MCPS wants $180 million more but is cutting teachers and counselors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is someone that has the time to figure out and summarize where the increases are going, I think many of us would REALLY appreciate it. Thank you.

This please in a bullet point to the fact like a Katie Porter whiteboard display to Congress

Although they seem to be cutting some positions, the OPs statement that it's going CO bloat isn't at all clear which makes me suspect that they aren't being honest.

Exactly. It's a sensationalistic story with too little detail to be helpfully informative.

Or MCPS couldn’t be bothered to answer questions.

Or the reporter could do research, provide details and note some of the questions for MCPS that weren’t provide response. But I guess if people will accept lazy reporting, not do their own research, yet still run off half informed, what’s the incentive.

It’s a report based on the fact that MCPS is cutting counselors and teachers. That’s something to be concerned about.

Do you get paid $130 per hour to come on DCUM to defend MCPS to no end? Stop being so dense.

Teachers - yes the people in schools working face to face with students - are trying to fill in learning gaps from online learning. They are already stretched thin. MCAP scores are way down but MCPS wants to cut teaching positions?

Then there’s the stress on counselors this year. They also are stretched thin with hundreds of students on their case load. MCPS wants to cut them as well?

But adding $500,000 for a Communications Firm (while not cutting MCPS communications staff) and adding to Central Office positions is more important than the staff who work with students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

I heard that the 1.0 reading specialist at every ES was cut from the proposed budget?

[Anonymous]

Proof positive many of these comments are from MCPS staff who are intellectually dishonest and love their easy 250,000 gigs…they will never criticize their masters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

I heard that the 1.0 reading specialist at every ES was cut from the proposed budget?

There was a discussion of this at the BOE meeting. There were two different reading positions being talked about, one was reading specialist and the other was a lower level, something like reading technical support, and funding the one reading specialist per school was the item that went forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

I heard that the 1.0 reading specialist at every ES was cut from the proposed budget?

There was a discussion of this at the BOE meeting. There were two different reading positions being talked about, one was reading specialist and the other was a lower level, something like reading technical support, and funding the one reading specialist per school was the item that went forward.

At a time when many students are not meeting grade level benchmarks for reading, why cut reading technical support staff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

I heard that the 1.0 reading specialist at every ES was cut from the proposed budget?

There was a discussion of this at the BOE meeting. There were two different reading positions being talked about, one was reading specialist and the other was a lower level, something like reading technical support, and funding the one reading specialist per school was the item that went forward.

At a time when many students are not meeting grade level benchmarks for reading, why cut reading technical support staff?

What was being proposed at the meeting was to replace the new funding for reading specialists with reading technical support staff instead, but that was voted down.

[Anonymous]

Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My position at an elementary school is reading support and it's been cut for next year. So many students need that support- we were all rather shocked.

Has it? And what exactly is this position and how is it funded? Because the budget specifically add FTE to ensure that every ES has a full time reading specialist. Plus will use ESSR funding for additional intervention needs.

I heard that the 1.0 reading specialist at every ES was cut from the proposed budget?

There was a discussion of this at the BOE meeting. There were two different reading positions being talked about, one was reading specialist and the other was a lower level, something like reading technical support, and funding the one reading specialist per school was the item that went forward.

At a time when many students are not meeting grade level benchmarks for reading, why cut reading technical support staff?

What was being proposed at the meeting was to replace the new funding for reading specialists with reading technical support staff instead, but that was voted down.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C8CJXG4F4EC6/$file/ESSER%20211028%20PPT.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C8CJXG4F4EC6/$file/ESSER%20211028%20PPT.pdf

Thank you for posting the link.

I’m not sure what some of the spending items have with COVID recovery:

* equity and anti-racial discrimination training

* the Leader in Me curriculum

* MCPS Athletics programs

Wouldn’t hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes be more beneficial to help students recover from online learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there is someone that has the time to figure out and summarize where the increases are going, I think many of us would REALLY appreciate it. Thank you.

This please in a bullet point to the fact like a Katie Porter whiteboard display to Congress

Although they seem to be cutting some positions, the OPs statement that it's going CO bloat isn't at all clear which makes me suspect that they aren't being honest.

Exactly. It's a sensationalistic story with too little detail to be helpfully informative.

Or MCPS couldn’t be bothered to answer questions.

Or the reporter could do research, provide details and note some of the questions for MCPS that weren’t provide response. But I guess if people will accept lazy reporting, not do their own research, yet still run off half informed, what’s the incentive.

It’s a report based on the fact that MCPS is cutting counselors and teachers. That’s something to be concerned about.

Do you get paid $130 per hour to come on DCUM to defend MCPS to no end? Stop being so dense.

Teachers - yes the people in schools working face to face with students - are trying to fill in learning gaps from online learning. They are already stretched thin. MCAP scores are way down but MCPS wants to cut teaching positions?

Then there’s the stress on counselors this year. They also are stretched thin with hundreds of students on their case load. MCPS wants to cut them as well?

But adding $500,000 for a Communications Firm (while not cutting MCPS communications staff) and adding to Central Office positions is more important than the staff who work with students.

Beyond the issue of the students not participating, there will continue to be learning gaps because of the lack of curriculum and the lack of homework and assignments. A kid will not progress well in math when they are not given homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C8CJXG4F4EC6/$file/ESSER%20211028%20PPT.pdf

Thank you for posting the link.

I’m not sure what some of the spending items have with COVID recovery:

* equity and anti-racial discrimination training

* the Leader in Me curriculum

* MCPS Athletics programs

Wouldn’t hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes be more beneficial to help students recover from online learning?

The feds should have dictated what the money be spent on. None of those things are as important as academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C8CJXG4F4EC6/$file/ESSER%20211028%20PPT.pdf

Thank you for posting the link.

I’m not sure what some of the spending items have with COVID recovery:

* equity and anti-racial discrimination training

* the Leader in Me curriculum

* MCPS Athletics programs

Wouldn’t hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes be more beneficial to help students recover from online learning?

The feds should have dictated what the money be spent on. None of those things are as important as academics.

Whaaatt??? You're saying that the Feds wouldn't support a $780K bocci ball program for the disabled using covid money??? What disabled Fed doesn't love a good bocci ball game??? Everyone knows how popular bocci ball is!!! I met someone once who even knew how to play it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a detailed account as to how MCPS is spending ESSER funds to get students caught up?

For example: my child finally was provided in school tutoring this month. We weren’t told upfront that the teacher was tutoring four other students - all taking different classes. Much of the tutoring time my child receives is spent waiting for the teacher to come back to his curriculum content.

Is the teacher paid per student or a flat rate per hour?

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C8CJXG4F4EC6/$file/ESSER%20211028%20PPT.pdf

Thank you for posting the link.

I’m not sure what some of the spending items have with COVID recovery:

* equity and anti-racial discrimination training

* the Leader in Me curriculum

* MCPS Athletics programs

Wouldn’t hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes be more beneficial to help students recover from online learning?

Equity to ensure that all students are being treated equally and recovering well regardless of race, SES, or special needs.

Leader in Me is part of SOcial Emotional Learning. SEL is an area of the recovery which any teacher or counselor will tell you absolutely needs focus(see behavior and social skilss of kids)

Athletics means exercise, social skills, outlet and community. Given the high rates of depression and suicides another area of viable investment. And one likely to have long term impact after the end of the grant term.

Also, with EsSR funding it end after 2023, so you’d want the cost to be either a) one and done, b) short term, or c) something that can be sustained in the Operational budget after the ending of ESSR funding time.