MCPS has no inspector general or its own independent auditor. It's got a $2.5bln budget.

FCPS (Fairfax) does. It's a tiny staff, but they do have one:
https://www.fcps.edu/school-board/office-auditor-general

I even contacted them years ago about an issue (violating equal employment laws in a job posting) and they responded quickly and corrected it within 24 hours.

I just question voting and re-voting and voting five times until you have the answer you want. Is that normal procedure?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all so clueless. Try getting involved, and learn what is actually going on. You too will be horrified by MCPS, and when you try to get things fixed you can be called a malcontent.

Really? It seems so much better now for my kids than when I was an MCPS student 30 years ago. Just seems like the same people find almost anything to complain about but lack the ability to see all the good things. A big part of this seems to be whether a person is able to take personal responsibility for their lives. I notice those who complain expect the school system to solve all their problems.

So you think this Board meeting is no big deal and normal?

Right. Regardless of what you think of the half-days (I honestly don't care that much and think some folks are making a bigger deal of it than it really is), the behavior by the board members in that room was an embarrassment.

The board members need to understand the process and rules and behave in a more professional manner.

And its clear that the board needs to serve in a stricter oversight role. The response from MCPS and some board members when reasonable pushback occurred is indicative of too close a relationship between the two bodies.

The Board should be skeptical of these, and the onus should be on MCPS to show why its necessary. They should not feel comfortable coming to a board meeting expect a rubber stamp approval.

That's the bigger problem here

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are all so clueless. Try getting involved, and learn what is actually going on. You too will be horrified by MCPS, and when you try to get things fixed you can be called a malcontent.

Really? It seems so much better now for my kids than when I was an MCPS student 30 years ago. Just seems like the same people find almost anything to complain about but lack the ability to see all the good things. A big part of this seems to be whether a person is able to take personal responsibility for their lives. I notice those who complain expect the school system to solve all their problems.

So you think this Board meeting is no big deal and normal?

Anonymous wrote:You are all so clueless. Try getting involved, and learn what is actually going on. You too will be horrified by MCPS, and when you try to get things fixed you can be called a malcontent.

Really? It seems so much better now for my kids than when I was an MCPS student 30 years ago. Just seems like the same people find almost anything to complain about but lack the ability to see all the good things. A big part of this seems to be whether a person is able to take personal responsibility for their lives. I notice those who complain expect the school system to solve all their problems.

You are all so clueless. Try getting involved, and learn what is actually going on. You too will be horrified by MCPS, and when you try to get things fixed you can be called a malcontent.

Anonymous wrote:

Have to agree with the poster who said this is just the same bunch of malcontents that complain about everything. There all these allegations and negative characterizations posted here but the one thing that isn't is a shred of evidence that supports that nonsense. These parents like to pretend MCPS is too big and corrupt because it doesn't cater to their every need and tries to serve everyone and that is the real issue.

Yep

+1000 it gets old

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is MCPS and the Board considering changing the calendar mid-year? Why the need for extra half days that reduce instruction during a time that many students are trying to catch up from the regression caused by last year? Why do they feel school administrators need extra days off?

Less teaching, less work, same pay. A terrible way to run a school system. A terrible way to make up for last year’s nonsense and lost instructional days.

Teachers have lost tons of time covering for absent colleagues.

That is an example of how MCPS is mismanaged, not why additional half days and full days off need to be added to the school calendar for this fiscal year. Didn’t MCPS teachers and administrators also get a financial bonus?

Anonymous wrote:

Have to agree with the poster who said this is just the same bunch of malcontents that complain about everything. There all these allegations and negative characterizations posted here but the one thing that isn't is a shred of evidence that supports that nonsense. These parents like to pretend MCPS is too big and corrupt because it doesn't cater to their every need and tries to serve everyone and that is the real issue.

Yep

Remind us all why the MCPS director of transportation and assistant director are out of work now? It was OK for them to skim off $600k from mcps, so why aren’t they still employed?

Anonymous wrote:

Have to agree with the poster who said this is just the same bunch of malcontents that complain about everything. There all these allegations and negative characterizations posted here but the one thing that isn't is a shred of evidence that supports that nonsense. These parents like to pretend MCPS is too big and corrupt because it doesn't cater to their every need and tries to serve everyone and that is the real issue.

