. You cannot compare what a smaller county is doing. Almost all our schools are over capacity and some haven't been fixed in 40 years. Small classrooms, small hallways, 25-35 kids per class. Some classrooms doing have working heat/ac. Some classrooms don't have windows. Many teachers don't even have their own classrooms.

And just like the PP said, the blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Montgomery County leadership.

Montgomery County voters and Montgomery County leaders have allowed this county to get to this position. Overcrowded schools and overcrowded classrooms. Promoting irresponsible overdevelopment (without calling for appropriate infrastructure) is partly to blame, as well as so many other factors.

But you can’t blame the Governor and you can’t blame the President for a completely dysfunctional county school system and an inept county leadership.

I can blame the president for a completely dysfunctional federal response to the pandemic. And I do. This is not an MCPS issue, because all of the big school districts are having the same problems. The issue is that the federal response was a failure.

In New Zealand, they're playing sports games in full stadiums. Meanwhile here you're trying to spread the idea that the closed schools are somehow Marc Elrich's and Jack Smith's fault. They're not. They're Trump's fault.

Also, no, the county school system is not completely dysfunctional, so that's some more disinformation you're spreading.

I blame individuals who have no common sense and zero feelings of personal responsibility.

It's odd that there are so many more people like this in the US than elsewhere in the world, though, don't you think? How do you think that came about?

[Anonymous]

You can jump up and down. Scream and shout. Post away.
Nothing is going to change with our schools they will be virtual until Trump is gone.

While Trump doesn't make those decisions his complete lack of being human creates a chaos like no other.

Trump wins in November no more schools as we know it. If you think this is not going to get worse all over the country you are not paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS is one of the top per-student in spending. Washington County is near the bottom.

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2019/02/20/funding-per-pupil-charts-for-2019/

MCPS $16,859 vs WCPS $14,289 - 18% more.

The Economic Policy Institute family budget calculator ("the income a family needs in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living") for 2 adults and 2 children per month calculates Montgomery County $8,705 vs Washington County $6,357 - 37% more.

https://www.epi.org/resources/budget/

IOW, it costs much more to live in this area, which means MCPS has to pay teachers more, which means per-student spending (total budget divided by total number of students) is higher.

So much for the idea that MCPS has more money to fling around, compared to WCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Excuses, excuses. Click on page 11 of this thread and read the 10/09/2020 19:45 post.

Washington County, MD is already partially open. They've managed to figure out how to safely transport kids on buses, fit the kids in classrooms, etc.

They're not Germany. They're an hour away from MCPS, in the same state. Similar infection rate, same governor, same president. The only difference: county leadership.

We are one of the largest school districts in the country and the largest in the state. You cannot compare what a smaller county is doing. Almost all our schools are over capacity and some haven't been fixed in 40 years. Small classrooms, small hallways, 25-35 kids per class. Some classrooms doing have working heat/ac. Some classrooms don't have windows. Many teachers don't even have their own classrooms.

And just like the PP said, the blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Montgomery County leadership.

Montgomery County voters and Montgomery County leaders have allowed this county to get to this position. Overcrowded schools and overcrowded classrooms. Promoting irresponsible overdevelopment (without calling for appropriate infrastructure) is partly to blame, as well as so many other factors.

But you can’t blame the Governor and you can’t blame the President for a completely dysfunctional county school system and an inept county leadership.

I can blame the president for a completely dysfunctional federal response to the pandemic. And I do. This is not an MCPS issue, because all of the big school districts are having the same problems. The issue is that the federal response was a failure.

In New Zealand, they're playing sports games in full stadiums. Meanwhile here you're trying to spread the idea that the closed schools are somehow Marc Elrich's and Jack Smith's fault. They're not. They're Trump's fault.

Also, no, the county school system is not completely dysfunctional, so that's some more disinformation you're spreading.

I blame individuals who have no common sense and zero feelings of personal responsibility.

It's odd that there are so many more people like this in the US than elsewhere in the world, though, don't you think? How do you think that came about?

Poor parenting, poor values... the president sets a bad example but as adults and parents and as a community we can and should do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can jump up and down. Scream and shout. Post away.
Nothing is going to change with our schools they will be virtual until Trump is gone.

While Trump doesn't make those decisions his complete lack of being human creates a chaos like no other.

Trump wins in November no more schools as we know it. If you think this is not going to get worse all over the country you are not paying attention.

This makes no sense. I don't support Trump but he has stated that he wants schools open. Biden has said repeatedly that he wants the country back in lockdown. I don't see how that translates to schools opening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can jump up and down. Scream and shout. Post away.
Nothing is going to change with our schools they will be virtual until Trump is gone.

While Trump doesn't make those decisions his complete lack of being human creates a chaos like no other.

Trump wins in November no more schools as we know it. If you think this is not going to get worse all over the country you are not paying attention.

This makes no sense. I don't support Trump but he has stated that he wants schools open. Biden has said repeatedly that he wants the country back in lockdown. I don't see how that translates to schools opening.

That’s not what Biden has said. He said he’d support a lockdown if the health experts recommended it. But he’s also said he doesn’t think a nationwide lockdown would be necessary at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can jump up and down. Scream and shout. Post away.
Nothing is going to change with our schools they will be virtual until Trump is gone.

While Trump doesn't make those decisions his complete lack of being human creates a chaos like no other.

Trump wins in November no more schools as we know it. If you think this is not going to get worse all over the country you are not paying attention.

This makes no sense. I don't support Trump but he has stated that he wants schools open. Biden has said repeatedly that he wants the country back in lockdown. I don't see how that translates to schools opening.

This is false. Don't repeat false information.

Not to mention that the US couldn't go "back" into lockdown because the US never went into lockdown in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Poor parenting, poor values... the president sets a bad example but as adults and parents and as a community we can and should do better.

So, the US just has a lot of really bad parents with really bad values, for some reason?

[Anonymous]

russian troll alert! Biden's not proposing a lockdown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS is one of the top per-student in spending. Washington County is near the bottom.

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2019/02/20/funding-per-pupil-charts-for-2019/

MCPS $16,859 vs WCPS $14,289 - 18% more.

The Economic Policy Institute family budget calculator ("the income a family needs in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living") for 2 adults and 2 children per month calculates Montgomery County $8,705 vs Washington County $6,357 - 37% more.

https://www.epi.org/resources/budget/

IOW, it costs much more to live in this area, which means MCPS has to pay teachers more, which means per-student spending (total budget divided by total number of students) is higher.

So much for the idea that MCPS has more money to fling around, compared to WCPS.

Ahh, so that's why MCPS can't even come up with a phased reopening plan or metrics. Because they lack the funding to be able to write a plan.

Now do it for Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Howard, Garrett, and Allegany. They all have plans and have started doing in-person schooling or will in a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Ahh, so that's why MCPS can't even come up with a phased reopening plan or metrics. Because they lack the funding to be able to write a plan.

Now do it for Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Howard, Garrett, and Allegany. They all have plans and have started doing in-person schooling or will in a few weeks.

I honestly don't understand this fixation.

MCPS has a plan. The plan is to stay virtual through the end of the first semester, and to evaluate about the second semester in November. You don't want a plan, you don't want metrics, what you want is MCPS to open.

What's Frederick County (MD) Public Schools doing, by the way?

https://www.wfmd.com/2020/10/09/frederick-county-public-school-students-will-not-return-to-classrooms-until-next-year/