DCUM Forum

Anonymous

07/11/2022 15:13 Subject: A New Beginning?

I think that poster is still ranting about Bocce, the Kid Museum and HBCUs.

Anonymous

07/11/2022 12:54 Subject: A New Beginning?

This is exactly what is lacking in current board members and leadership. Let this election result in retirement of incumbents and a fresh start with a brand new MCPS leadership in central office. A lot of clean up is required for the bright future of all students

Anonymous

07/11/2022 11:57 Subject: A New Beginning?

This comment is coming from a private school parent who overpaid for an inferior product.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 22:27 Subject: A New Beginning?

The McKnight Stalker is at it again!

Anonymous

07/10/2022 17:28 Subject: A New Beginning?

Actually this is what most head-up-their ass parents think as they are more concerned about spending money on discrimination training and identifying 13 genders than learning geography or how to write an actual sentence.
Keep living in the 90s bubble that MCPS is still #1 so you can justify overspending on your home in the name of “good schools”.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 17:23 Subject: A New Beginning?

Yeah because that’s what it’s like in the corporate world
I hope you enjoy having your subpar children mooching off of you until they are in their 50s. Good work

Anonymous

07/10/2022 10:55 Subject: A New Beginning?

What exactly are they RUNNING to? Because if they are running to FCPS for something they are going to be disappointed. Oh btw they have a new Super also, so we’ll have to see what she does. More importantly maybe if folks stop RUNNING places and actual work in the community to help understand and resolve issues everything would get better.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 10:51 Subject: A New Beginning?

Except there is no evidence she is ‘craptastic’ as Superintendent since she’s only been in the job a week. Further they’d have to appoint a new interim and do a new search at a point that they are suppose to be starting everything for the new school year.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 10:46 Subject: A New Beginning?

Logic and Leadership hopefully.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 10:35 Subject: A New Beginning?

I get that some people feel threatened by an AA woman in charge, but seriously just posting these assertions without any facts does everyone a disservice. So far she's done an excellent job and to state otherwise is blatant misinformation.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 10:20 Subject: A New Beginning?

Sticking with a craptastic superintendent because firing her will make it harder to find a new superintendent is exactly why the BOE should not have given Dr. McKnight the permanent job. However, the BOE could do a better job of supervising MCPS, controlling the Central Office bloat, questioning student progress, and creating grading policies to improve education till Dr. McKnight’s initial contract ends.

Anonymous

07/10/2022 09:59 Subject: A New Beginning?

And the pool of potential candidates would be minuscule with that exhibition of support!

Anonymous

07/10/2022 09:18 Subject: A New Beginning?

Anonymous

07/10/2022 09:15 Subject: A New Beginning?

It's not accurate to say that MCPS may "use taxpayer funds however those elected see fit".

I believe that according to the Gillett Amendment, "appropriated funds may not be used to pay a publicity expert unless specifically appropriated for that purpose." In other words, it has to be explicitly called out and authorized by the lawmakers for the purposes of hiring a publicity expert.

I'm a little fuzzy whether a judge would consider "communications" specific enough, since "communications" can mean different things than "influencing social media on DCUMS"? MCPS spends so much on attorneys, (over $11M?) that my guess is they don't mind testing case law on the topic?

Maryland also has a rich history of public corruption, so it's difficult to punish offenders.

Part III Local Boards of Education Public Ethics Law covers the Montgomery County Board of Education as well as the Superintendent of Schools:
https://ethics.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/filebase/general/Public-Ethics-Law.pdf

Unfortunately, it does seem to be a paper tiger. This explains the issues involved in fighting corruption in Maryland (not just at the school-level):
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2019/06/07/public-corruption-in-maryland-its-no-accident/

So this was why the Feds were pursuing corruption in Maryland:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-anti-corruption-bills/2020/01/28/19978ddc-412b-11ea-b503-2b077c436617_story.html

Hogan did propose the Ethics and Accountability in Government Act (EAGA) in 2020:
https://governor.maryland.gov/2020/01/07/accountability-session-governor-hogan-proposes-tough-new-ethics-reform-for-public-officials-urges-lawmakers-to-pass-crime-package/

But according to this it looks stalled:
https://trackbill.com/bill/maryland-house-bill-360-ethics-and-accountability-in-government-act/1852843/

The Montgomery County OIG does have jurisdiction of MCPS, and does actively pursue cases from time to time. Here is a recent one:

"OIG Finds MCPS Retained An Estimated $3 to $13.5 Million in Employee Prepaid Insurance Premiums"
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGNewsRelease/2022/MCPSRetainsPrepaidInsurancePremiumsPublication.pdf

This is where you'd report Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Montgomery County, for example:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oig/hotline.html

Anonymous

07/10/2022 08:43 Subject: A New Beginning?

I was in the building during the lockdowns with me students. I felt everything was handled professionally by the police. Yes, we could have let kids use the bathrooms, but everything else made sense to me. Unfortunately, superintendent doesn’t get to tell police how to do their job..