Yep

Just State audits, County IG Audits and Montgomery County audits. But why read when you can post trash here?

Have to agree with the poster who said this is just the same bunch of malcontents that complain about everything. There all these allegations and negative characterizations posted here but the one thing that isn't is a shred of evidence that supports that nonsense. These parents like to pretend MCPS is too big and corrupt because it doesn't cater to their every need and tries to serve everyone and that is the real issue.

Yep

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it will backfire that she gave the principals all those extra paid vacation days. Yes, I'm sure that pleased the principals, but their teachers are incredibly resentful now and it's going to hurt their relationships with the people THEY supervise. It's like using cotton balls to plug a broken water pipe.

They did not get extra paid vacation days.

DP

Of course it’s extra paid vacation days. What else do you want to call it?

There were days that admin was required to work previously. Now, they are no longer required to work them, with this new schedule. Pay remains the same.

It’s extra paid vacation days.

+1,000,000 The MCPS public relations peeps are working overtime this weekend trying to cover for the idiot BOE.

Really? I wouldn't get worked up over something like this, and seems like a smart move by the BoE. The posts here mostly seem like the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything.

Smart move to waste your money. Don’t need any subs at your school,eh?

It's not going to cost them more money to declare those days systemwide closure days. It should even save money because all the 12-month staff won't be in the buildings.

But they are paying staff to not work.

They're salaried employees.

OK, so either they don't have enough work for a full time salary and missing few days is meaningless. Or stuff will not get done.

I thought subs / temps and a few others are all hourly, so yes, you are paying for those people.

Love it! Using the phrase "the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything" tells me that you really have no clue. I really didn't look into the board's activities until recently and if Kid Museum is any indication, these are not just "trivial matters" to sweep under the rug. Now I'm wondering what a full budget audit would reveal? How many millions in crumbs from the billion dollar budget fell off the table? That would be interesting.

There is plenty! Anyone who has been paying attention over the last 5-10 years could see how MCPS mismanaged funds. Dig around on threads here, and look up articles on local sources like Bethesda Beat.

MCPS is simply too large and corrupt. And has had a terrible lack of solid leadership recently. Kids suffer because of it, unfortunately. And parents (and taxpayers) foot the bill.

So we spend a few million auditing to find a few million in crumbs. Or just accept that in any sufficient large organization there will be some loss.

The way retail outfits accept some level of shoplifting and internal theft as part of doing business.

Why would you spend a few millions on an audit???? What an idiot. That’s wasteful right there. Audits aren’t that expensive in the real world.

Audit fees tend to be around 0.1 to 0.2% of annual monies. With operating and capital spending, that's going to be millions in audit fees.

But the State audits MCPS for free and the BOE ignores them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it will backfire that she gave the principals all those extra paid vacation days. Yes, I'm sure that pleased the principals, but their teachers are incredibly resentful now and it's going to hurt their relationships with the people THEY supervise. It's like using cotton balls to plug a broken water pipe.

They did not get extra paid vacation days.

DP

Of course it’s extra paid vacation days. What else do you want to call it?

There were days that admin was required to work previously. Now, they are no longer required to work them, with this new schedule. Pay remains the same.

It’s extra paid vacation days.

+1,000,000 The MCPS public relations peeps are working overtime this weekend trying to cover for the idiot BOE.

Really? I wouldn't get worked up over something like this, and seems like a smart move by the BoE. The posts here mostly seem like the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything.

Smart move to waste your money. Don’t need any subs at your school,eh?

It's not going to cost them more money to declare those days systemwide closure days. It should even save money because all the 12-month staff won't be in the buildings.

But they are paying staff to not work.

They're salaried employees.

OK, so either they don't have enough work for a full time salary and missing few days is meaningless. Or stuff will not get done.

I thought subs / temps and a few others are all hourly, so yes, you are paying for those people.

Love it! Using the phrase "the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything" tells me that you really have no clue. I really didn't look into the board's activities until recently and if Kid Museum is any indication, these are not just "trivial matters" to sweep under the rug. Now I'm wondering what a full budget audit would reveal? How many millions in crumbs from the billion dollar budget fell off the table? That would be interesting.

There is plenty! Anyone who has been paying attention over the last 5-10 years could see how MCPS mismanaged funds. Dig around on threads here, and look up articles on local sources like Bethesda Beat.

