Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I for one say AMEN to Hogan for trying to do something about the corrupt practices of our county school systems. MCPS should closely follow PG County for any scrutiny with the child predator problem outranking any other issue.

Amen to what? An election year token? Where are the specifics? Why is he coming out with this in September of 2018? Why hasnt he done anything since he took office in 2015?

Why are schools across Baltimore closed due to lack of air conditioning?

Does he really think we're this stupid?

Baltimore is a sad sad case. Money is thrown at them and they miss use it. There is a huge culture of corruption that puts the interest of corrupt politicians before the interest of the kids. The fact that they don’t have any air-conditioning is an excusable. Before we throw more money at them let’s find out where the corruption is and let’s have accountability.
I don’t think anybody here can pretend this is the Hogan issue. Baltimore has been corrupt for decades. It’s finally time for somebody to take charge and investigate that .

Completely election year gimmick (like widening the beltway and I270). If any of this was important to him (and MC isnt important to Hogan at all), he would have done it months or years earlier.

I think Smith is moving, albeit slowly, in the right direction. People are mad when predators have been 'hidden' and are still mad now that MCPS is transparent when they are found. He has gotten rid of/reorganozed some people out of central office, and gotten rid of others (Capital Planning).

It's a big machine and it takes time to make course corrections. They did a quick/hard stop when they found improprieties with the new curriculum search. And I think turned it around pretty quickly.

Am I happy with mcps and our overcrowded schools? No. Do I think they're moving in the right direction, maybe. But a big part of the problem is funding. Some schools need smaller class sizes and more support. Others need more facilities because of overcrowding or improved facilities because they haven't been touched since the 1950s. To make all these changes, the schools need money. They raise the property taxes for the first time in 9 years, and people went ballistic. So how do we expect all these changes we want, without increasing the funds? There just isn't millions/billions of bloat left to cut.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How about it works more like the private sector?

If you cost the company (MCPS) $5 million, you lose your job. You do not continue to get benefits.

And then, the company moves quickly to rectify the situation. Instead of sending out ridiculously vague emails.

I remember reading that the Super got some kind of bonus (bonus?!)) last year because he wanted more room for his grandkids to visit.

So, he does a crappy job leading the county schools and he gets a bonus? Such a mess.

Who cost MCPS $5 million?

Erick Lang no longer works for MCPS.

MCPS did move quickly to rectify the situation - they withdrew the RFP. As they should have.

The superintendent got another $8,000 in reimbursement for moving expenses in May 2017. In exchange, he waived his right to up to $8,000 in disability insurance for one year, so it was budget-neutral: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/mcps-superintendent-to-get-another-8000-for-moving-expenses/

Did Erick Lang lose his pension for causing 250,000 students to delay the curriculum adoption process for one year? No, instead Maria Navarro wrote a fawning email, praising Discovery Education for their "ethics" in reporting the situation to MCPS. As if anyone with half a brain wouldn't be able to see that the manager in charge of curriculum at MCPS who they were trying to hire would be somehow involved in the RFP they were bidding on.

At least someone is looking into problems that may have the potential of getting bad administrators out of our schools. Failure to immediately report child abuse is one issue that runs from the school level to the Superintendent in MCPS. Failure to prevent child abuse is another. MCPS keeps giving questionable employees warnings but does not fire till the police make an arrest. Grade fixing an issue as well in MCPS. Circumventing state laws that protect children with disabilities is another.

An non-MCPS entity is needed to shine a bright light on the extensive problems in MCPS. I thank Hogan for looking out for our children. Any democrats running for public office is welcome to join the Governor's lead and start speaking out for the welfare of children in Montgomery County.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I for one say AMEN to Hogan for trying to do something about the corrupt practices of our county school systems. MCPS should closely follow PG County for any scrutiny with the child predator problem outranking any other issue.

Amen to what? An election year token? Where are the specifics? Why is he coming out with this in September of 2018? Why hasnt he done anything since he took office in 2015?

Why are schools across Baltimore closed due to lack of air conditioning?

Does he really think we're this stupid?

Hogan and Franchot are the only ones who have shown any urgency about getting AC in Baltimore County and City schools. It's been horrible.

I don't vote Republican, but I'll be voting for Hogan for the work he's been putting in trying to get my children a safe and equitable school facility.

Anonymous wrote:

How about it works more like the private sector?

If you cost the company (MCPS) $5 million, you lose your job. You do not continue to get benefits.

