Board wants Monifa to step down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have agreed to resign effective the end of the school year with a severence so she could go quietly. She has handled this very, very badly.

Totally setting aside whether termination is justified, she must be living in some kind of crazy echo chamber to think this was the right play.

She was probably advised by an attorney to do it.

If that’s the case, she has a better chance of recovering damages from the lawyer for malpractice than she does of keeping her job or beating MCPS in court.

Winning in her case just means not being terminated for cause. And when you look at her employment contract, you'd have a hard time making that case against her.

MCPS will back down and she'll get the one-year severance.

[Anonymous]

I still don’t quite understand McKnight’s statement about being asked to step away. Who did she make this statement to? Was this during the hours she should have been working as superintendent?

Are there any witnesses that corroborate her story? If she is as Buddy Buddy with JB as people think, she could be fabricating a lot of this. Maybe she just got wind they were seeking legal advice and came to her own conclusions?

Either way, it’s poor form to trash your employer in a public forum. For someone who asks her employees to toe the line and “show compassion” she sure isn’t modeling it appropriately. Wish I could make a statement to the media on how this budget freeze is affecting my classroom or how I was bullied by my admin or so on and so on.

[Anonymous]

It's even more demoralizing for teachers knowing that we work double overtime in dangerous situations for what seems like poverty wages compared to these ivory tower pencil pushers. Also ,do we have the community to support us after being pushed out after our students were part of violence and coverups. Heck no we are told to resign and when we don't the system tells unemployment we did so they can block state benefits. As we only make 50k before takes and probably 30 after taxes , union dues, and funding our classes that can't even afford books and supplies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have agreed to resign effective the end of the school year with a severence so she could go quietly. She has handled this very, very badly.

Totally setting aside whether termination is justified, she must be living in some kind of crazy echo chamber to think this was the right play.

She was probably advised by an attorney to do it.

If that’s the case, she has a better chance of recovering damages from the lawyer for malpractice than she does of keeping her job or beating MCPS in court.

Winning in her case just means not being terminated for cause. And when you look at her employment contract, you'd have a hard time making that case against her.

MCPS will back down and she'll get the one-year severance.

The criteria in the statute seemed pretty broad. Stuff like “immorality” and “misconduct in office”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's even more demoralizing for teachers knowing that we work double overtime in dangerous situations for what seems like poverty wages compared to these ivory tower pencil pushers. Also ,do we have the community to support us after being pushed out after our students were part of violence and coverups. Heck no we are told to resign and when we don't the system tells unemployment we did so they can block state benefits. As we only make 50k before takes and probably 30 after taxes , union dues, and funding our classes that can't even afford books and supplies.

Insane. Didn’t realize until I read mcknights contract today that she gets $50k in retirement funds paid to her retirement account each year on top of the $320,000 salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every year the reputation of MCPS declines a little bit. No final exams, 50% rule, attendance means nothing, Beidleman scandal, etc.

We need a complete reset

When I was in school in Baltimore in the 80s, MoCo had the reputation of being the top county school system in the country.

Not so much anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's rude to call her or an educator by their first name, however, our principal signs everything with their first name only. I think its really unprofessional.

Josh Starr insisted he be called Josh

Oddly, however, DCUM did not refer to him as Josh. It was "Damn you, Joshua Starr!1111111111!!!!!!!!!!1111" - his full first name plus his last name.

People don’t refer to the President as Joe but they sure did refer to a former candidate as Hillary even when she was a Senator and a Secretary of State. It’s gendered.

That's because there were two Clintons they could have been referring to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty obvious from that start that she wasn’t up to the job

I really, really liked her in the beginning. But even without this scandal she's made MCPS into a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have agreed to resign effective the end of the school year with a severence so she could go quietly. She has handled this very, very badly.

Totally setting aside whether termination is justified, she must be living in some kind of crazy echo chamber to think this was the right play.

She was probably advised by an attorney to do it.

If that’s the case, she has a better chance of recovering damages from the lawyer for malpractice than she does of keeping her job or beating MCPS in court.

Winning in her case just means not being terminated for cause. And when you look at her employment contract, you'd have a hard time making that case against her.

MCPS will back down and she'll get the one-year severance.

The criteria in the statute seemed pretty broad. Stuff like “immorality” and “misconduct in office”.

And vague statements like that don't generally go over well when deciding whether termination is for cause or not. McKnight's lawyers are no doubt telling her she's got a very good chance when fighting a termination for cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year the reputation of MCPS declines a little bit. No final exams, 50% rule, attendance means nothing, Beidleman scandal, etc.

We need a complete reset

When I was in school in Baltimore in the 80s, MoCo had the reputation of being the top county school system in the country.

Not so much anymore.

