Hogan Issues Order for School Accountability

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teacher with a masters degree and 10 years of experience (in the county) is paid roughly $48/hour for their contract hours. Any hours beyond their 40 hour work week is unpaid.

Last week I worked an additional 15 hours. If I were to recalculated my pay based on the hours worked, I received ~$35/hr.

In this high cost of living area, I couldn't afford to have children and live in this county without my husband's salary.
Why can't teacher median salaries reflect the areas they serve?

By additional hours, do you mean the time needed to prepare lessons or grade assignments? That's your job, a responsibility you knew you would have by making a career choice to be a teacher.Part of the trade off for having so many holidays and summers off.

If your job is so terrible, change careers.

My comment isn’t about my responsibilities. It’s in response to those that believe teachers are overpaid. My additional hours are due to required meetings, and testing & testing security trainings that need completed before we administer the assessments next week. We also have new expectations from the county this year. I’ve had to meet with with my team to discuss and plan how to address these changes in the classroom.

FWIW, I’m not paid for our summers off, but you knew that already!

These are all expected job responsibilities. Many professionals work overtime when needed to fulfill the duties of the job without extra pay. That's the differentiation between a salary employee and an hourly employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

I call BS. They are building more housing when the current infrastructure (traffic, schools, police, fire, libraries, etc) cannot accomodate the current population. The current Planning Board/Council only plans for more housing, not the rest. If they did the planning that included the infrastructure to support the current residents AND the newcomers, many wouldn't care. But they don't, so we do.

Did you look at the numbers?

Also it's factually incorrect that the current Planning Board/County Council only plans for more housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

It most definitely is rampant, unchecked development when they have built thousands and thousands of high density housing units all over the county, without adding additional schools to support that housing. Our cluster has ESs that are already at capacity, and they are building thousands of townhouses/condos in our area. But, there is no planning for an additional ES, or an additional library. One ES just got an addition, but is already at capacity.

Where are the plans for additional libraries? Additional park space? There's already not enough soccer/baseball fields and basketball courts for our kids to practice on.

[Anonymous]

Our school has failed financial audits several times in a row. MCPS keeps uncovering problems, including staff who ask for payments to them personally vs. school IAF accounts, but school doesn't fix the problems. Perhaps the Office of Accountability can look into the financial mismanagement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school has failed financial audits several times in a row. MCPS keeps uncovering problems, including staff who ask for payments to them personally vs. school IAF accounts, but school doesn't fix the problems. Perhaps the Office of Accountability can look into the financial mismanagement.

Whose fault is that? At the core, it's the school's fault, especially when regulations aren't spelled out clearly. If schools comply, it's easy for staff to plead ignorant, right?

By the way, OAS will not audit every transaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

That is a .org website, not .gov. Who sponsors it? For all we know, it’s a trade organization of developers. I will take what they say with a tiny grain of salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

That is a .org website, not .gov. Who sponsors it? For all we know, it’s a trade organization of developers. I will take what they say with a tiny grain of salt.

If you clicked on it (to say nothing of reading it), you would know that it belongs to the Montgomery County Planning Department.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It most definitely is rampant, unchecked development when they have built thousands and thousands of high density housing units all over the county, without adding additional schools to support that housing. Our cluster has ESs that are already at capacity, and they are building thousands of townhouses/condos in our area. But, there is no planning for an additional ES, or an additional library. One ES just got an addition, but is already at capacity.

Where are the plans for additional libraries? Additional park space? There's already not enough soccer/baseball fields and basketball courts for our kids to practice on.

What area are you talking about, where they are planning to build thousands of townhouses/condos? (High-density attached single-family houses?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

That is a .org website, not .gov. Who sponsors it? For all we know, it’s a trade organization of developers. I will take what they say with a tiny grain of salt.

If you clicked on it (to say nothing of reading it), you would know that it belongs to the Montgomery County Planning Department.

I did click on it and saw that it was a .org site.

Montgomery County Planning department? So the department who advocates for more and more and more development? I could see why they would push an agenda for more development, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It most definitely is rampant, unchecked development when they have built thousands and thousands of high density housing units all over the county, without adding additional schools to support that housing. Our cluster has ESs that are already at capacity, and they are building thousands of townhouses/condos in our area. But, there is no planning for an additional ES, or an additional library. One ES just got an addition, but is already at capacity.

Where are the plans for additional libraries? Additional park space? There's already not enough soccer/baseball fields and basketball courts for our kids to practice on.

What area are you talking about, where they are planning to build thousands of townhouses/condos? (High-density attached single-family houses?)

All. Over.

There are thousands of apartments/condos/townhouses that have gone up all around the county over the past decade. And, more planned.