And then, the company moves quickly to rectify the situation. Instead of sending out ridiculously vague emails.

I remember reading that the Super got some kind of bonus (bonus?!)) last year because he wanted more room for his grandkids to visit.

So, he does a crappy job leading the county schools and he gets a bonus? Such a mess.

Who cost MCPS $5 million?

Erick Lang no longer works for MCPS.

MCPS did move quickly to rectify the situation - they withdrew the RFP. As they should have.

The superintendent got another $8,000 in reimbursement for moving expenses in May 2017. In exchange, he waived his right to up to $8,000 in disability insurance for one year, so it was budget-neutral: https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/mcps-superintendent-to-get-another-8000-for-moving-expenses/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I for one say AMEN to Hogan for trying to do something about the corrupt practices of our county school systems. MCPS should closely follow PG County for any scrutiny with the child predator problem outranking any other issue.

Amen to what? An election year token? Where are the specifics? Why is he coming out with this in September of 2018? Why hasnt he done anything since he took office in 2015?

Why are schools across Baltimore closed due to lack of air conditioning?

Does he really think we're this stupid?

DP

I’m happy that he’s talking about it. Bringing attention to the issue of the state of public education. Maybe it will lead to additional media coverage. Maybe it will make more parents aware of the dysfunction and more parents will get involved and demand change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see somebody held responsible for the curriculum mess.

What was it? Something like $5 million spent on a curriculum that Johns Hopkins discovered was error-ridden and poorly organized.

So just money thrown down the drain and nobody has been held responsible. In fact, Lang has slyly moved on to a new job. While kids are left with no organized curriculum for this school year.

I’ll take help from anywhere we can.

"Held responsible", how? What do you have in mind?

How about it works more like the private sector?

If you cost the company (MCPS) $5 million, you lose your job. You do not continue to get benefits.

And then, the company moves quickly to rectify the situation. Instead of sending out ridiculously vague emails.

I remember reading that the Super got some kind of bonus (bonus?!)) last year because he wanted more room for his grandkids to visit.

So, he does a crappy job leading the county schools and he gets a bonus? Such a mess.

They need to seriously investigate potential collision with former MCPS employees steering the county to Discovery Ed.

This reeks of wrongdoing and has impacted the lives of every single student by delaying the adoption of a proven curriculum by a year.

Anonymous wrote:I would love to see somebody held responsible for the curriculum mess.

What was it? Something like $5 million spent on a curriculum that Johns Hopkins discovered was error-ridden and poorly organized.

So just money thrown down the drain and nobody has been held responsible. In fact, Lang has slyly moved on to a new job. While kids are left with no organized curriculum for this school year.

I’ll take help from anywhere we can.

"Held responsible", how? What do you have in mind?

I would love to see somebody held responsible for the curriculum mess.

What was it? Something like $5 million spent on a curriculum that Johns Hopkins discovered was error-ridden and poorly organized.

So just money thrown down the drain and nobody has been held responsible. In fact, Lang has slyly moved on to a new job. While kids are left with no organized curriculum for this school year.

I’ll take help from anywhere we can.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if MCPS will follow PG County? If so, DH and I need to make childcare arrangements.

Is your school not air conditioned? I think MCPS schools are. Unless it breaks down, you will not be closed.

Lots of people should be accountable for hiding predators in the schools.

Anonymous wrote:

It doesn't say HOW this new office will hold school districts accountable. Suppose they find evidence of wrongdoing. Then what will the office do? Issue a report?

Turn it over to the AG's office. The problems that Hogan lists which are big problems both in PG and MCPS are violations of state law. It would be good to see someone go to jail for stealing school funds or obstruction in hiding predators.

Where does it say that they are going to do that?

And it's a violation of state law to submit and change grades after the quarterly cut-off dates?

Anonymous wrote:Hogan announced that The Office of Education Accountability will be an “independent watch dog unit” to investigate reports of abuse, neglect, grade fixing, and improper use of funds within local school districts.

I have written evidence to share with the Office of Education Accountability that MCPS ignored. I am more than happy to talk with anyone at the state level in the hopes of helping children who are shark bait in our schools.

I hope you get heard. I’m sure there are others in the same position. MCPS needs to be held accountable and it is not going to fix itself.

Between the sexual abuse incidents and the ridiculous curriculum fiasco, they have proven that they cannot serve the students appropriately. And they cannot keep students safe from sexual predators. Someone needs to do something.