Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:44     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

That budget includes $40 million to plug next year's gap in the health insurance fund so not only are they running to the Council for money but they are anticipating this issue will persist for a minimum of 2 years which is appalling.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:43     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.
Hi
More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


But they didn’t just run to the council for more money. In fact they explained to the BOE that it not what should be done immediately.


Yeah they just did it in the budget they proposed shortly after that session
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:38     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.
Hi
More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


But they didn’t just run to the council for more money. In fact they explained to the BOE that it not what should be done immediately.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:35     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

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:40,000,000 divided by 26,000 employees works out to around $1600 per employee as an average.

My best guess is that MCPS will muddle through it and then fight tooth and nail against pay increases for teachers. I got tired of teaching in FCPS,MD watching us get a pay increase but then also having our share of insurance go up and cancel out any take home salary increase. It sucked and was demoralizing for newer staff who can barely make it in any school system due to low pay and poor support.

Adjusted for inflation pay at each step goes down every year. Hard to recommend teaching for college graduates based on the economics of this area and college costs now.



Teachers get paid salaries competitive with nurses, mid-level health care providers, and most public sector jobs.

By and large, the problem isn't pay- it is workload.



Exactly. How many hours are nurses putting in outside of work hours? Teaching is the one job where you need to work at home so that you work to do when you’re at work. It’s even worse now that we don’t have the financial resources for instructional materials and increased demands on our time that have nothing to do with planning, grading and reflecting on actual teaching.


Nurses are paid hourly and work year round. Teachers are salaried workers and they are paid for 10 months of the year. Btw I don't think it's a good look to go after HCW.

I think the issues you are describing are mostly management problems and those need to be solved, but increasing pay (which happens every year and which I support) is not going to solve them by itself.

The health insurance issue is a management issue as well and is why I hear teachers complaining they don't even have desks for their students. This is why there is a budget freeze and it directly impacts working conditions. That's on MCPS central staff.


You just said yourself you're not a teacher, so don't assume anything about the workload or what kind of problems they are until you've done the job. No one is commenting about your job and pretending to have a clue what the day to day is like for you.


I literally said nothing about teacher's workload, nor am I pretending to know what it is like to be a teacher, I am aware that it is hard, and I know many teachers personally. Many of them are staying for the money, not despite it.

I am a taxpayer and a voter. And plenty of people say stuff about my job, mostly unkind things.


DP but you did try to pretend to know “what kinds” of problems teachers face. You don’t know. Having a few so-called teacher friends doesn’t mean you know anything. I have surgeon friends and I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of hospitals because I hear their complaints about work. So happy to hear you pay taxes! No one cares.


Wow. You are entitled to your opinion but you're not convincing me of anything except you are really angry at anyone concerned about mismanagement in MCPS, which is obviously rampant.


No ones trying to convince you of anything. Glad to see you’ve stopped putting your two cents into subjects you know nothing about though. Angry? lol…quite the opposite…we all know MCPS has no clue how to manage… it’s not breaking news. Everyone here knows this. You’re not special because you’re parading around as if you’re different because you’re “concerned.” Stay in your own lane when it comes to commenting about a job you don’t actually do though.


I'm not commenting about a job. I'm commenting about a public school system in a democratic society. Being aware of the issues.is in every taxpayer's "lane" whether you like it or not.
.

lol. You don’t deserve more than that. Just know everyone with a functioning brain is laughing at you. Good luck.


Aww. You gonna post more embarrassing pics of the kid you can’t wake up for school on your own? We all know who you are. All of your actions are…. Yikes. Stop posting. We’d all be better for it.


MCPS central staff crying bloody murder bc taxpayers don't want to pay for their $40 million mistake.


Why do folks keep saying this. They added money to the benefit fund for this year, switched providers which is saving money, passed on a 9% increase as based on advice by Aon. They’ve instituted a freeze. What were you expecting them to do?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:27     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.


That is really unfair to the new teachers.


Not really. It would balance out over time.

How is it fairer to make taxpayers always cover the difference?


I hope not! A $40 million deficit is not normal. This should not happen again. Though they are already planning on it for next year which is really distressing.


40M is extreme, but they're never going to be able to guess precisely. The only sensible thing is to pay into a reserve fund, and make small adjustments to the premiums based on the reserve balance. Presumably this is what other programs do.


You are being too kind. I suggest you watch closely the council hearings on the county governemnt's insurance funds to understand why the MCPS situation is messed up. They can pass on the costs to next year's teachers but this doesn't mean it will "balance out"
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:23     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.


That is really unfair to the new teachers.


Not really. It would balance out over time.

How is it fairer to make taxpayers always cover the difference?


I hope not! A $40 million deficit is not normal. This should not happen again. Though they are already planning on it for next year which is really distressing.


40M is extreme, but they're never going to be able to guess precisely. The only sensible thing is to pay into a reserve fund, and make small adjustments to the premiums based on the reserve balance. Presumably this is what other programs do.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 19:01     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.


That is really unfair to the new teachers.


Not really. It would balance out over time.

How is it fairer to make taxpayers always cover the difference?


I hope not! A $40 million deficit is not normal. This should not happen again. Though they are already planning on it for next year which is really distressing.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:58     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.


That is really unfair to the new teachers.


Not really. It would balance out over time.

How is it fairer to make taxpayers always cover the difference?
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:53     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.


