Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I think it is helpful to have diverse backgrounds on the board. He has kids in MCPS...which is more than a lot of the other old times on the BOE. It is time for new blood.

What part of his background would add diversity to the backgrounds of the people on the BoE? As far as I know, he's the only candidate who is a man and lives in Bethesda/Potomac area - is that what you're talking about?

Outsider. Smart. Financially astute. Dad. And, yes, Bethesda/Potomac...we need reresentation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

It's not true. For example: https://www.jayguan4boe.com/

Good point. I am currently undecided between voting for Stephen Austin and voting for Jay Guan. My main worry with Austin is whether he can work with others. My main concern with Jay Guan is whether he is able to win.

Well, Jay Guan has both raised and spent more money than Steve Austin. That's often a good indicator of competitiveness. In fact, he's raised the most money (over $27,000) of any candidate in the at-large race, and he's paying for a mailer.

Meanwhile, Steve Austin has raised about $20,500 and spent about $7,500. What's he waiting for? The ballots arrived last week. Lots of people have already voted.

And, really, why would you think that Steve Austin has a greater chance of making it to the general election than Jay Guan? I haven't read any posts from anybody here saying that they'd like to vote for Steve Austin but don't think he can win. Just because Steve Austin is a white guy from Bethesda and Jay Guan is a Chinese-American from Clarksburg?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid himself. He is the only candidate with a Bachelor's of Fine Art and the only candidate that is a true finance professional.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I think it is helpful to have diverse backgrounds on the board. He has kids in MCPS...which is more than a lot of the other old times on the BOE. It is time for new blood.

What part of his background would add diversity to the backgrounds of the people on the BoE? As far as I know, he's the only candidate who is a man and lives in Bethesda/Potomac area - is that what you're talking about?

What makes a person a "true finance professional" instead of a false finance professional?

Also, how is professional experience in making money by pushing other people's money around a qualification for a seat on the Board of Education? I'm not saying it's a disqualification, but I don't understand why it would be a qualification.

To me, someone with a financial background is comfortable with numbers. So analyzing and interpreting budgets would not be intimidating in the least. I don’t think ia background in finance work is necessary for being able to work with budgets, rather it’s more like a bonus.

Being comfortable with numbers is always good. But being comfortable with numbers doesn't mean you understand budgets or budgeting. Or administration.

MCPS is a big organization with a lot of inertia (I am trying to use neutral language here), and Steve Austin knows NOTHING about it. All he knows is how to yell at it.

Anonymous wrote:

New schools downcounty? Very few new schools are built downcounty. North Bethesda MS and...?

New schools downcounty (built and underway):

Silver Creek MS
Luxmanor ES
B-CC HS addition
Whitman HS addition
Potomac ES
Wayside ES
Bethesda ES addition
Westbrook ES addition
Tilden MS
Woodward HS

That's just off the top of my head, and I don't even live downcounty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has Mr. Austin ever released a resume? All we know from his campaign and his public statements is that he works at a Lockeed Martin subsidiary and worked for Merrill Lynch when that company was heavily into subprime mortgages and nearly bankrupted itself. Then he worked for a couple of hedge funds—you know, the kind of people who take perfectly good companies, do a leveraged buyout, saddle the company with debt, and then take the money and run when the company can’t make the debt payments. Toys R Us is a good example, if you want to look into it. There are big gaps in his work timeline. He could fill in those gaps if he just told voters what he has done for a living. But, he hasn’t. Why not?

Hah. This is how much the establishment is worried about Austin.. So much nitpicking. My guess is Austin was not the CEO of Merrill 12 years ago and was not making top-level decisions about mortgages.

Let's see what the establishment candidate Dasgupta has posted:
https://www.sunildasgupta.com/about-sunil.html

Hmm, 11 years at UMBC. So he was there during the sexual assault scandal:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-1001-umbc-assault-20180928-story.html

He was probably as much involved in that scandal as Austin was in subprime mortages -- not at all. Both UMBC and Merrill are massive organizations.

And all we see with Dasgupta is 11 years at UMBC. What was he doing before that? Where's his resume? Let's pick that apart too!

Mr. Austin is running as a “finance guy” and as somebody who wants more transparency in MCPS. It’s not nit picking to want to know what his background is. If he wasn’t in the Merrill division that was pushing risky investment strategies, he should make that clear. If he thinks hedge funds are a good idea, he should say why. This is a basic request for some transparency. Just asking a question doesn’t make me part of the “establishment.” I simply want to know something more about a candidate who wants my vote. Why the vitriol?

Anonymous wrote: Plenty of kids who should go to Einstein and other schools get bussed past them to go to WJ. Why is that ok? Shouldn't they go to the closest/home school?

This gets repeated over and over.

