School board approves $3.3 billion budget

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

What are MVA families planning to do now?

The same thing they had been doing for decades before the MVA was created for Covid - the kids who have medical issues necessitating that they stay home will receive IIS instruction. Families can apply to have the county pay for private virtual learning in some cases. In the case of families that used the MVA for their kids because their kid was shy, socially awkward, bullied at school, etc. (i.e., no medical issues) they will return to their home school or apply for a prioritized COSA and go back in-person at another school.

bullied kids have to move schools?

There are a few bullies on here who are happy and glad these kids are forced back so they and their kids can continue bullying them. Mcps isn’t giving the cosa as promised. They left these families in a bad situation. Iis is not an education.

People need to apply for the COSAs in order for MCPS to give them. I'm surprised you can make this assertion since it's only been about a week since MCPS announced that the MVA will close, which then triggered the prioritized COSA application process that MCPS laid out in the MVA closure announcement. I know you just randomly threw that out there and lied, but let's try not to spread misinformation about the results of a prioritized COSA process that has been in existence for a week.

They made the decision weeks ago and met with families. Yes they are quickly denying them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

What are MVA families planning to do now?

Many of us don’t know but we will not be going back to our home schools we had and are having issues with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

What are MVA families planning to do now?

The same thing they had been doing for decades before the MVA was created for Covid - the kids who have medical issues necessitating that they stay home will receive IIS instruction. Families can apply to have the county pay for private virtual learning in some cases. In the case of families that used the MVA for their kids because their kid was shy, socially awkward, bullied at school, etc. (i.e., no medical issues) they will return to their home school or apply for a prioritized COSA and go back in-person at another school.

bullied kids have to move schools?

Of course they don't have to - who said they did?

They always do have to move. Who says? The victims.

Oh, ok. Still sounds like a choice to me.

Maybe you would keep your chain a bad situation but any decent parent who could would get them out of there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$30 million deficit.
The board voted yesterday to cut in response to this deficit.

Frederick and Howard Counties' schools have grappled with budget deficits for the coming year. Fairfax County Public Schools too:

The Fairfax school district recently dropped proposed salary increases for the 2024-2025 school year from 6 percent to 4 percent after it received about $89 million less from the county than it initially requested.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/06/11/fairfax-county-schools-unionize-collective-bargaining/

People on this board like to hate on the board of education, but I can tell you that a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations went on between the BOE members and the county council to limit the budget damage for MCPS to $30 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$30 million deficit.
The board voted yesterday to cut in response to this deficit.

Frederick and Howard Counties' schools have grappled with budget deficits for the coming year. Fairfax County Public Schools too:

The Fairfax school district recently dropped proposed salary increases for the 2024-2025 school year from 6 percent to 4 percent after it received about $89 million less from the county than it initially requested.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/06/11/fairfax-county-schools-unionize-collective-bargaining/

People on this board like to hate on the board of education, but I can tell you that a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations went on between the BOE members and the county council to limit the budget damage for MCPS to $30 million.

Lots of things mcps could cut without hurting students. Their spending is out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

What are MVA families planning to do now?

The same thing they had been doing for decades before the MVA was created for Covid - the kids who have medical issues necessitating that they stay home will receive IIS instruction. Families can apply to have the county pay for private virtual learning in some cases. In the case of families that used the MVA for their kids because their kid was shy, socially awkward, bullied at school, etc. (i.e., no medical issues) they will return to their home school or apply for a prioritized COSA and go back in-person at another school.

bullied kids have to move schools?

Of course they don't have to - who said they did?

They always do have to move. Who says? The victims.

Oh, ok. Still sounds like a choice to me.

Maybe you would keep your chain a bad situation but any decent parent who could would get them out of there.

Yes - parents often make different CHOICES for their children. I agree 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

What are MVA families planning to do now?

The same thing they had been doing for decades before the MVA was created for Covid - the kids who have medical issues necessitating that they stay home will receive IIS instruction. Families can apply to have the county pay for private virtual learning in some cases. In the case of families that used the MVA for their kids because their kid was shy, socially awkward, bullied at school, etc. (i.e., no medical issues) they will return to their home school or apply for a prioritized COSA and go back in-person at another school.

bullied kids have to move schools?

