interesting discussion regarding abysmal decline of MoCo schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most of what is in the Reddit is true. Morale abysmal (students, parents, teachers, paras, etc.), administration is severely bloated, special ed is a disaster that will cost the system for years to come (for all the education the special ed kids are entitled to and are not receiving), and there is no longer any discipline anywhere, or consequences for anything for students (for behaviors, for abuses, for not doing work).

So many reasons, but I'll put the blame squarely at the top: the GOP would like to dismantle public education and use tax dollars for private catholic education. They have been playing the long game, and have been helped along by the oandemic

Honey the schools in Moco get over 3 BILLION a year and have been run by DEMS the entire time. Nah this disaster is squarely on the libs…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are public hearings on the new operating budget coming up on January 11th and 17th. Rather than posting complaints on reddit or DCUM, people need to show up to these hearings en masse and convey a clear message of what they want to be prioritized in the budget. Not just parents, but teachers and administrators too. And students.

90% of the budget is already allocated to pensions, healthcare and salaries. It’s like the Federal budget. You’ve got demographics (more retirees than employees) and that limits flexibility for budget. Thank your unionized work force and their smart payments to the pols you are basically f’ed. add a tax base that’s well paid but departing to be replaced by new Americans who hear - even in rural Nicaragua - it’s the place to be. Couldn’t happen to a sweeter place. We were in Moco but quickly left. The real problem has nothing to do with money - that is one toxic public school culture! Glad their rep is crashing.

Gee, how unfortunate that you left. I'm so sorry our kids won't go to school together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not a MCPS issue it’s a U.S. issue because we want to test and measure every little thing which takes time away from actual instruction. Parents want Mercedes level education but want to pay Hyundai standard level prices. Education requires investment in teacher training, teacher salary, and in actual schools and students. Further, schools do WAAY more than just focus on education including feeding and connection with social services for kids. They have unfounded mandates like I.D.E.A.

When we remove the politics of the above and address them as though our population matters, we’ll see change. Until then, people will continue complaining and believing that Charter schools or Private schools can be the answer, only to determine that’s not a panacea. Hi

Completely false. The US pisses away some of the most money per pupil in the world in education. And for what? Piss poor results. Teachers will always say it is because more money is needed, yet Japan, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, etc. all spend far less per pupil and absolutely smoke American students across the board.

It is because the US is plagued with loser parents, shitty students, a terrible culture, and way too much dumb emphasis on equality when the only way they implement equality is watering down coursework and lowering the bar. The US is rapidly declining into a developing 2nd world country.

[Anonymous]

To PP, some of that comparison with other countries is unfair because other countries provide social services through other agencies that the US provides through its school so the cost of schooling looks higher.

I agree that central office needs to stop coming up with dumb initiatives for teachers and let the teachers teach.

But there is a bit National problem of teacher shortages. A good friend runs a small private school in another state. He had two young teachers quit mid year leaving him totally in the lurch, basically because they just weren’t feeling it. I have a relative who got a teaching masters but has never taught because decided she only wants remote work with a flexible schedule. It’s making life impossible for the senior teachers who have to have fill gaps with the inadequate staffing. I don’t really know what the solution is for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are public hearings on the new operating budget coming up on January 11th and 17th. Rather than posting complaints on reddit or DCUM, people need to show up to these hearings en masse and convey a clear message of what they want to be prioritized in the budget. Not just parents, but teachers and administrators too. And students.

90% of the budget is already allocated to pensions, healthcare and salaries. It’s like the Federal budget. You’ve got demographics (more retirees than employees) and that limits flexibility for budget. Thank your unionized work force and their smart payments to the pols you are basically f’ed. add a tax base that’s well paid but departing to be replaced by new Americans who hear - even in rural Nicaragua - it’s the place to be. Couldn’t happen to a sweeter place. We were in Moco but quickly left. The real problem has nothing to do with money - that is one toxic public school culture! Glad their rep is crashing.

Gee, how unfortunate that you left. I'm so sorry our kids won't go to school together.