That is really unfair to the new teachers.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:47     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.


Why don't they make up the shortfall with the premiums set for the next year? I would think they'd need to refill a reserve fund.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:39     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.


First they blamed it on inflation and WeGovy. Their story keeps changing. Why keep working with Aon if they are so bad at underestimating premiums. Sounds super shady since underestimating premiums clearly benefits employees. Then they just run to the Council for more money. Life is so easy when you can just ask your parents for more money while the adults deal with the fallout from raising taxes/cutting county services.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:28     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.


If you watched the Fiscal Management Committee meeting, they blamed the $40 million shortfall in the EBP on their benefits provider, Aon, who apparently has underestimated premiums a few years in a row.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 18:14     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

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:You can't cry bloody murder over $60 million and say $5 million is "nominal".


Cutting the va is not reasonable.


Spending $5M a year to poorly educate a very small number of kids is not reasonable.


Right, in person costs more so let’s shut down a few schools and that will solve the shortfall.


Let's put it out for a referendum: close schools or close VA. What do you think would win?


There are multiple low performing schools. Makes sense to close them. Huge cost savings.


You should definitely propose that to the BoE as the alternative to closing VA.


The BOE is not shutting down the MVA so its not even a discussion.


Not this year. But they strongly implied they will next year. And the budget situation seals it.


No, they implied it would be discontinued for elementary grades but continued for secondary.


No, that’s not what was implied at the end.


Indeed they did. You're going to have to switch to homeschooling.


That’s not what was said. Why are you so nasty?


The implication of the discussion was clear. Why do you think that's nasty? If it is really that important to you to socially isolate your children from the rest of society, you will need to make other plans.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 08:39     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:The County Executives budget recommendation for MCPS is $55.7M less than requested.

Doesn’t even cover $25M needed for inflation, staff for new space,etc.

More cuts are coming…

https://mcpsmd.new.swagit.com/videos/300375


If MCPS staff hadn't screwed up health insurance premiums so that the system is now $40 million in the hole annually, they'd have what they need for inflation, Wootton, and more. The cuts have nothing to do with the CE and everything to do with incompetent Central Staff.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2024 08:32     Subject: Budget- CE recommended budget $55.7M less

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:40,000,000 divided by 26,000 employees works out to around $1600 per employee as an average.

My best guess is that MCPS will muddle through it and then fight tooth and nail against pay increases for teachers. I got tired of teaching in FCPS,MD watching us get a pay increase but then also having our share of insurance go up and cancel out any take home salary increase. It sucked and was demoralizing for newer staff who can barely make it in any school system due to low pay and poor support.

Adjusted for inflation pay at each step goes down every year. Hard to recommend teaching for college graduates based on the economics of this area and college costs now.



Teachers get paid salaries competitive with nurses, mid-level health care providers, and most public sector jobs.

By and large, the problem isn't pay- it is workload.



Exactly. How many hours are nurses putting in outside of work hours? Teaching is the one job where you need to work at home so that you work to do when you’re at work. It’s even worse now that we don’t have the financial resources for instructional materials and increased demands on our time that have nothing to do with planning, grading and reflecting on actual teaching.


Nurses are paid hourly and work year round. Teachers are salaried workers and they are paid for 10 months of the year. Btw I don't think it's a good look to go after HCW.

I think the issues you are describing are mostly management problems and those need to be solved, but increasing pay (which happens every year and which I support) is not going to solve them by itself.

The health insurance issue is a management issue as well and is why I hear teachers complaining they don't even have desks for their students. This is why there is a budget freeze and it directly impacts working conditions. That's on MCPS central staff.


You just said yourself you're not a teacher, so don't assume anything about the workload or what kind of problems they are until you've done the job. No one is commenting about your job and pretending to have a clue what the day to day is like for you.


I literally said nothing about teacher's workload, nor am I pretending to know what it is like to be a teacher, I am aware that it is hard, and I know many teachers personally. Many of them are staying for the money, not despite it.

I am a taxpayer and a voter. And plenty of people say stuff about my job, mostly unkind things.


DP but you did try to pretend to know “what kinds” of problems teachers face. You don’t know. Having a few so-called teacher friends doesn’t mean you know anything. I have surgeon friends and I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of hospitals because I hear their complaints about work. So happy to hear you pay taxes! No one cares.


Wow. You are entitled to your opinion but you're not convincing me of anything except you are really angry at anyone concerned about mismanagement in MCPS, which is obviously rampant.


No ones trying to convince you of anything. Glad to see you’ve stopped putting your two cents into subjects you know nothing about though. Angry? lol…quite the opposite…we all know MCPS has no clue how to manage… it’s not breaking news. Everyone here knows this. You’re not special because you’re parading around as if you’re different because you’re “concerned.” Stay in your own lane when it comes to commenting about a job you don’t actually do though.


I'm not commenting about a job. I'm commenting about a public school system in a democratic society. Being aware of the issues.is in every taxpayer's "lane" whether you like it or not.
.

lol. You don’t deserve more than that. Just know everyone with a functioning brain is laughing at you. Good luck.


Aww. You gonna post more embarrassing pics of the kid you can’t wake up for school on your own? We all know who you are. All of your actions are…. Yikes. Stop posting. We’d all be better for it.


In case anyone was wondering if there is a culture of bullying among MCPS staff lol