There are a few bullies on here who are happy and glad these kids are forced back so they and their kids can continue bullying them. Mcps isn’t giving the cosa as promised. They left these families in a bad situation. Iis is not an education.

People need to apply for the COSAs in order for MCPS to give them. I'm surprised you can make this assertion since it's only been about a week since MCPS announced that the MVA will close, which then triggered the prioritized COSA application process that MCPS laid out in the MVA closure announcement. I know you just randomly threw that out there and lied, but let's try not to spread misinformation about the results of a prioritized COSA process that has been in existence for a week.

They made the decision weeks ago and met with families. Yes they are quickly denying them.

Stop lying. The decision was made and announced less than 2 weeks ago. This is not happening.

[Anonymous]

Are these people in those title no longer working in MCPS or are they just being moved around another part of MCPS with the same salary but different title?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:reductions of over $30 million

-increasing class size guidelines by one student in K-12 classes and reduction of 122.7 full time positions, reduction of 0.4 full time staff development teachers in MS and HS (goodbye, ssl coordinators?)

-retirements and other vacancies (are they forcing people to retire?)

-eliminating 20 central services positions from all employee groups (who is out?)

-eliminating Montgomery Virtual Academy

-delaying expansion of pre-k program until at least 25-26 school year

One of the CO jobs to go could be the one of Medical Officer (??)

This is definitely happening. The medical officer and her staff have been eliminated.

Yes. From Felder's memo:

• The Office of the Deputy Superintendent is being abolished along with the vacant deputy
superintendent position and one position in the office.
• The Office of the Chief of Staff is being reduced by two positions.
• The Office of the School System Medical Officer is being abolished eliminating
six positions.
• Other personnel-related reductions across the MCPS central service supports include three
coordinators, two supervisors, one team leader, two program managers, one instructional
specialist, and one parent community coordinator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the problems is that in trying to be everything, academics and education become diluted. Schools are now supposed to be social workers, social-emotional learning specialists, psychologists, drug addiction specialists - I'm not saying there isn't a need for these services but they shouldn't come from school budgets.

Those other service should (and do) come from the county. NOT from the school system.

School counselors can refer families to appropriate services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:budget maintains essential services AND
includes investments in:
special education
mental health
language arts
community schools program (what is this?)
continuation of that 2 year negotiated salary
agreements between MCPS and its employee
associations.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/community-engagement/community-schools/

Wrap-around services in low income schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:budget maintains essential services AND
includes investments in:
special education
mental health
language arts
community schools program (what is this?) continuation of that 2 year negotiated salary
agreements between MCPS and its employee
associations.

Can someone point out what investments they are making in language arts? Is it for something to replace Benchmark? Didn't they start using Benchmark only a few years ago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:budget maintains essential services AND
includes investments in:
special education
mental health
language arts
community schools program (what is this?) continuation of that 2 year negotiated salary
agreements between MCPS and its employee
associations.

Can someone point out what investments they are making in language arts? Is it for something to replace Benchmark? Didn't they start using Benchmark only a few years ago?

Yes, they are replacing Benchmark with Amplify CKLA starting in the fall.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bu7RD31Pi-h5TWkTCuHEe55dqq1pxVcF/edit

[Anonymous]

Replacing GoGuardian with Lightspeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will the pay for all AP exams again next school year 🙄

How many times must people say that this was a Blueprint Requirement. People should really learn more about all the things before posting negative comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$30 million deficit.
The board voted yesterday to cut in response to this deficit.

Frederick and Howard Counties' schools have grappled with budget deficits for the coming year. Fairfax County Public Schools too:

The Fairfax school district recently dropped proposed salary increases for the 2024-2025 school year from 6 percent to 4 percent after it received about $89 million less from the county than it initially requested.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/06/11/fairfax-county-schools-unionize-collective-bargaining/

People on this board like to hate on the board of education, but I can tell you that a lot of behind-the-scenes negotiations went on between the BOE members and the county council to limit the budget damage for MCPS to $30 million.

Lots of things mcps could cut without hurting students. Their spending is out of control.

What should be cut? Please let us know what you think should be cut that won’t cause the same amount of comments and protest?