What could be up? Elementary School Changes for next year?

[Anonymous]

Last year, our MS had staffing cuts. The principal reached out to talk to some teacher who were affected and the teachers went directly to parents to lobby the principal. It became quite a scrum of parents spreading news and contacting various administrators. Based on that experience, if I were a principal, I think I'd want to get out ahead on the messages to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why school metrics include segregated programs that pull from outside of the catchment area within the school. Seems to incentive plopping a segregated program in a poorly performing school.

That is exactly why they put programs where they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why school metrics include segregated programs that pull from outside of the catchment area within the school. Seems to incentive plopping a segregated program in a poorly performing school.

That is exactly why they put programs where they do.

This is precisely MCPS's strategy with many things. For example, the Regional IB programs in Springbrook, Watkins Mill, Kennedy and Seneca. Those schools were not selected by accident.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the CEP program is impacting this. Given that there is no need for families to complete the forms to receive meals, how do they actually know the FARMS rate? Both NHE and Oak View are CEP schools with all students receiving free meals. No one had to complete the forms.
https://www..org/news/quick-notes/2023-08/2023-08-issue/important-information-about-student-meals/

[Anonymous]

Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The word is out that the new Title 1 formula MCPS is using cuts Oakview from Title 1 funding. This is because the CES students are from more affluent families which lowers the percentage of FARMS students.

If you are from Oakview or are an advocate for education come to the meeting Wednesday night.

If 75% FARMS is too low to receive Title I funding, we are in really bad shape.

Wow. No words for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

Think of the cost to teachers for paper with Go Guardian gone next year and teachers having to resort to paper lessons to keep class from being a gaming session.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

Think of the cost to teachers for paper with Go Guardian gone next year and teachers having to resort to paper lessons to keep class from being a gaming session.

What is Go Guardian? -Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

Think of the cost to teachers for paper with Go Guardian gone next year and teachers having to resort to paper lessons to keep class from being a gaming session.

I’m not against go guardian but in actuality, students find ways to game the system, and teachers should switch to pen and paper anyway. And the school system should provide enough paper for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

Think of the cost to teachers for paper with Go Guardian gone next year and teachers having to resort to paper lessons to keep class from being a gaming session.

What is Go Guardian? -Parent

Go Guardian blocks websites, such as game websites, so that students cannot access inappropriate content on Chrome books at school. The school district has decided (McKnight's decision) to cancel Go Guardian next school year. Every teacher I know is against this decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related to the budget freeze? Our ES OTA board had a meeting in reaction to the freeze. Teachers have to bring their own copy paper now

Think of the cost to teachers for paper with Go Guardian gone next year and teachers having to resort to paper lessons to keep class from being a gaming session.

I’m not against go guardian but in actuality, students find ways to game the system, and teachers should switch to pen and paper anyway. And the school system should provide enough paper for that.

Go Guardian isn't fail-safe, but without it, there is no hope of keeping students off games. Sounds easy enough to switch to paper, until you realize that most curriculum, particularly in secondary school, is now on-line. Switching back to textbooks is fine by me, but turning that around in a huge system doesn't happen quickly. There are multi-year contracts for curriculum, packaged in specific delivery systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the CEP program is impacting this. Given that there is no need for families to complete the forms to receive meals, how do they actually know the FARMS rate? Both NHE and Oak View are CEP schools with all students receiving free meals. No one had to complete the forms.
https://www..org/news/quick-notes/2023-08/2023-08-issue/important-information-about-student-meals/

This is exactly what is happing at the Title 1 school where I work. We didn’t have families complete FARMS forms this year since MCPS said it wasn’t needed. We aren’t sure what method MCPS used to calculate FARMS rate without the forms but we dropped from over 80% FARMS to around 65% FARMS. This means big cuts for staffing and funds next year. Our students definitely didn’t get wealthier.

[Anonymous]

The thing people aren’t realizing is that the pandemic hit paper production rather hard, and that that continues to this day. The prices are all over, and it’s not that simple to say that we should shift back to it, these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the CEP program is impacting this. Given that there is no need for families to complete the forms to receive meals, how do they actually know the FARMS rate? Both NHE and Oak View are CEP schools with all students receiving free meals. No one had to complete the forms.
https://www..org/news/quick-notes/2023-08/2023-08-issue/important-information-about-student-meals/

This is exactly what is happing at the Title 1 school where I work. We didn’t have families complete FARMS forms this year since MCPS said it wasn’t needed. We aren’t sure what method MCPS used to calculate FARMS rate without the forms but we dropped from over 80% FARMS to around 65% FARMS. This means big cuts for staffing and funds next year. Our students definitely didn’t get wealthier.

This was the case at my Title 1 school as well. I guess there was a long range plan in place to make certain adjustments to the FARMS rate at schools, and make it easy to make cuts in SY 25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if the CEP program is impacting this. Given that there is no need for families to complete the forms to receive meals, how do they actually know the FARMS rate? Both NHE and Oak View are CEP schools with all students receiving free meals. No one had to complete the forms.
https://www..org/news/quick-notes/2023-08/2023-08-issue/important-information-about-student-meals/

This is exactly what is happing at the Title 1 school where I work. We didn’t have families complete FARMS forms this year since MCPS said it wasn’t needed. We aren’t sure what method MCPS used to calculate FARMS rate without the forms but we dropped from over 80% FARMS to around 65% FARMS. This means big cuts for staffing and funds next year. Our students definitely didn’t get wealthier.

This is the kind of thing someone should be getting an explanation for at the board meeting.