When do you think Taylor will no longer be superintendent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During yesterday's session with the Council there was a discussion about the proposed bus depot sites. Friedson and Balcombe highlighted the lack of outreach to the affected communities.

Taylor responded by implying that it is impossible to do community outreach before the project is funded. That is utterly preposterous. That is what facility planning funding is for - you do studies and community outreach to determine whether and how to move forward on specific projects and how much they will cost.

Taylor is right that this has been a really difficult issue. There is no location in the County where residents will be happy to have an MCPS bus depot at. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it. But his response to questions about community outreach was fundamentally dishonest and frankly quite condescending to members of the public who aren't being paid to sift through CIP documents that are written in very technical ways. And that I think kind of epitomizes his approach to engaging with stakeholders. To him, he is always right and above the politics and everyone else is dumb, uninformed and selfish.

Below is the description of MCPS Facility Planning which is a project funded in the CIP:

"This project serves as the transition stage from the conceptual stage to inclusion of a stand-alone project in the CIP. There is a continuing need for the development of accurate cost estimates and an exploration of alternatives for proposed projects. Implementation of the facility planning process results in realistic cost estimates, fewer and less significant cost overruns, fewer project delays, and improved life-cycle costing of projects. In the past, this project was funded solely by current revenue; however, as a result of new environmental regulation changes, design of site development concept plans must be done during the facility planning phase in order to obtain necessary site permits in time for the construction phase."

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P966553&CID=15&SCID=50

They don't need community outreach but he needs to grow a spine and tell them that this is the bus depot and if they are selling off the property, they need to use that money to purchase a more appropiate property that meets MCPS and community needs. This shouldn't be an MCPS issue.

Actually the County did already resolve this - https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS/OPD/MCPSShadyGroveBusDepotRelocation.html

The new proposed depot sites are for an expansion of the bus fleet

False. The MCPS buses at Shady Grove can’t all fit on Gude Drive. There is no resolution in the link.

It's not enough for the expansion of the bus fleet.

The Department of General Services identified an alternative site to relocate the MCPS depot. In addition to this facility, other locations for bus parking will need to be identified to fully house expanded operations of the bus fleet in the future.

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P360903

Old news. Enrollment is dropping. No expansion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During yesterday's session with the Council there was a discussion about the proposed bus depot sites. Friedson and Balcombe highlighted the lack of outreach to the affected communities.

Taylor responded by implying that it is impossible to do community outreach before the project is funded. That is utterly preposterous. That is what facility planning funding is for - you do studies and community outreach to determine whether and how to move forward on specific projects and how much they will cost.

Taylor is right that this has been a really difficult issue. There is no location in the County where residents will be happy to have an MCPS bus depot at. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it. But his response to questions about community outreach was fundamentally dishonest and frankly quite condescending to members of the public who aren't being paid to sift through CIP documents that are written in very technical ways. And that I think kind of epitomizes his approach to engaging with stakeholders. To him, he is always right and above the politics and everyone else is dumb, uninformed and selfish.

Below is the description of MCPS Facility Planning which is a project funded in the CIP:

"This project serves as the transition stage from the conceptual stage to inclusion of a stand-alone project in the CIP. There is a continuing need for the development of accurate cost estimates and an exploration of alternatives for proposed projects. Implementation of the facility planning process results in realistic cost estimates, fewer and less significant cost overruns, fewer project delays, and improved life-cycle costing of projects. In the past, this project was funded solely by current revenue; however, as a result of new environmental regulation changes, design of site development concept plans must be done during the facility planning phase in order to obtain necessary site permits in time for the construction phase."

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P966553&CID=15&SCID=50

They don't need community outreach but he needs to grow a spine and tell them that this is the bus depot and if they are selling off the property, they need to use that money to purchase a more appropiate property that meets MCPS and community needs. This shouldn't be an MCPS issue.

Actually the County did already resolve this - https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS/OPD/MCPSShadyGroveBusDepotRelocation.html

The new proposed depot sites are for an expansion of the bus fleet

False. The MCPS buses at Shady Grove can’t all fit on Gude Drive. There is no resolution in the link.

It's not enough for the expansion of the bus fleet.

The Department of General Services identified an alternative site to relocate the MCPS depot. In addition to this facility, other locations for bus parking will need to be identified to fully house expanded operations of the bus fleet in the future.

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P360903

Old news. Enrollment is dropping. No expansion.

For now, it could go up in the future and they need more buses for the regional models.

[Anonymous]

Taylor still thinks he can rearrange the school district at will, as must have been easier to do in the much smaller Stafford County Public Schools district. He will find that his house of cards will collapse on him, because he is doing too much, without community buy-in, and without proper planning. He'll be gone by the end of 2027, or beginning of 2028. Or, the board will choose not to renew his contract, which would be the first wise decision hey have made in a while...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During yesterday's session with the Council there was a discussion about the proposed bus depot sites. Friedson and Balcombe highlighted the lack of outreach to the affected communities.

