Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the connection between the federal pay freeze, which was the result of Obama caving in to Republican demands that the middle of a big recession was the perfect time to make federal employees pay for deficit reduction, and the county pay freeze, which was the result of Montgomery County getting a whole lot less tax revenue as a result of the big recession.

Get it. The County got less money because we tax payers were not getting raises and were even getting laid off. Our property values were going down. Everyone was suffering. It was not a time for a raise.

And I totally support Maryland's law on the maintenance of effort. Without such a law, what do states cut, when the economy goes bad? They cut education.

This law is about union power over local elected officials. MCPS is about about one half of our MoCo budget. MCPS regularly has $20-$30 Million surplus at the end of the year. The teachers get raises, when the rest of the county budget is cutting back. Why can't our elected leaders decide how to spend money? What business does the state have in deciding our local budget?

In any case, it's one thing to say that in your opinion, MCEA has too much influence on the MC BOE. It's quite another to call them the BOE's "overlords".

You can't get elected to the school board without a union endorsement. Call it what you want. To be honest, I can't blame the union. We voters like giving the union all this power. Let's not kid ourselves about this power, though. It is what it is.

What can we do to overthrow the union? I have a good friend who is a teacher and I wouldnt want her teaching my child - she would have been fired in the corporate world, she is that bad! Nice lady - horrible teacher. She is safe and she knows it.

I don't understand the connection between the federal pay freeze, which was the result of Obama caving in to Republican demands that the middle of a big recession was the perfect time to make federal employees pay for deficit reduction, and the county pay freeze, which was the result of Montgomery County getting a whole lot less tax revenue as a result of the big recession.

Get it. The County got less money because we tax payers were not getting raises and were even getting laid off. Our property values were going down. Everyone was suffering. It was not a time for a raise.

And I totally support Maryland's law on the maintenance of effort. Without such a law, what do states cut, when the economy goes bad? They cut education.

This law is about union power over local elected officials. MCPS is about about one half of our MoCo budget. MCPS regularly has $20-$30 Million surplus at the end of the year. The teachers get raises, when the rest of the county budget is cutting back. Why can't our elected leaders decide how to spend money? What business does the state have in deciding our local budget?

In any case, it's one thing to say that in your opinion, MCEA has too much influence on the MC BOE. It's quite another to call them the BOE's "overlords".

You can't get elected to the school board without a union endorsement. Call it what you want. To be honest, I can't blame the union. We voters like giving the union all this power. Let's not kid ourselves about this power, though. It is what it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is a huge county-based school system. You have no voice in your child's education. I think there are benefits (e.g. lots of resources), but there are downsides as well!

No voice. No voice at all. None. How about that.

That is sad. So lets continue to cry the blues on DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is a huge county-based school system. You have no voice in your child's education. I think there are benefits (e.g. lots of resources), but there are downsides as well!

No voice. No voice at all. None. How about that.

Anonymous wrote:
MCEA is the teachers union. They endorse the apple ballot, which always seems to get elected. It is not an accident that MCPS has the highest paid teachers in the area with lots of off-days, simple pass/fail (P or not P) report cards with no teacher comments, and very little parent input. The state version of MCEA has gotten a law passed that prevents Montgomery County and other counties from lowering the budget without losing state funding. Remember when Federal govt workers had pay freezes during the recession. Well, MCPS teachers got a bit raise after only a year or two of freezes. This is all what you would expect when the union sits down the BOE to negotiate a budget with itself.

I don't understand the connection between the federal pay freeze, which was the result of Obama caving in to Republican demands that the middle of a big recession was the perfect time to make federal employees pay for deficit reduction, and the county pay freeze, which was the result of Montgomery County getting a whole lot less tax revenue as a result of the big recession.

And I totally support Maryland's law on the maintenance of effort. Without such a law, what do states cut, when the economy goes bad? They cut education.

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=4011

In any case, it's one thing to say that in your opinion, MCEA has too much influence on the MC BOE. It's quite another to call them the BOE's "overlords".

Anonymous wrote:PP here:

MCEA is the teachers union. They endorse the apple ballot, which always seems to get elected. It is not an accident that MCPS has the highest paid teachers in the area with lots of off-days, simple pass/fail (P or not P) report cards with no teacher comments, and very little parent input. The state version of MCEA has gotten a law passed that prevents Montgomery County and other counties from lowering the budget without losing state funding. Remember when Federal govt workers had pay freezes during the recession. Well, MCPS teachers got a bit raise after only a year or two of freezes. This is all what you would expect when the union sits down the BOE to negotiate a budget with itself.

This ultimately is the voters fault, but many voters don't have kids in the schools and just vote for the "teacher" candidate with the signs everywhere. Regardless, it is hard to argue that the MCEA doesn't have a large say in who get's elected and the policies of the system. This is their system with the complicity of the voters.

If you want to complain, praise, etc. - send Doug Prouty a message.

My personal view is that the teachers union needs to be at the table, but not the only one's at the table.

Are you talking about the Montgomery Count in MD? I'm a parent at the MS and HS level, and work as a tutor with a number of MCPS kids and so I see a lot of report cards. Elementary school report cards have 4 grades to choose from, one of which is P, and middle and high school have 5 letter grades. Elementary school report cards definitely have comments.

MCPS is a huge county-based school system. You have no voice in your child's education. I think there are benefits (e.g. lots of resources), but there are downsides as well!

PP here:

MCEA is the teachers union. They endorse the apple ballot, which always seems to get elected. It is not an accident that MCPS has the highest paid teachers in the area with lots of off-days, simple pass/fail (P or not P) report cards with no teacher comments, and very little parent input. The state version of MCEA has gotten a law passed that prevents Montgomery County and other counties from lowering the budget without losing state funding. Remember when Federal govt workers had pay freezes during the recession. Well, MCPS teachers got a bit raise after only a year or two of freezes. This is all what you would expect when the union sits down the BOE to negotiate a budget with itself.

This ultimately is the voters fault, but many voters don't have kids in the schools and just vote for the "teacher" candidate with the signs everywhere. Regardless, it is hard to argue that the MCEA doesn't have a large say in who get's elected and the policies of the system. This is their system with the complicity of the voters.

If you want to complain, praise, etc. - send Doug Prouty a message.

My personal view is that the teachers union needs to be at the table, but not the only one's at the table.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You might also want to complain to their overlords at MCEA.

http://www.mceanea.org/about/board.php

Snort.

Explain?

PP is saying that the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) is the "overlord" of the members of the Montgomery County Board of Education.

The MCEA is the union for the professional staff (teachers, etc.) in MCPS.

The Montgomery County Board of Education is the school board. We -- Montgomery County voters -- elect the members. See here, for example:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-schools-insider/post/montgomery-board-of-education-primary-meet-the-candidates/2012/03/23/gIQAPKU6bS_blog.html

Is that a sufficient explanation for "snort"? Or should I explain further? I'm not asking to be snarky. If you want more explanation, I'll explain more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You might also want to complain to their overlords at MCEA.

http://www.mceanea.org/about/board.php

Snort.

Explain?

depending on your complaint, you might want to contact the parent's coalition for help.

Anonymous wrote:You might also want to complain to their overlords at MCEA.

http://www.mceanea.org/about/board.php

Snort.

You might also want to complain to their overlords at MCEA.


http://www.mceanea.org/about/board.php

Instead of solely complaining here, we need to express our disatisfaction with the administration directly. I just emailed them my concerns about the music teacher rapist.

boe@mcpsmd.org

Apparently everyone on the board gets the email.