MCPS is simply too large and corrupt. And has had a terrible lack of solid leadership recently. Kids suffer because of it, unfortunately. And parents (and taxpayers) foot the bill.

Have to agree with the poster who said this is just the same bunch of malcontents that complain about everything. There all these allegations and negative characterizations posted here but the one thing that isn't is a shred of evidence that supports that nonsense. These parents like to pretend MCPS is too big and corrupt because it doesn't cater to their every need and tries to serve everyone and that is the real issue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it will backfire that she gave the principals all those extra paid vacation days. Yes, I'm sure that pleased the principals, but their teachers are incredibly resentful now and it's going to hurt their relationships with the people THEY supervise. It's like using cotton balls to plug a broken water pipe.

They did not get extra paid vacation days.

DP

Of course it’s extra paid vacation days. What else do you want to call it?

There were days that admin was required to work previously. Now, they are no longer required to work them, with this new schedule. Pay remains the same.

It’s extra paid vacation days.

+1,000,000 The MCPS public relations peeps are working overtime this weekend trying to cover for the idiot BOE.

Really? I wouldn't get worked up over something like this, and seems like a smart move by the BoE. The posts here mostly seem like the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything.

Smart move to waste your money. Don’t need any subs at your school,eh?

It's not going to cost them more money to declare those days systemwide closure days. It should even save money because all the 12-month staff won't be in the buildings.

But they are paying staff to not work.

They're salaried employees.

OK, so either they don't have enough work for a full time salary and missing few days is meaningless. Or stuff will not get done.

I thought subs / temps and a few others are all hourly, so yes, you are paying for those people.

Love it! Using the phrase "the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything" tells me that you really have no clue. I really didn't look into the board's activities until recently and if Kid Museum is any indication, these are not just "trivial matters" to sweep under the rug. Now I'm wondering what a full budget audit would reveal? How many millions in crumbs from the billion dollar budget fell off the table? That would be interesting.

There is plenty! Anyone who has been paying attention over the last 5-10 years could see how MCPS mismanaged funds. Dig around on threads here, and look up articles on local sources like Bethesda Beat.

MCPS is simply too large and corrupt. And has had a terrible lack of solid leadership recently. Kids suffer because of it, unfortunately. And parents (and taxpayers) foot the bill.

So we spend a few million auditing to find a few million in crumbs. Or just accept that in any sufficient large organization there will be some loss.

The way retail outfits accept some level of shoplifting and internal theft as part of doing business.

Why would you spend a few millions on an audit???? What an idiot. That’s wasteful right there. Audits aren’t that expensive in the real world.

Audit fees tend to be around 0.1 to 0.2% of annual monies. With operating and capital spending, that's going to be millions in audit fees.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it will backfire that she gave the principals all those extra paid vacation days. Yes, I'm sure that pleased the principals, but their teachers are incredibly resentful now and it's going to hurt their relationships with the people THEY supervise. It's like using cotton balls to plug a broken water pipe.

They did not get extra paid vacation days.

DP

Of course it’s extra paid vacation days. What else do you want to call it?

There were days that admin was required to work previously. Now, they are no longer required to work them, with this new schedule. Pay remains the same.

It’s extra paid vacation days.

+1,000,000 The MCPS public relations peeps are working overtime this weekend trying to cover for the idiot BOE.

Really? I wouldn't get worked up over something like this, and seems like a smart move by the BoE. The posts here mostly seem like the same set of angry malcontents that like to complain about everything.

Smart move to waste your money. Don’t need any subs at your school,eh?

It's not going to cost them more money to declare those days systemwide closure days. It should even save money because all the 12-month staff won't be in the buildings.

Wow. Twisting yourself into all sorts of crazy pretzel logic knots to defend a stupid move.

Of course it costs money. These employees were supposed to work on this days. They get paid to work on this days. Now, they will NOT be working on those days, but taxpayers are still paying the employees.

The additional paid vacation days to the administration translate into thousands of hours of lost productivity across the system. How are those hours going to be compensated? If there is nothing to compensate, is the MCPS admin so overstaffed that they can afford to lose thousands of hours with no impact. If so, why can't they step in to help the teachers so that they can have their planning time and there will be no need for the half days?