My friend. Love the sarcasm. I’m sorry interest rates are high and you likely missed your chance to roll. Don’t get me wrong - the BEST thing in my kids MCPS elementary were the kids, it was the teacher corps and leadership that were for the birds…and so much marketing! Enough. MCPS schools are on the decline. Now the word is out. Thanks be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just clicked on the link. Thanks for posting. Most people make really good points. Unfortunately, our BOE and MCPS leadership don’t care.

Smaller class sizes and better discipline sounds like common requests that I think, everyone could get behind. Why can’t MCPS start there?

Except that costs money and a tax hike needed to pay for this will mostly go to create more central office jobs.

The bottom line is MCPS is about the same or even better than years past, the demographics of the county are what has changed. That has an impact on standardized test scores but doesn't mean you can't get a great education. People just need to accept and adapt instead of focusing on a past that never really existed.

This is a naive read of larger educational trends toward: little student discipline or accountability or late or no work, a belief in education that requiring homework and giving grades is inequitable, reading few actual books, over-reliance on screens, etc., etc., etc.
- HS teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most of what is in the Reddit is true. Morale abysmal (students, parents, teachers, paras, etc.), administration is severely bloated, special ed is a disaster that will cost the system for years to come (for all the education the special ed kids are entitled to and are not receiving), and there is no longer any discipline anywhere, or consequences for anything for students (for behaviors, for abuses, for not doing work).

So many reasons, but I'll put the blame squarely at the top: the GOP would like to dismantle public education and use tax dollars for private catholic education. They have been playing the long game, and have been helped along by the oandemic

Oh, heck no. I can’t believe you have the audacity to say that and nobody has called you out on that nonsense.

Montgomery County has been run by Democrats forever. If you want to put blame on a political party, it’s the Democrats all the way.

It’s the MoCo Democrats who push for restorative justice in schools which has led to a breakdown in discipline.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who kept our kids out of school for longer than necessary in the name of ‘Covid safety’.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who are always endorsed by the Apple Ballot.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who pushed to remove SROs, against the wishes of parents and principals.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who are against school choice and who force middle class families to send their kids into a dysfunctional schools system.

No, you can try to blame the GOP, but it won’t work in this County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is way, way too big. It should be broken down to the level where each high school is its own school district.

Agree, but it will not happen. One size does not fit all. Need localized clusters and school boards.

Just move to New Jersey. You'd love all the redundant bureaucracies, with each tiny school district having its own superintendent.

That works SO much better. You see your BOE members at the local ShopRite. The BOE members are actually held accountable for their decisions. The smaller schools systems can make changes more quickly and efficiently.

MCPS is simply too large.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just clicked on the link. Thanks for posting. Most people make really good points. Unfortunately, our BOE and MCPS leadership don’t care.

Smaller class sizes and better discipline sounds like common requests that I think, everyone could get behind. Why can’t MCPS start there?

Except that costs money and a tax hike needed to pay for this will mostly go to create more central office jobs.

The bottom line is MCPS is about the same or even better than years past, the demographics of the county are what has changed. That has an impact on standardized test scores but doesn't mean you can't get a great education. People just need to accept and adapt instead of focusing on a past that never really existed.

Blaming it on “changing demographics” is just an excuse to lay the decline of MCPS at the feet of the black and brown students and not the incompetent administration.

DP here. I don't think anyone is blaming the changing demographics. Or at least they shouldn't. The issue is that MCPS has been using the wrong strategies for addressing the needs of the changing demographics

Are you saying that the demographics of Montgomery County are the same in 2022 as they were in 2002? That is simply not true. The demographics HAVE changed. And that matters, because the schools system has to spend more money to meet the needs of the new students. That means less money for other things.

Of course the changing demographics have had an effect on the schools system. It’s naive or disingenuous to say otherwise.

[Anonymous]

DP. I'm not a Republican and not a Trumper, but I have to agree that MCPS will smear the Democratic Party in upcoming elections.

What politicians know is that people vote when things hit close to home. In local politics, it doesn't get any closer than your kids and your home.

When I realized what the MCBoE and MCPS administration were doing to school programs and promoting equity over academic excellence, I realized they had gone too far. By playing games with academic programs, teacher assignments, etc. they've set themselves up for a massive failure.

