Anonymous wrote:

Talking about ‘below market rates’ doesn’t make it okay. Market rates for tutoring can be $350/hour, that doesn’t make $250/hour acceptable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Skucrofr and Summit Lake do not have an employee who gets a salary from MCPS. They pay for use of facilities.

MCPS pays the salary of a Private School employee in the case of Saturday aschool. There is a difference.

Can we please stop with this "private school" disinformation?

Khadija Barkley is an MCPS employee. That's why they pay her salary -- because she's on the MCPS payroll. That's what you're complaining about. You're complaining that they pay her salary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People 'over' where??

I think there are lots of Working Class families who find this somewhat odd - that MCPS would funnel money into a private school, when our kids don't even have adequate staffing/facilities at our schools.

My kids attend a Focus School in Silver Spring. Are were 'over there' enough for you? My principal could do a TON with an extra $600K. We have no aides in K, our media specialist is begging parents to donate books, our class sizes in 4th and 5th grade are ridiculous. Even if they want to divide the $600K that MCPS gives Saturday School amongst the Title 1/Focus Schools in the county, most parents 'over here' would be pretty happy with an extra few thousand dollars in the school's budget.

SATURDAY SCHOOL IS NOT A PRIVATE SCHOOL. Yes, I'm shouting.

But really, do you call Mathnasium a private school? How about Princeton Review?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody ‘opposes’ the program. I’m sure it’s great. My neighbor attends.

However, we do oppose using Public School Money to fund a Private School. Unless you are for Charter Schools (which maybe you are?).

No one attends Saturday School INSTEAD OF attending a MCPS public school. It does not replace the education received during the school day. It provides extra tutoring and enrichment at below-market rates. Did no one commenting on this thread see the recent thread about whether MCPS should be providing MORE money and support for tutoring and enrichment activities for low-income students? http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/728317.page

You may oppose using some public school money to fund after school tutoring and enrichment at below-market rates through a non-profit entity that receives 28% of its funding from MCPS and 72% of its funding from other sources, but calling that "using public school money to fund a private school" is misleading and disingenuous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Contracted services are awarded by the Board of Education as part of the budget process. Bids are received and competitive bids win awards.

What other tutoring services have bid to have a full time MCPS administrator run their program?

I don't have any idea, but if you're interested, you can find out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Skucrofr and Summit Lake do not have an employee who gets a salary from MCPS. They pay for use of facilities.

MCPS pays the salary of a Private School employee in the case of Saturday aschool. There is a difference.

Can we please stop with this "private school" disinformation?

Khadija Barkley is an MCPS employee. That's why they pay her salary -- because she's on the MCPS payroll. That's what you're complaining about. You're complaining that they pay her salary.

Anonymous wrote:

Contracted services are awarded by the Board of Education as part of the budget process. Bids are received and competitive bids win awards.

What other tutoring services have bid to have a full time MCPS administrator run their program?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^^this is classic "Parents' Coalition" style. It's why I wouldn't believe them if they told me it was raining.

I have no idea what the Parents Coalition is, but either way this thread raises some good questions.

Why is MCPS using funds to pay the salary of a private non-profit. Does MCPS have oversight over the program in question?

1. Because it provides a benefit to the MCPS community;

2. Yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Skucrofr and Summit Lake do not have an employee who gets a salary from MCPS. They pay for use of facilities.

MCPS pays the salary of a Private School employee in the case of Saturday aschool. There is a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How can you quantify that it benefits the community?

Because they say that they do??

I think a Water Park would benefit the MCPS community. The kids would get outdoors more. Studies show that kids who get more outdoor time can focus better in school. Should we use $625K of MCPS money to fund it?

As it happens, MCPS pays the organizations that own Skycroft and Summit Lake, for outdoor ed. If you oppose that, you can start a campaign to end outdoor ed, or to only have outdoor ed at the Smith Center.

Skucrofr and Summit Lake do not have an employee who gets a salary from MCPS. They pay for use of facilities.


MCPS pays the salary of a Private School employee in the case of Saturday aschool. There is a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Run by a private company. A private company that gets $626,000 from MCPS.

It's a non-profit organization that gets payment from MCPS. I'm sure that it's not the only non-profit organization that gets payment from MCPS. I'm also sure that MCPS is not the only public school districts that pays money to non-profit organizations.

AND one that has a full time, MCPS paid for principal. Principal is on MCPS payroll with benefits. How many other non-profit organizations can say that?

No, it doesn't. It has a director who is an MCPS employee. How many other non-profit organizations have directors who are MCPS employees? I don't know, and I don't particularly care. But if you care, you can go through the MCPS budget and find out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How can you quantify that it benefits the community?

Because they say that they do??

I think a Water Park would benefit the MCPS community. The kids would get outdoors more. Studies show that kids who get more outdoor time can focus better in school. Should we use $625K of MCPS money to fund it?

As it happens, MCPS pays the organizations that own Skycroft and Summit Lake, for outdoor ed. If you oppose that, you can start a campaign to end outdoor ed, or to only have outdoor ed at the Smith Center.

Anonymous wrote:
How can you quantify that it benefits the community?

Because they say that they do??

I think a Water Park would benefit the MCPS community. The kids would get outdoors more. Studies show that kids who get more outdoor time can focus better in school. Should we use $625K of MCPS money to fund it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Run by a private company. A private company that gets $626,000 from MCPS.

It's a non-profit organization that gets payment from MCPS. I'm sure that it's not the only non-profit organization that gets payment from MCPS. I'm also sure that MCPS is not the only public school districts that pays money to non-profit organizations.

AND one that has a full time, MCPS paid for principal. Principal is on MCPS payroll with benefits. How many other non-profit organizations can say that?

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody ‘opposes’ the program. I’m sure it’s great. My neighbor attends.

However, we do oppose using Public School Money to fund a Private School. Unless you are for Charter Schools (which maybe you are?).