Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Neither sound nor fair...expedited bill...recordation taxes in Mont. Co. already highest in country...


10 comments:

  1. "Like shooting fish in a barrel."

    ReplyDelete
  2. MCCPTA now celebrating the raising of taxes. Bizarre reference to raising taxes as historic, as if raising taxes is a new concept.

    Pushing Montgomery County residents to other jurisdictions is not new. Fairfax will also be sending a thanks to the Montgomery County Council.

    > rom: "Melissa McKenna mckennaforeverpta[MCCPTA_Delegates]"
    > Date: May 18, 2016 at 12:53:22 PM EDT
    > To: "MCCPTA_Board@yahoogroups.com" , MCCPTA Delegates , MCCPTA Presidents listserv
    > Subject: [MCCPTA_Delegates] GREAT NEWS, part 1
    >
    > Greetings from the County Council,
    >
    > Your intrepid reporter/secretary here to give you the latest news regarding legislation for school funding.
    >
    > Today's landmark Expedited Bill 15-16 proposed by Council President Floreen to increase the recordation tax primarily for school construction funding was passed UNANIMOUSLY!!! (Paul here - yes, you read that correctly...UNANIMOUSLY!!! Now back to Melissa...)
    >
    > The Council is being true to their word that this is an education first budget year. (Paul again - they are throwing the word "historic" around here to describe this education budget like it is going out of style. Even a decades-long Council staffer, a person usually adverse to hyperbole used the word historic today. Okay, back to MM...)
    >
    > While there are still decisions yet to be voted on, we think that some social thanks to the councilmembers for their heavy lifting to date would be appreciated. Please note - public thanks are encouraged. Please refrain from sending any notes to the Councilmembers right now. They need a break and have told us as much. Public thank yous - good. Thank yous sent directly to Council right now - hold off.
    >
    > A simple #thankyouMoCoCouncil via tweet and on Facebook would go a long way in letting the Council know that we are grateful our concerns have been heard and are being addressed.
    >
    > Stay tuned for more news tomorrow and next week as more funding legislation will be voted on and next year's budgets will be approved.
    >
    > Thank you.
    >
    > Yours in advocacy,
    > Melissa McKenna, everything CIP
    >
    > Paul Geller
    > MCCPTA President-Elect
    >
    >
    > --
    > Melissa McKenna
    > MCCPTA Recording Secretary - Delegates Assembly
    > CIP Committee Chair, MCCPTA
    > VP of Advocacy, Maryvale ES PTA
    >

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where are Delegates Assembly minutes posted? I don't find any on www.mccpta.org

      Delete
  3. This will be historic in 2 years when the people who are being taxed to death (and afterwards thanks to the 'historic' county council idea to delay while increasing significantly seniors' taxes until they move or are dead) remember what has occurred here and vote accordingly. coalitions are being formed all across the county in anticipation of the council and county executive elections.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Recordation taxes are among the highest in the country" already.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It will be interesting to see just how much of this tax goes to building new schools, or for that matter, new schools in Montgomery County. Based on all the other scams (Casinos = Education funding, etc.), I am NOT a believer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Board of Education member Jill Ortman-Fouse follows orders from the Council and posts long "thank you" on Facebook, while at the same time WITHHOLDING THE 2015 Maryland State Audit of MCPS from the public!

    Way to go, Jill!

    Jill Ortman-Fouse
    2 hrs · Silver Spring, MD ·

    Huge gratitude to our sitting County Council, as well as all our other partners, for working closely with us in an extremely difficult environment to meet the growing needs of our county. They have pushed very hard this year to find additional funding for our six-year facilities budget (CIP--Capital Improvements Program) as well as our operating budget. We have been growing the size of a high school every year for the past seven years -- 20,000 additional kids. This year is a game changer.