Voted for all non-incumbents at the last election and I'm ready to lobby against and vote out the County Council Democrats as well.

After reading the Reddit comments posted by the OP, I don't think we're very far from a very serious, very public issue at MCPS. That won't benefit anyone. Not the kids, not the teachers, not the tax base. There won't be any winners at all.

On second thought, might be one winner. The only one who'll probably win is McKnight when she cashes out on her contract and says 'see ya' after everything's been wrecked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. I'm not a Republican and not a Trumper, but I have to agree that MCPS will smear the Democratic Party in upcoming elections.

What politicians know is that people vote when things hit close to home. In local politics, it doesn't get any closer than your kids and your home.

When I realized what the MCBoE and MCPS administration were doing to school programs and promoting equity over academic excellence, I realized they had gone too far. By playing games with academic programs, teacher assignments, etc. they've set themselves up for a massive failure.

Voted for all non-incumbents at the last election and I'm ready to lobby against and vote out the County Council Democrats as well.

After reading the Reddit comments posted by the OP, I don't think we're very far from a very serious, very public issue at MCPS. That won't benefit anyone. Not the kids, not the teachers, not the tax base. There won't be any winners at all.

On second thought, might be one winner. The only one who'll probably win is McKnight when she cashes out on her contract and says 'see ya' after everything's been wrecked?

The majority of voters voted otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most of what is in the Reddit is true. Morale abysmal (students, parents, teachers, paras, etc.), administration is severely bloated, special ed is a disaster that will cost the system for years to come (for all the education the special ed kids are entitled to and are not receiving), and there is no longer any discipline anywhere, or consequences for anything for students (for behaviors, for abuses, for not doing work).

So many reasons, but I'll put the blame squarely at the top: the GOP would like to dismantle public education and use tax dollars for private catholic education. They have been playing the long game, and have been helped along by the oandemic

Oh, heck no. I can’t believe you have the audacity to say that and nobody has called you out on that nonsense.

Montgomery County has been run by Democrats forever. If you want to put blame on a political party, it’s the Democrats all the way.

It’s the MoCo Democrats who push for restorative justice in schools which has led to a breakdown in discipline.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who kept our kids out of school for longer than necessary in the name of ‘Covid safety’.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who are always endorsed by the Apple Ballot.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who pushed to remove SROs, against the wishes of parents and principals.
It’s the MoCo Democrats who are against school choice and who force middle class families to send their kids into a dysfunctional schools system.

No, you can try to blame the GOP, but it won’t work in this County.

Our kids were in school. However, virtual was dumbed down per the parents demands, the same ones who screamed learning loss. Virtual now is very different.

[Anonymous]

What the hell is the 50% rule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To PP, some of that comparison with other countries is unfair because other countries provide social services through other agencies that the US provides through its school so the cost of schooling looks higher.

I agree that central office needs to stop coming up with dumb initiatives for teachers and let the teachers teach.

But there is a bit National problem of teacher shortages. A good friend runs a small private school in another state. He had two young teachers quit mid year leaving him totally in the lurch, basically because they just weren’t feeling it. I have a relative who got a teaching masters but has never taught because decided she only wants remote work with a flexible schedule. It’s making life impossible for the senior teachers who have to have fill gaps with the inadequate staffing. I don’t really know what the solution is for this.

Schools in all school districts in this country are not social service agencies. That was a choice Montgomery County made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To PP, some of that comparison with other countries is unfair because other countries provide social services through other agencies that the US provides through its school so the cost of schooling looks higher.

I agree that central office needs to stop coming up with dumb initiatives for teachers and let the teachers teach.

But there is a bit National problem of teacher shortages. A good friend runs a small private school in another state. He had two young teachers quit mid year leaving him totally in the lurch, basically because they just weren’t feeling it. I have a relative who got a teaching masters but has never taught because decided she only wants remote work with a flexible schedule. It’s making life impossible for the senior teachers who have to have fill gaps with the inadequate staffing. I don’t really know what the solution is for this.

Schools in all school districts in this country are not social service agencies. That was a choice Montgomery County made.

And other school districts that decided it was better for the schools to provide the social services than for nobody to provide the social services.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/magazine/rural-homeless-students.html