How do we get MCPS to stop cutting teachers and start cutting the central office?

[Anonymous]

I'm really upset that MCPS is once again deciding to cut teachers instead of central office staff. Its a political game. MCPS knows that if it cuts back central office staff instead of teachers then no one will care. MCPS wants parents to fight the County Council and State to get more funds. They know parents will fight for teachers but not central administrators. Just like the waivers and every other time that MCPS plays chicken, they will lose. Our kids and teachers will lose in the end.

When the money eventually gets restored, will it go back to the schools to hire teachers and aides? NO! It will go right back into the bloated central office budget and be protected for eternity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm really upset that MCPS is once again deciding to cut teachers instead of central office staff. Its a political game. MCPS knows that if it cuts back central office staff instead of teachers then no one will care. MCPS wants parents to fight the County Council and State to get more funds. They know parents will fight for teachers but not central administrators. Just like the waivers and every other time that MCPS plays chicken, they will lose. Our kids and teachers will lose in the end.

When the money eventually gets restored, will it go back to the schools to hire teachers and aides? NO! It will go right back into the bloated central office budget and be protected for eternity.

The issue really isn't cutting teachers vs. central office staff. The fundamental issue is MCPS has too many kids (and still rapidly increasing) and simply doesn't have the resources to support. This is what you get when you have the most open minded school system.

[Anonymous]

They are cutting both teachers and central office staff.

[Anonymous]

The issue really isn't cutting teachers vs. central office staff. The fundamental issue is MCPS has too many kids (and still rapidly increasing) and simply doesn't have the resources to support. This is what you get when you have the most open minded school system.

No other schools systems have dealt with growth in density. Arlington grew by phenomenal rates but Arlington was smart and brought in businesses that also raised the tax revenue. The same is true in Howard County. Huge growth but also revenue growth with it. The problem in Montgomery County is the County Council. They were really dumb about development. They placed a moratorium on development during the boom years because they wanted to think about transportation. This was a HUGE advantage to Howard, Arlington and even Fairfax and DC. We lost all the new business and industry development to other counties and now our revenues are declining while our students are increasing. This is a disaster formula and will take decades to correct and it may never work out for Montgomery County.

It really isn't about open mindedness, it was simply incompetence on the part of the County Council. MCPS demonstrates the same incompetence. They constantly protect a top heavy and poor performing central office. The behave arrogantly. MCPS needs to cut the central office significantly to have any credibility in pushing for funds to address student increases. Right now, its the same game of MCPS trying to protect their cronies.

[Anonymous]

They are cutting both teachers and central office staff.

The central office cuts are very, very minimal when you look at the salary rates and number of central office staff. A move to the central office is a promotion path for principals that were making up to 140K in their home schools. The high salaries also carry a large fringe/benefit allocation. There are many departments in central office with sub department stacked through out the the organization.

Teacher's aides, special ed staff, ESL teachers, reading and math staff and other positions that in the classroom helping the teachers and students are paid at the very bottom of the scale, part time and reduced benefits. Imagine how many kids you could actually help by cutting one expensive crony and keeping the people who actually teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm really upset that MCPS is once again deciding to cut teachers instead of central office staff. Its a political game. MCPS knows that if it cuts back central office staff instead of teachers then no one will care. MCPS wants parents to fight the County Council and State to get more funds. They know parents will fight for teachers but not central administrators. Just like the waivers and every other time that MCPS plays chicken, they will lose. Our kids and teachers will lose in the end.

When the money eventually gets restored, will it go back to the schools to hire teachers and aides? NO! It will go right back into the bloated central office budget and be protected for eternity.

Historically, actually, yes it will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They are cutting both teachers and central office staff.

The central office cuts are very, very minimal when you look at the salary rates and number of central office staff. A move to the central office is a promotion path for principals that were making up to 140K in their home schools. The high salaries also carry a large fringe/benefit allocation. There are many departments in central office with sub department stacked through out the the organization.

Teacher's aides, special ed staff, ESL teachers, reading and math staff and other positions that in the classroom helping the teachers and students are paid at the very bottom of the scale, part time and reduced benefits. Imagine how many kids you could actually help by cutting one expensive crony and keeping the people who actually teach.

We don't have to imagine. If you are familiar with the numbers, you can calculate this. How many teacher's aides can you get for one higher-up central office position?

[Anonymous]

An aide or para educator makes around $16 an hour. There are 184 school days and about 6 hours of instruction. The average cost of an aide/ para educator for every day in school is $17,664. These are part time positions. If the allocation was .5 per school then it would be $8,832 per school.

A $150,000 central office position (only a $10,000 bump from the principal step of 140K) plus 50% fringe is $225,000. 25.5 schools would receive or retain a .5 aide for ONE central admin position at the lower range of their salary step. If you get rid of only 10 central admin positions every school receives or retains a .5 aide and 105 schools with the greatest need get two .5 aides.

