Reply to Dr. Taylor, you must stop this renegotiation with Highland Electric now.

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Reply to "Dr. Taylor, you must stop this renegotiation with Highland Electric now."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Seems like they're paying a premium to be on the bleeding edge. I'd like an electric car too but also understand that it just wasn't cost-effective  at least when I was last int he market for a car.[/quote]

Yes, this all seems like McKnight was so invested about getting glowing media coverage about being the first school system to do this, that she rammed it through without due diligence.[/quote]

She was not alone. I recall Lynne Harris positively beaming about this because she's all about the environment.[/quote]

So now it’s all McKnight and the folks that should have been advising or speaking up are off the hook?  And the GC doesn’t catch it for not putting in adequate protections for failed delivery.[/quote]

Watkins and Ewald are the ones who should have been advising....

[url]https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2023/09/former-montgomery-co-school-administrator-sentenced-for-one-of-the-worst-financial-crimes-to-ever-victimize/[/url][/quote]

Exactly.  And they have been prosecuted for their misdeeds.  Which makes the Superintendent (McKnight in this case) and the school system victims.  Sure McKnight has to own it because she was the big boss, but there is non need to drag her like she did anything wrong here.  The system needs to learn from this and improve process so that these things can be better caught sooner and managed.  Some of which includes the GC putting in protections in contracts and the procurement process being better.[/quote]

McKnight is a victim?  That is rich.  She did everything wrong by not overseeing a $168M procurement.

The contract says MCPS is owed $1.5M.  MCPS says they are “negotiating” that payment.  That’s not a problem with the contract, that’s a problem with MCPS Superintendent not safeguarding MCPS funding.  No process can make Taylor do his job.  If he won’t do his job the taxpayers lose. McKnight set the stage for this disaster.[/quote]

Ok.  If choose to blame McKnight like everything wrong here is her fault go ahead.  But the reality is just what I said.  Two folks did something egregiously wrong for which they are being prosecuted.  As someone else said they were the advisor which means the Super and staff got bad advice and become victims of that bad advice.  The Super at the time has to take responsibility for the situation and bad policies and process that didn’t prevent the situation and then move forward to make improvements.  Leaders can be both victims and still have to be accountable.

Taylor at this point is accountable for ensuring Procurement is improved and that the GC enforces getting the current 1.5M owed.  Not to mention that in any renegotiation and/or new contracts going forward there are penalties attached for not meeting contract terms.[/quote]

Nice rewriting of facts.  The electric bus contract was reviewed by transportation, financial, general counsel, Essie McGuire and Monifa McKnight.  There were no two people that spent $168M by themselves.  Monifa McKnight signed the contract.  [/quote]

And approved by the BOE and County Council was aware, etc.etc.  What's your point?  Do I think the General Counsel should have include penalties? YES.  Do I think the GC should have been at the County Council meeting? YES.  My point was and is that there is enough blame to go around a multitude of departments and people so focus solely on McKnight like she alone did this is wrong and counterproductive.

What needs to happen now is improved procurement practices, better review and protection by GC, and enforcement and receipt of the 1.5M.[/quote]

The County Council doesn’t approve MCPS contracts.  
Penalties were included.  Taylor doesn’t want to collect them.

Why is there a superintendent making the half a million dollar salary if they have no responsibility?  Isn’t that what the superintendent is being paid to do?  If not, then eliminate the position and put more teachers in classrooms. [/quote]

The 1.5M is about maintenance not failure to deliver the buses on time. The super is not making a half million dollar salary.  Its 360K.  They may full package may be worth half a milion though.  Taylor should have been at the meeting for the County Council to say why the 1.5 million is not being enforceable collected.  Renegotiation be dammed.[/quote]

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