The Shady Grove area has had Crown plus several new apartment complexes.
Pike and Rose and the surrounding area have also had thousands of dwelling units.
There is additional housing going in at Montgomery Mall and also at Cabin John Mall. Where are the additional classrooms coming from to support those students that will live there?
Upcounty in Clarksville has had tons of additional housing built.

Drive anywhere in the county and you’ll see signs touring the planned addition of hundreds of new units at a time in areas where there was previously no housing.

It’s ridiculous that they want to build on every single empty space of land in this county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All. Over.

There are thousands of apartments/condos/townhouses that have gone up all around the county over the past decade. And, more planned.

The Shady Grove area has had Crown plus several new apartment complexes.
Pike and Rose and the surrounding area have also had thousands of dwelling units.
There is additional housing going in at Montgomery Mall and also at Cabin John Mall. Where are the additional classrooms coming from to support those students that will live there?
Upcounty in Clarksville has had tons of additional housing built.

Drive anywhere in the county and you’ll see signs touring the planned addition of hundreds of new units at a time in areas where there was previously no housing.

It’s ridiculous that they want to build on every single empty space of land in this county.

Where do YOU live?

Yes, additional housing is being built - mostly in areas that are already developed, for example Pike & Rose. Clarksburg is the exception. If additional housing is to be built, it has to go somewhere. Where do you think it should go?

Additional housing is NOT (mostly) being built in the Agricultural Reserve, which is 93,000 acres. Do you think it should be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And maybe the County Council can share in some blame. They are the ones approving rampant unchecked, overdevelopment without planning for additional schools to meet the needs of the exploding population.

It actually isn't rampant unchecked overdevelopment (although it can feel that way, when you see the new buildings in some areas), and the population isn't exploding.

"The rate of new housing construction is well below levels typical of recent decades and is not nearly enough to keep up even with moderate rates of population and job growth" - see the chart with the title "New Housing Units Reported in Building Permits" at the bottom of this blog post:

https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2018/07/population-job-growth-and-housing-supply/

That is a .org website, not .gov. Who sponsors it? For all we know, it’s a trade organization of developers. I will take what they say with a tiny grain of salt.

If you clicked on it (to say nothing of reading it), you would know that it belongs to the Montgomery County Planning Department.

I did click on it and saw that it was a .org site.

Montgomery County Planning department? So the department who advocates for more and more and more development? I could see why they would push an agenda for more development, I guess.

No, the department that is in charge of land use planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Upcounty in Clarksburg has had tons of additional housing built.

Since 2000, Clarksburg has gotten

-a rebuilt middle school (Rocky Hill MS)
-a new elementary school (Little Bennett ES)
-part of another new elementary school (William Gibbs ES)
-a new high school (Clarksburg HS)
-an addition to the new high school
-a new elementary school (Wilson Wims ES)
-a new middle school (Hallie Wells MS)

And it's about to get another new elementary school (Clarksburg Village ES #2) and part of a rebuilt high school (Seneca Valley HS).

And planning will begin in fiscal year 2020 for another new elementary school (Cabin Branch ES).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A teacher with a masters degree and 10 years of experience (in the county) is paid roughly $48/hour for their contract hours. Any hours beyond their 40 hour work week is unpaid.

Last week I worked an additional 15 hours. If I were to recalculated my pay based on the hours worked, I received ~$35/hr.

In this high cost of living area, I couldn't afford to have children and live in this county without my husband's salary.
Why can't teacher median salaries reflect the areas they serve?

By additional hours, do you mean the time needed to prepare lessons or grade assignments? That's your job, a responsibility you knew you would have by making a career choice to be a teacher.Part of the trade off for having so many holidays and summers off.

If your job is so terrible, change careers.

My comment isn’t about my responsibilities. It’s in response to those that believe teachers are overpaid. My additional hours are due to required meetings, and testing & testing security trainings that need completed before we administer the assessments next week. We also have new expectations from the county this year. I’ve had to meet with with my team to discuss and plan how to address these changes in the classroom.

FWIW, I’m not paid for our summers off, but you knew that already!

These are all expected job responsibilities. Many professionals work overtime when needed to fulfill the duties of the job without extra pay. That's the differentiation between a salary employee and an hourly employee.

This. Since most teachers have never held a job as a professional in the private sector they have no idea how the real world works. Just wait, we'll probably get the "We don't get paid for holidays" union-babble coming next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This. Since most teachers have never held a job as a professional in the private sector they have no idea how the real world works. Just wait, we'll probably get the "We don't get paid for holidays" union-babble coming next.

What makes the private sector "the real world"? Are public-school teachers working in the non-real world? Or maybe the fake world? I always wonder when people bring up this point.