What is more important to you? A well staffed PR office, big litigation department, bloated shared accountability office that collects data useless to students and parents, a curriculum office that produces nothing for the teachers …or teachers and aides that actually educate the students.

[Anonymous]

Aides/paraeducators don't get benefits?

How many $150,000 central office positions are there?

[Anonymous]

I wish they would publish the salaries of the central office personal. This would be an eye opener. They are government employees and this is public information.

I used to just assume that the central office was small and people weren't paid much. This would explain some of the quality issues. I was shocked when I heard that many make 160, 180 and over 200K. If you go through the web site, which isn't easy, you'll find many departments. Its a huge organization! If you know people in MCPS, you'll know that these jobs are retire in place type job. Life time security no matter what you do.

It is a promotion path for principals. There is a stack of administrators over the principals. I don't have a problem with a principal in a large high school making 140K. Its a hard job and there certainly isn't much help from the central office! I don't have a problem with the superintendent making over 200K.

As a taxpayer I have a huge problem with dollars I thought were going to education going to fund over paid/ underperforming administrators in the central office while the lowest paid staff that help kids get cut.

[Anonymous]

Arlington grew by phenomenal rates but Arlington was smart and brought in businesses that also raised the tax revenue.

Arlington schools are also very overcrowded with funding issues..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An aide or para educator makes around $16 an hour. There are 184 school days and about 6 hours of instruction. The average cost of an aide/ para educator for every day in school is $17,664. These are part time positions. If the allocation was .5 per school then it would be $8,832 per school.

A $150,000 central office position (only a $10,000 bump from the principal step of 140K) plus 50% fringe is $225,000. 25.5 schools would receive or retain a .5 aide for ONE central admin position at the lower range of their salary step. If you get rid of only 10 central admin positions every school receives or retains a .5 aide and 105 schools with the greatest need get two .5 aides.

What is more important to you? A well staffed PR office, big litigation department, bloated shared accountability office that collects data useless to students and parents, a curriculum office that produces nothing for the teachers …or teachers and aides that actually educate the students.

fuzzy math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish they would publish the salaries of the central office personal. This would be an eye opener. They are government employees and this is public information.

I used to just assume that the central office was small and people weren't paid much. This would explain some of the quality issues. I was shocked when I heard that many make 160, 180 and over 200K. If you go through the web site, which isn't easy, you'll find many departments. Its a huge organization! If you know people in MCPS, you'll know that these jobs are retire in place type job. Life time security no matter what you do.

It is a promotion path for principals. There is a stack of administrators over the principals. I don't have a problem with a principal in a large high school making 140K. Its a hard job and there certainly isn't much help from the central office! I don't have a problem with the superintendent making over 200K.

As a taxpayer I have a huge problem with dollars I thought were going to education going to fund over paid/ underperforming administrators in the central office while the lowest paid staff that help kids get cut.

How many organizations with 23,000 employees and a $2.3 billion annual operating budget don't have central/corporate/top managers who are paid $160,000+?

Maybe MCPS would be able to hire highly-qualified people who would do a better job for less than $160,000. (Maybe JPMorganChase would be able to hire a highly-qualified top executive who would do a better job for less than $20 million.) Or maybe MCPS wouldn't. But merely assuming that if the salary is $160,000+, the people are overpaid? That's not how the job market works.

[Anonymous]

I don't know the salaries or even the overall staffing levels within the central offices of MCPS. But speaking as a university professor with 2 decades of experience inside academia and also in government and private sector positions, salaries of $160k + would be considered generous by both university standards and US federal government standards.

If indeed MCPS has a large staff of administrators making that kind of money, I for one believe they are wildly overpaid by the standards of the marketplace. Remember of course that all these people receive very generous pensions, unlike most of the rest of the US workforce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really upset that MCPS is once again deciding to cut teachers instead of central office staff. Its a political game. MCPS knows that if it cuts back central office staff instead of teachers then no one will care. MCPS wants parents to fight the County Council and State to get more funds. They know parents will fight for teachers but not central administrators. Just like the waivers and every other time that MCPS plays chicken, they will lose. Our kids and teachers will lose in the end.

When the money eventually gets restored, will it go back to the schools to hire teachers and aides? NO! It will go right back into the bloated central office budget and be protected for eternity.

The issue really isn't cutting teachers vs. central office staff. The fundamental issue is MCPS has too many kids (and still rapidly increasing) and simply doesn't have the resources to support. This is what you get when you have the most open minded school system.

I agree with the above poster. If MOCO would stop chasing out businesses due to its business unfriendly climate, you would get a bigger commercial tax base and you wouldn't be facing this problem. Fairfax County was able to afford its world class education system because of the additional commercial tax base and not just relying on residential. Hope they don't turn into MOCO!