Serious Answers Only—How to Fix MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has someone already mentioned breaking up MCPS into 2 smaller districts? Coming from a state where the school districts are much smaller, I see challenges in MCPS that seem to be size-related.

It would be especially great if we could create a system with just the wealthy areas and leave the poors to fend for themselves!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has someone already mentioned breaking up MCPS into 2 smaller districts? Coming from a state where the school districts are much smaller, I see challenges in MCPS that seem to be size-related.

It would be especially great if we could create a system with just the wealthy areas and leave the poors to fend for themselves!

Overly simplistic and ignorant response

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Details of MCPS's letter to the three unions are included here, including more details about the potential RIF actions: https://montgomeryperspective.com/2024/05/23/will-mcps-implement-layoffs/

I completely agree with the "three crazy things" are the bottom of the blog post. This makes absolutely no sense. WTF is going on?

One can watch all the Fiscal a mgmt committee meetings and hear all the budget sessions
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/live/

You mean the one where they talk about how they blew $40 million in health insurance claims not covered by premiums?

Hmm…. I wasn’t aware that the MCPS employees were in favor of getting an additional 12% increase in their insurance premiums. But when updates on insurance and new contracts come out with less coverage and higher premiums I suppose staff will be cheering.

It's funny, I haven't heard of other school system's employee benefits funds being $40 million in the hole.

Premiums (which taxpayers pay the majority of) need to cover claims.That is not happening and that is not normal or okay.

On the health insurance point, please don't forget that this $40 million not covered by premiums happened after MCPS changed insurance plans, telling staff the change from Blue Cross to Cigna was meant to save money. How did we wind up $40 million in the hole after making a change that was supposed to save money? I really wish the County Council would go through MCPS' budget line by line and ask questions.

- Frustrated MCPS staff member, parent of MCPS students, and MoCo taxpayer

Here is where that $40 million overage came from: unanticipated high use of GLP-1 drugs - think Wegovy, Ozempic, Monjauro- by MCPS staff. The school district was caught unaware by these high upfront costs. It's better health for staff in the longterm, but the upfront costs are significant. MCPS is not the only public system to grapple with these costs.

How would you know this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has someone already mentioned breaking up MCPS into 2 smaller districts? Coming from a state where the school districts are much smaller, I see challenges in MCPS that seem to be size-related.

People mention this all the time but the current structure is enshrined in the state constitution, and breaking the district up would inevitably result in less funding for low income schools, so that's not going to happen.

It could still be funded like it is now but let the 2 different districts run themselves differently. But the Silver Spring crew hate knowing that doing this would rocket the W schools forward while not moving the performing schools much at all. They're actually trying to do the opposite through race-based school assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has someone already mentioned breaking up MCPS into 2 smaller districts? Coming from a state where the school districts are much smaller, I see challenges in MCPS that seem to be size-related.

People mention this all the time but the current structure is enshrined in the state constitution, and breaking the district up would inevitably result in less funding for low income schools, so that's not going to happen.

It could still be funded like it is now but let the 2 different districts run themselves differently. But the Silver Spring crew hate knowing that doing this would rocket the W schools forward while not moving the performing schools much at all. They're actually trying to do the opposite through race-based school assignments.

Us silver spring folk make just as much but we don’t want our kids near people like you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Details of MCPS's letter to the three unions are included here, including more details about the potential RIF actions: https://montgomeryperspective.com/2024/05/23/will-mcps-implement-layoffs/

I completely agree with the "three crazy things" are the bottom of the blog post. This makes absolutely no sense. WTF is going on?

One can watch all the Fiscal a mgmt committee meetings and hear all the budget sessions
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/meetings/live/

You mean the one where they talk about how they blew $40 million in health insurance claims not covered by premiums?

Hmm…. I wasn’t aware that the MCPS employees were in favor of getting an additional 12% increase in their insurance premiums. But when updates on insurance and new contracts come out with less coverage and higher premiums I suppose staff will be cheering.

It's funny, I haven't heard of other school system's employee benefits funds being $40 million in the hole.

Premiums (which taxpayers pay the majority of) need to cover claims.That is not happening and that is not normal or okay.

On the health insurance point, please don't forget that this $40 million not covered by premiums happened after MCPS changed insurance plans, telling staff the change from Blue Cross to Cigna was meant to save money. How did we wind up $40 million in the hole after making a change that was supposed to save money? I really wish the County Council would go through MCPS' budget line by line and ask questions.

- Frustrated MCPS staff member, parent of MCPS students, and MoCo taxpayer

Here is where that $40 million overage came from: unanticipated high use of GLP-1 drugs - think Wegovy, Ozempic, Monjauro- by MCPS staff. The school district was caught unaware by these high upfront costs. It's better health for staff in the longterm, but the upfront costs are significant. MCPS is not the only public system to grapple with these costs.

How would you know this?

Because they talked about the cause in several BOE meetings since December and other school districts have had articles and forums about the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has someone already mentioned breaking up MCPS into 2 smaller districts? Coming from a state where the school districts are much smaller, I see challenges in MCPS that seem to be size-related.

People mention this all the time but the current structure is enshrined in the state constitution, and breaking the district up would inevitably result in less funding for low income schools, so that's not going to happen.

It could still be funded like it is now but let the 2 different districts run themselves differently. But the Silver Spring crew hate knowing that doing this would rocket the W schools forward while not moving the performing schools much at all. They're actually trying to do the opposite through race-based school assignments.

Us silver spring folk make just as much but we don’t want our kids near people like you

And your schools under perform academically, while seriously over performing in terms of crime. Congratulations you hit the jackpot.