Well, I just got my kid’s test scores in the mail today. And the report tells me that for both Math and Language Arts, more than 75% of Maryland students have NOT met expected standards. They are ‘approaching expectations’. They can dress is up however they want by saying ‘approaching’ but we all know that means the kids are not meeting standards.

Clearly our public education system is in shambles.

Anonymous wrote:As a special educator, it is near impossible to serve many of our students in the way that they need/should be served. All we get is pushback from above. The higher ups do not respect our opinions or facts. Kids are stuck in settings that are not most appropriate for them and there aren’t enough resources to support them. When you stand up for what is right, you get shot down. It’s exhausting and demoralizing and our kids deserve better.

+1000 The special educators and general educators who work with students with disabilities see how dysfunctional the school system is. Clearly when the number of people who actually work with the student are outnumbered by school administrators and Central Office staff, who is left to speak up for the child?

Teachers are threatened if they say the child needs more or if they have concerns. It’s a soul sucking job to see a problem but your job is on the line if you speak the truth. Teachers are leaving because MCPS is taking away the reasons why many went into education and that was to teach kids. It’s near impossible to teach a child when the support and services a child needs is not available.

MCPS has greatly slid down a black hole of ignoring problems and passing students through who haven’t learned the curriculum.

As a special educator, it is near impossible to serve many of our students in the way that they need/should be served. All we get is pushback from above. The higher ups do not respect our opinions or facts. Kids are stuck in settings that are not most appropriate for them and there aren’t enough resources to support them. When you stand up for what is right, you get shot down. It’s exhausting and demoralizing and our kids deserve better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup and divert all the public schools funding to private schools

You must want to cripple a already failing MCPS

Versus what? Should we continue to throw more taxpayer money at this failing system? No thanks. Families deserve an alternative.

I’d genuinely like to hear your argument. Vouchers will be most useful for parents who choose religious schools for their children, and parents who can already afford private schools for their children. While I am fine with supporting public schools, I am not fine with tax dollars supporting religious schools. Given that, what’s your argument for reasons why someone like me, with no kids in the school system, should be in favor of having my particular tax dollars used to fund a private school education and/or a religiously based education?

Yes, I realize that “my particular tax dollars” don’t quite work that way. I’m happy to fund public education, and things that generally enhance the public good. So: why should my tax dollars be used to give well-off families choosing private schools “alternatives “?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half of third graders can’t read at grade level. A fact. That’s not failure? Classic DCUM teacher’s response / it’s the parents fault, keep public school (Ie my pension) alone.

only 38% of MD third grader read at grade level and only 32% nationally. So the whole nation is a failure but at least MCPS is above average.

We're Lake Wobegone!

Anonymous wrote:Half of third graders can’t read at grade level. A fact. That’s not failure? Classic DCUM teacher’s response / it’s the parents fault, keep public school (Ie my pension) alone.

only 38% of MD third grader read at grade level and only 32% nationally. So the whole nation is a failure but at least MCPS is above average.

Half of third graders can’t read at grade level. A fact. That’s not failure? Classic DCUM teacher’s response / it’s the parents fault, keep public school (Ie my pension) alone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again failure is the best lesson. MCPS needs to fail in order to change its broken culture, particularly towards its special needs students.

Again, MCPS is not falling. DCUM is not the real world

Every candidate running for County Executive against the incumbent are running on a platform of improving MCPS.

Of course they are because its a talking point to gin up support. Doesn’t mean they have any useful ideas or are going to do any thing truly transformative to make the district better if elected. That’s no different than people running on the idea of stolen elections or banning books.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again failure is the best lesson. MCPS needs to fail in order to change its broken culture, particularly towards its special needs students.

Again, MCPS is not falling. DCUM is not the real world

Every candidate running for County Executive against the incumbent are running on a platform of improving MCPS.

Anonymous wrote:Again failure is the best lesson. MCPS needs to fail in order to change its broken culture, particularly towards its special needs students.

Again, MCPS is not falling. DCUM is not the real world

Again failure is the best lesson. MCPS needs to fail in order to change its broken culture, particularly towards its special needs students.

Anonymous wrote:Yup and divert all the public schools funding to private schools

You must want to cripple a already failing MCPS

Versus what? Should we continue to throw more taxpayer money at this failing system? No thanks. Families deserve an alternative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school choice nonsense is just another GOP ploy to undermine the public education system. It's not the answer. Working to fix the public school system is the answer.

Democrats seem to be doing a great job destroying a once great school system in Montgomery County all on their own.

THiS

Yup and divert all the public schools funding to private schools

You must want to cripple a already failing MCPS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school choice nonsense is just another GOP ploy to undermine the public education system. It's not the answer. Working to fix the public school system is the answer.

Democrats seem to be doing a great job destroying a once great school system in Montgomery County all on their own.

I am a Democrat and I am greatly disappointed in MCPS. As a special needs parent, educating my child in MCPS has not been a free education. MCPS discriminates against many students groups. One of the largest groups are students with disabilities.

The leadership that Dr. McKnight has brought into MCPS are adversarial and slow to address the situation students with disabilities are in as a result of being ignored and denied services for over a year. Students with disabilities are an afterthought, a group of students that only receive accommodations and services when it’s convenient. Compensatory services should have been initiated last summer and parents are still waiting for their opportunity for a meeting.

The pandemic merely spread the pain. Spec Needs parents have suffered for YEARS in MCPS. What an unethical crowd!