1- the entire Town of Kensington (yes, an incorporated town, not just a zip code) goes to one school cluster. That's how it was set up.

2 - both Einstein and WJ are over capacity and will be trailer parks before Woodward already opens (both already have many). No room at BCC. This is why Woodward is reopening.

Now you know, so please, Let. It. Go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

No, he doesn't and he has stated in the past that some of the run down schools are just fine, only he only visited the new schools down couty. Plenty of kids who should go to Einstein and other schools get bussed past them to go to WJ. Why is that ok? Shouldn't they go to the closest/home school?

New schools downcounty? Very few new schools are built downcounty. North Bethesda MS and...?

North Bethesda is not down county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

No, he doesn't and he has stated in the past that some of the run down schools are just fine, only he only visited the new schools down couty. Plenty of kids who should go to Einstein and other schools get bussed past them to go to WJ. Why is that ok? Shouldn't they go to the closest/home school?

New schools downcounty? Very few new schools are built downcounty. North Bethesda MS and...?

Anonymous wrote:Has Mr. Austin ever released a resume? All we know from his campaign and his public statements is that he works at a Lockeed Martin subsidiary and worked for Merrill Lynch when that company was heavily into subprime mortgages and nearly bankrupted itself. Then he worked for a couple of hedge funds—you know, the kind of people who take perfectly good companies, do a leveraged buyout, saddle the company with debt, and then take the money and run when the company can’t make the debt payments. Toys R Us is a good example, if you want to look into it. There are big gaps in his work timeline. He could fill in those gaps if he just told voters what he has done for a living. But, he hasn’t. Why not?

Hah. This is how much the establishment is worried about Austin.. So much nitpicking. My guess is Austin was not the CEO of Merrill 12 years ago and was not making top-level decisions about mortgages.

Let's see what the establishment candidate Dasgupta has posted:
https://www.sunildasgupta.com/about-sunil.html

Hmm, 11 years at UMBC. So he was there during the sexual assault scandal:
https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-1001-umbc-assault-20180928-story.html

He was probably as much involved in that scandal as Austin was in subprime mortages -- not at all. Both UMBC and Merrill are massive organizations.

And all we see with Dasgupta is 11 years at UMBC. What was he doing before that? Where's his resume? Let's pick that apart too!

Has Mr. Austin ever released a resume? All we know from his campaign and his public statements is that he works at a Lockeed Martin subsidiary and worked for Merrill Lynch when that company was heavily into subprime mortgages and nearly bankrupted itself. Then he worked for a couple of hedge funds—you know, the kind of people who take perfectly good companies, do a leveraged buyout, saddle the company with debt, and then take the money and run when the company can’t make the debt payments. Toys R Us is a good example, if you want to look into it. There are big gaps in his work timeline. He could fill in those gaps if he just told voters what he has done for a living. But, he hasn’t. Why not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

No, he doesn't and he has stated in the past that some of the run down schools are just fine, only he only visited the new schools down couty. Plenty of kids who should go to Einstein and other schools get bussed past them to go to WJ. Why is that ok? Shouldn't they go to the closest/home school?

Please send a link where he said run down schools are just fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

Thank you, the info here is helpful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

No, he doesn't and he has stated in the past that some of the run down schools are just fine, only he only visited the new schools down couty. Plenty of kids who should go to Einstein and other schools get bussed past them to go to WJ. Why is that ok? Shouldn't they go to the closest/home school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid"

If true, gets my respect.

Not so many of us that make it in the eyes of DCUM admit to this fact - especially in recent years when all of DCUM seems to equate FARMS with educational poison.

Then, he should act like it and support FARMS/low income families and those schools should get a lot more than what they are getting.

That's exactly what he supports though. He supports additional resources at schools that have a high FARMS rate. Invest in those schools and put the best teachers there. Don't move kids around and expect things to magically become better.

+1000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Stephen Austin is the only candidate that was a FARMS kid himself. He is the only candidate with a Bachelor's of Fine Art and the only candidate that is a true finance professional.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Well I think it is helpful to have diverse backgrounds on the board. He has kids in MCPS...which is more than a lot of the other old times on the BOE. It is time for new blood.

What part of his background would add diversity to the backgrounds of the people on the BoE? As far as I know, he's the only candidate who is a man and lives in Bethesda/Potomac area - is that what you're talking about?

What makes a person a "true finance professional" instead of a false finance professional?

Also, how is professional experience in making money by pushing other people's money around a qualification for a seat on the Board of Education? I'm not saying it's a disqualification, but I don't understand why it would be a qualification.

To me, someone with a financial background is comfortable with numbers. So analyzing and interpreting budgets would not be intimidating in the least. I don’t think ia background in finance work is necessary for being able to work with budgets, rather it’s more like a bonus.