Taylor responded by implying that it is impossible to do community outreach before the project is funded. That is utterly preposterous. That is what facility planning funding is for - you do studies and community outreach to determine whether and how to move forward on specific projects and how much they will cost.

Taylor is right that this has been a really difficult issue. There is no location in the County where residents will be happy to have an MCPS bus depot at. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it. But his response to questions about community outreach was fundamentally dishonest and frankly quite condescending to members of the public who aren't being paid to sift through CIP documents that are written in very technical ways. And that I think kind of epitomizes his approach to engaging with stakeholders. To him, he is always right and above the politics and everyone else is dumb, uninformed and selfish.

Below is the description of MCPS Facility Planning which is a project funded in the CIP:

"This project serves as the transition stage from the conceptual stage to inclusion of a stand-alone project in the CIP. There is a continuing need for the development of accurate cost estimates and an exploration of alternatives for proposed projects. Implementation of the facility planning process results in realistic cost estimates, fewer and less significant cost overruns, fewer project delays, and improved life-cycle costing of projects. In the past, this project was funded solely by current revenue; however, as a result of new environmental regulation changes, design of site development concept plans must be done during the facility planning phase in order to obtain necessary site permits in time for the construction phase."

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P966553&CID=15&SCID=50

They don't need community outreach but he needs to grow a spine and tell them that this is the bus depot and if they are selling off the property, they need to use that money to purchase a more appropiate property that meets MCPS and community needs. This shouldn't be an MCPS issue.

Actually the County did already resolve this - https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS/OPD/MCPSShadyGroveBusDepotRelocation.html

The new proposed depot sites are for an expansion of the bus fleet

False. The MCPS buses at Shady Grove can’t all fit on Gude Drive. There is no resolution in the link.

It's not enough for the expansion of the bus fleet.

The Department of General Services identified an alternative site to relocate the MCPS depot. In addition to this facility, other locations for bus parking will need to be identified to fully house expanded operations of the bus fleet in the future.

https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/BASISCAPITAL/Common/Project.aspx?ID=P360903

Old news. Enrollment is dropping. No expansion.

For now, it could go up in the future and they need more buses for the regional models.

This was never the reason for moving the bus depot.

[Anonymous]

The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Who do you think is going to be better? No one is interested in being superintendent here. At least no one amazing. Cycling through candidates until you get someone who bends to your will is ridiculous. Overall, he is doing a pretty good job. I give him a B while I would give our last superintendent a D. You can fire him and perhaps get lucky and end up with an A- candidate but most likely we will get someone who is a C

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

We can fix that by voting them out. None of them deserve their seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

It's sobering to think that school systems in Maryland are set up to give so much power to one superintendent. The BOER, votes on budget, hires/fires superintendents, and advises the superintendent. BOE is a sham institution that "oversees" over half of the county's budget.

This construct has become untenable in light of the tax burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

We need a write-in campaign against her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

We need a write-in campaign against her.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

It's sobering to think that school systems in Maryland are set up to give so much power to one superintendent. The BOER, votes on budget, hires/fires superintendents, and advises the superintendent. BOE is a sham institution that "oversees" over half of the county's budget.

This construct has become untenable in light of the tax burden.

Taylor isn't the only one behind this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

It's sobering to think that school systems in Maryland are set up to give so much power to one superintendent. The BOER, votes on budget, hires/fires superintendents, and advises the superintendent. BOE is a sham institution that "oversees" over half of the county's budget.

This construct has become untenable in light of the tax burden.

Taylor isn't the only one behind this.

Of course he didn't write the state rules. However, the fact that he is an overconfident change agent who always thinks he is right makes this a significant problem for the county. The fact that he rubs Andrew Friedsopn the wrong way makes me want to vote for Friedson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Board likes the job he’s doing. He’s not going anywhere.

Then the BOE will lose in reelection, if anyone chooses to run for the board. If Rita Montoya won, anyone can win.

No one is running for reelection this year except for Rivera-Oven, and she's running unopposed.

It's sobering to think that school systems in Maryland are set up to give so much power to one superintendent. The BOER, votes on budget, hires/fires superintendents, and advises the superintendent. BOE is a sham institution that "oversees" over half of the county's budget.

This construct has become untenable in light of the tax burden.

+1

Montgomery County residents HAVE to write to their state delegates and senators to FORCE change on the structure and role of the BOE if we want something different.

1) Start with making the board full-time and competitive pay

2) Give the BOE more direct oversight powers with teeth

3) Ensure the BOE has a separate and supported infrastructure and staff to truly provide meaningful oversight over MCPS

Without those changes, the BOE will continue to pretend to do oversight work and rubber stamp whatever the superintendent tells them to do.