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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Schools are scrambling to use Covid funds, as it’s a lot of temporarily available money. The challenge is that the money will not be there in a few years. Maybe the central admin thought getting bocce equipment is a good use of funds because they’d be start up costs as opposed to something they’d need to sustain. That doesn’t mean it’s the best use, but that might be the reasoning. [/quote]

[b]There are lots of ways to spend that money responsibly[/b].    This was not one.  [/quote]

OK, well they actually did propose to spend the ESSER III funds in lots of ways. According to the grant application linked earlier, only $223,800 was specified for bocce. The overall total amount of the grant was $252.2 million:

• The requested funds will be used to provide for:
o Position salaries;
o Non-position salaries;
o Stipends;
o Associated employee benefits;
o Contractual services;
o Special education compensatory services;
o Instructional materials and technology support and resources.

• The requested grant funds will support a total of 271 additional positions. The positions to be
added include: 113 teachers; 32 paraeducators; 50 social workers; 40 counselors; and a range of
other positions. [/quote]

Given the half-a**ed analysis, you must work for the Central Office?  Try again.

Page 28, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement Through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $527,400—In order to expand and enhance engagement opportunities for middle school
students, with particular emphasis on students with disabilities and targeted focus groups, program
offerings in the middle school interscholastic athletics program will expand to include bocce and
an additional sport to be offered during the course of the school year. Examples of possible sport
offerings include futsal, flag football, and tennis. Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities

Description Cost
Bocce—Stipends (3 years x 1 x $1,215 per
school x 40 sites)
$145,800
Additional Support—Stipends (3 years x 2 x
$1,215 per school x 40 sites)
$291,600

Page 35, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement Through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $453,000—Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school
level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities. The
additional sport offering will be identified through a collaborative process of stakeholders across
the middle school athletics program, with the focus of increasing participation opportunities for
targeted populations, including African American and Hispanic students. Contractual services
necessary for both programs are listed below.

Description Cost
Bocce—Officials (3 years x $175 per school
x 40 sites)
$21,000
Additional Support—Officials (3 years x
$350 per school x 40 sites)
$42,000
Additional Support—Transportation (3 years
x 5 x $650 per school x 40 sites)
$390,000
Total Cost $453,000

Page 40, Supporting Social-Emotional Engagement through Sports for Special Education and Focus
Groups: $197,000—Bocce will be offered as the first corollary sport offering at the middle school
level, providing opportunities for all students, in particular students with disabilities.

Description Cost
Bocce—Balls (3 years x 1 x $145 per school
x 40 sites)
$17,400
Bocce—Startup costs—Courts (3 years x 2 x
$350 per school x 40 sites)
$28,000
Bocce—Startup costs—Balls (3 years x 2 x
$145 per school x 40 sites)
$11,600
Additional Support—Equipment (3 years x
$500 per school x 40 sites)
$60,000
Additional Support—Startup costs—
Uniforms ($1,000 per school x 40 sites)
$40,000
Additional Support—Startup costs—
Equipment (3 years x 2 x $1,215 per school x
40 sites)
$40,000
Total Cost $197,000
[/quote]

Can you summarize this? Your post is making me fall asleep.[/quote]

If I'm reading this ESSER III funding request correctly, maybe something like:

FRAUD.  Any intentional act or omission for personal gain designed to deprive the county of its resources or assets to which the individual or person is not entitled. Fraud can occur through the spoken word or by an individual’s conduct and actions.  Ex. setting up a Fraud hotline (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/fraudhotline/faq.aspx) for MCPS, but given MCPS contracted with Lighthouse Services, Inc., and whether those fraud reports go back to MCPS vs the Maryland IG?

WASTE.  The careless expenditure of county funds or resources above and beyond the level that is reasonably required to meet the needs of the county, or the consumption or use of county resources that is not authorized.  Ex. Buying Overpriced Equipment| Buying excessive goods or services| Inefficient use of resources, such as hundreds of thousands of dollars for $40 bocce ball sets?

ABUSE.  The improper use of county resources in a manner contrary to law, policy or rules, or the improper use of one's position for private gain or advantage for himself or herself or any other person.  Ex. using covid funding to pay for bocce balls?

It's too bad this puts you to sleep, but it's interesting reading for me for sure.  Skimming over other entries, the tutoring, diversity training would also be of interest to see how many students actually benefitted and who the contracts were awarded to?[/quote]

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