    Last year we had to make some very hard choices to get down to the funding amount we received, including growing class sizes and cutting hundreds of staff in order to honor our employee contracts and make up gaps created by the previous year's budgets. We had to dig deeper than ever before. Those choices impacted all departments and schools. Improving efficiency is always helpful--and that was done. But last year we were pushed to the breaking point for our staffing and facilities to be able to meet the expectations of our community for our schools. We can no longer continue down this path.

    These cuts went way beyond skimming off extras and nice-to-haves. We simply could not do it again without losing significant ground in our schools. We received the same amount per student (following Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law) which does not allow for inflation or pay increases, so all increases have had to come out of what we have programmed for schools.

    We have 17% of the State's students, yet receive only about 12-13% every year--leading to an annual shortage of $100-150 million for our facilities. Add that up over many years. County CIP funding has also not kept pace with our growth. This has led to the delay of dozens of projects addressing critical space and maintenance needs.

    This year the County Executive recommended funding $160 million below our CIP ask. And understand that our ask was nowhere near what we actually need -- we have close to an $800 million backlog in facility projects -- yes, $800M. We asked for what our staff recommended was reasonable to ask. The County Exec also assumed $60 million more from the state then we were likely to get.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. That is why we are so grateful for our County Council members for digging through their budget and finding additional resources to fund our dire needs.

      We have 400 portables to address our space needs. These are some of the strategies we have been using to try to make the best use of space. Understand that the strategies put a strain on staff, and make it difficult for teachers to do the jobs we pay them to do.

      Strategies for addressing shortage of facility space:

      • Floating teachers in middle and high schools (literally, teachers don't have their own classrooms. They must "float" around the school with all their supplies on carts) • Conversion of computer labs into classrooms • Art and music programs on carts • Instrumental music program on stage • Consolidating ESOL programs • Converting storage spaces into support/office spaces, and using storage and office space for small group instruction.

      We are part of joint county committee looking at more creative ways we can address facility needs, and many of you have shared ideas, and will encourage more innovative solutions -- but understand those are band-aids to 10,000 students in portables, ADA compliance issues, HVAC systems and roofs way beyond their lifespan, and buildings that haven't been renovated in decades.

      Also, just for perspective. Several school districts in Maryland are shrinking. They are closing schools because they don't have the operating budgets to keep them open, or number of students to justify the facility expense of keeping them open. If you think funding more schools is difficult, try closing schools (we've been there before). It is also a sign that your county's economy is not thriving, and young families are moving away, and you may not have the younger population to support the economy as workers age out. We are one of only a few districts in Maryland that are growing.

      Going into the future, we also must remain competitive with other school districts to attract the best talent into our classrooms. This is a priority. Research shows that the biggest impact on achievement in schools is the teacher you put in front of students. We have a national teacher shortage. Surrounding districts started the school year hundreds of teachers short, and are taking action to better attract teachers next year -- from compensation increases to advertising in public venues. Top talent is being attracted away from schools to private industry, the cost of living is too high, etc. For example, it is particularly difficult to get science teachers here. Why, when we have so many scientific institutions? Because those agencies and institutions pay better. We must also explore the myriad ways we can more strategically and creatively support our teachers beyond the critical need for adequate and attractive compensation. We will need to ALL be better partners to develop and support the workforce we will need for the brightest future in Montgomery County.

      Thanks to everyone who is supporting this year's ‪#‎EducationFirst‬ budget. Please be sure to let them know you appreciate it. ‪#‎ThankYouMoCoCouncil‬ Nancy Floreen Nancy Navarro George Leventhal Tom Hucker Hans Riemer Sidney Katz Craig Rice Marc Elrich Roger Berliner.

      Delete
  7. The Board of Education has kept their $100,000 expense account intact. No skimming.

    And the MCPS credit card bills? They are still pouring in without oversight.

    Don't let the word "skim" fool you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "already highest in country..." If you cannot become famous, you'll settle for infamous.

    ReplyDelete

If your comment does not appear in 24 hours, please send your comment directly to our e-mail address:
parentscoalitionmc AT outlook.com