Unsurprisingly, many things change in 40 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once the board tell you they want you out - you are out. Not really rocket science. I believe there is a sensitive issue (not race, gender) the board is tiptoeing around because that sensitive issue puts her in a protected class. Pretty obvious by them asking her to "step away". It is actually as kind a way an employer can do it. Agree with reading the room. Her tenure in MCPS is over. However, the same sensitive issue is impacting her judgment in how she has handled this in public. The media and the public are never on your side in a mess that could be handled quietly and with discretion.

+1 they gave her a chance to leave without being fired. Now it is going to be so much worse for everyone.

Exactly. The outcome will be the same but she stands to lose her dignity and the school system will suffer. This ai why contracts exist. She will be paid according to the terms of her contract and she should also honor the terms of the contract.

I don’t think it’s that simple. If she could have been fired for cause then that would have been disclosed and the resignation offered as being quiet and with dignity. And when not taken the firing would have commenced. The fact that neither of these happened tells me something else is going on.

It wouldn’t necessarily have been disclosed. They may not have had time to get a formal notice prepared and employers are better off saying as little as possible at each stage of an HR action. It’s also possible termination has commenced but the board isn’t disclosing it publicly at this stage because she’s still within her appeal window. It’s also possible she’s not being entirely truthful, just as she wasn’t entirely truthful when she testified to the council.

You don’t ask someone to resign if you can’t make the case for termination or how to it’s better for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Once the board tell you they want you out - you are out. Not really rocket science. I believe there is a sensitive issue (not race, gender) the board is tiptoeing around because that sensitive issue puts her in a protected class. Pretty obvious by them asking her to "step away". It is actually as kind a way an employer can do it. Agree with reading the room. Her tenure in MCPS is over. However, the same sensitive issue is impacting her judgment in how she has handled this in public. The media and the public are never on your side in a mess that could be handled quietly and with discretion.

+1 they gave her a chance to leave without being fired. Now it is going to be so much worse for everyone.

Exactly. The outcome will be the same but she stands to lose her dignity and the school system will suffer. This ai why contracts exist. She will be paid according to the terms of her contract and she should also honor the terms of the contract.

I don’t think it’s that simple. If she could have been fired for cause then that would have been disclosed and the resignation offered as being quiet and with dignity. And when not taken the firing would have commenced. The fact that neither of these happened tells me something else is going on.

It wouldn’t necessarily have been disclosed. They may not have had time to get a formal notice prepared and employers are better off saying as little as possible at each stage of an HR action. It’s also possible termination has commenced but the board isn’t disclosing it publicly at this stage because she’s still within her appeal window. It’s also possible she’s not being entirely truthful, just as she wasn’t entirely truthful when she testified to the council.

You don’t ask someone to resign if you can’t make the case for termination or how to it’s better for them.

If you can make that case, then you don't need to ask them to resign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have agreed to resign effective the end of the school year with a severence so she could go quietly. She has handled this very, very badly.

Totally setting aside whether termination is justified, she must be living in some kind of crazy echo chamber to think this was the right play.

She could try running for president for higher pay. And now that she has been involved in some way or another in a scandal, fits in with line with a presidential candidate/former president. [sarcasm]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's even more demoralizing for teachers knowing that we work double overtime in dangerous situations for what seems like poverty wages compared to these ivory tower pencil pushers. Also ,do we have the community to support us after being pushed out after our students were part of violence and coverups. Heck no we are told to resign and when we don't the system tells unemployment we did so they can block state benefits. As we only make 50k before takes and probably 30 after taxes , union dues, and funding our classes that can't even afford books and supplies.

Everything except the pay numbers is true. The LOWEST salary MCPS pays teachers is 59k (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/ersc/employees/pay/schedules/salary_schedule_current.pdf)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She should have agreed to resign effective the end of the school year with a severence so she could go quietly. She has handled this very, very badly.

Totally setting aside whether termination is justified, she must be living in some kind of crazy echo chamber to think this was the right play.

She was probably advised by an attorney to do it.

If that’s the case, she has a better chance of recovering damages from the lawyer for malpractice than she does of keeping her job or beating MCPS in court.

Winning in her case just means not being terminated for cause. And when you look at her employment contract, you'd have a hard time making that case against her.

MCPS will back down and she'll get the one-year severance.

The criteria in the statute seemed pretty broad. Stuff like “immorality” and “misconduct in office”.

And vague statements like that don't generally go over well when deciding whether termination is for cause or not. McKnight's lawyers are no doubt telling her she's got a very good chance when fighting a termination for cause.

I thought it was the opposite - that a highly specific and prescriptive definition of what constitutes Cause is harder to prove than one that leaves so much wiggle room. And of course her lawyers are telling her she has a good chance of fighting. They don’t get paid if she resigns without a fight. They’d want her to fight and litigate. After all, her contract requires a material breach by the boe be “judicially determined” before she gets her severance.