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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
For years, and over the course of several Superintendent tenures, MCPS has made a point of spending a ton on messaging, and not on actual academic rigor. This is so they can continue to brand themselves as the best large public school system in the nation, while practices on the ground do not entirely reach their claims. Don't get me wrong. My kids are in MCPS for a reason. It's about as good as it gets in the USA if you want free education. But it could be so much better, yet they choose to spend their dollars on PR instead...

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It's a group text. It's free.[/quote]

Oh you naive one. You're probably the one who thinks what celebrities say and do are spur-of-the-moment things, and not heavily curated and planned by their well-paid PR team on retainer. Cute, PP, cute.

MCPS spends a FORTUNE on PR. MILLIONS. That little group of words you just received did not just pop into her head and make its way to a free messaging system.

Ha ha! Really, you're so refreshing. 
[/quote]

Frankly, they should not be allowed to use taxpayer funding for PR. [/quote]

They are to use taxpayer funds however those elected see fit. How you feel about it is irrelevant. Many others here have complained about a lack of communication and transparency. This helps address that concern.[/quote]

It's not accurate to say that MCPS may "use taxpayer funds however those elected see fit".

I believe that according to the Gillett Amendment, "appropriated funds may not be used to pay a publicity expert unless specifically appropriated for that purpose."  In other words, it has to be explicitly called out and authorized by the lawmakers for the purposes of hiring a publicity expert.

I'm a little fuzzy whether a judge would consider "communications" specific enough, since "communications" can mean different things than "influencing social media on DCUMS"?  MCPS spends so much on attorneys, (over $11M?) that my guess is they don't mind testing case law on the topic?

Maryland also has a rich history of public corruption, so it's difficult to punish offenders.

Part III Local Boards of Education Public Ethics Law covers the Montgomery County Board of Education as well as the Superintendent of Schools:
https://ethics.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/filebase/general/Public-Ethics-Law.pdf

Unfortunately, it does seem to be a paper tiger.  This explains the issues involved in fighting corruption in Maryland (not just at the school-level):
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2019/06/07/public-corruption-in-maryland-its-no-accident/

So this was why the Feds were pursuing corruption in Maryland:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-anti-corruption-bills/2020/01/28/19978ddc-412b-11ea-b503-2b077c436617_story.html

Hogan did propose the Ethics and Accountability in Government Act (EAGA) in 2020:
https://governor.maryland.gov/2020/01/07/accountability-session-governor-hogan-proposes-tough-new-ethics-reform-for-public-officials-urges-lawmakers-to-pass-crime-package/

But according to this it looks stalled:
https://trackbill.com/bill/maryland-house-bill-360-ethics-and-accountability-in-government-act/1852843/

The Montgomery County OIG does have jurisdiction of MCPS, and does actively pursue cases from time to time.  Here is a recent one:

"OIG Finds MCPS Retained An Estimated $3 to $13.5 Million in Employee Prepaid Insurance Premiums"
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGNewsRelease/2022/MCPSRetainsPrepaidInsurancePremiumsPublication.pdf

This is where you'd report Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Montgomery County, for example:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oig/hotline.html[/quote]

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