Reply to Blair Magnet Coordinator Ostrander appointment to Supervisor of Academic Programs (Regional Magnets), effective Feb 2026

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Reply to "Blair Magnet Coordinator Ostrander appointment to Supervisor of Academic Programs (Regional Magnets), effective Feb 2026"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nice.  So even though we're in a supposed budget deficit due to loss of some federal funding, can't afford to renovate schools (with the understanding that it comes from a different budget), and are potentially looking at larger class sizes for Title I schools (related to federal funding), they're still pushing for the regional magnets and all of the associated costs with it for staffing, bussing, etc.[/quote]

They’ll just handle this like they always do.  They’ll do whatever they want without regard for the cost, and then complain to the County Council that they have a deficit and need more  funding or else class sizes will have to be increased, education will suffer, etc.   They’ll keep complaining until the county eventually gives them whatever they want, even when it means raising taxes.

I sincerely believe in supporting education and recognize that adequate funding is a significant part of that.  I think the majority of Montgomery County has similar sympathies and that our school system is pretty well funded as a result. However, I realized a long time ago that MCPS cared more about its reputation and how they could brag about pet projects than they did about actually educating children and that they were fiscally irresponsible.  I reached that decision when I attended a curriculum meeting that I think was held in the 2008-09 school year (when we knew there was a financial crisis, but we didn’t yet know how bad it might be or what the eventual outcome on school revenues might be).  During the meeting they proudly announced their decision to install expensive Promethean boards in every classroom, in accordance with their practice of providing a “21st century education).  They extolled the many virtues of the interactive boards, but every function they described could already be performed by the existing equipment which MCPS had already purchased.  When I asked, in light of an uncertain financial future, if these boards could actually do anything we weren’t currently able to do, they were taken aback by the question, clearly one they hadn’t asked themselves.  After a bit of floundering they eventually came up with the fact that apparently the new Promethean boards would allow teachers to annotate videos they were showing.

As for how those boards turned out:

- When I asked teachers about them they said they were under a lot of pressure to use the interactive capabilities, even when it needlessly complicated the task.

- They came with devices that allowed kids to vote on different options and my daughter said she felt better about herself to see that her answers were right more often than other students.  The other students might have felt less positive about it.

- Perhaps some teachers annotated videos, but I never heard about it.

- I think the Promethean boards have since been replaced by another 21st century technology.

Since then I’ve watched MCPS spend money on one boondoggle after another, many of which have marginal educational benefits.

I remain undecided on the regional magnets.  I do believe that we need more magnets to supply more students with those opportunities.  However, I fear that we may be replacing our limited high quality programs with more seats in less rigorous replacements - breaking what works instead of adding to it.  The assignment of Mr. Ostrander is the best sign I’ve seen that this change may be beneficial by opening the magnet programs up to more students without sacrificing the current opportunities.  When my kids were in the Blair magnet, I saw firsthand how dedicated he was to maintaining the quality of the magnet.  I only hope that the powers that be will heed his advice and prioritize education rather than following their usual practice of blithely following their whims, heedless to the ultimate effects on what should be their primary focus.

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