Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:MCPS has a management and spending issue and they are not spending the money in a fiscally responsible way. They need a full audit and outside management. They get more money every year despite declining enrollment and test scores.
It is doubtless that they have management and spending issues, and that a full audit might help.
That said, the same applies to many large enterprises, and most government functions. This is without this
excusing them for that, but, instead, providing a landscape against which one better might consider the conclusion that they are well funded. That conclusion is rather questionable.
Yes, they have gotten more money every year. Yes, the past few years have seen declining enrollments, and projections are that this decline will continue. Yes, over the intermediate term, test scores also have declined, with any recovery seen in the data in the past couple of years both narrow and marginal.
Does this mean that they are well or over-funded versus their present ability to provide education at the levels we, as a county, desire?
What about inflation?
What about increases in the more challenging populations to serve?
What about ongoing challenges resulting from the pandemic? Those kids who were affected directly will be in school for
another 6 years, still.
What about systems that are in place which don't benefit, financially in a proportional way, from lower enrollments?
What about net additional unfunded mandates from federal, state and/or local government?
What about past under-funding vs. capital/maintenance needs and the effects of having the bill come due on that at an inopportune time, like, say, the present? Isn't that the reason this thread exists?
Do we really expect that cutting funding will result in higher test scores?
If we are looking to MCPS to provide our kids with critical thinking skills, wouldn't it be good to employ them, ourselves?
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