MCPS Regulations… YAWN, Right?Cynthia Simonson, MCCPTA VP of Educational Issues
NO! Don’t yawn yet! This is a regulation change I think parents might find interesting!
Let’s start with a little background. MCPS is a behemoth of an organization. Nationally, we are the
14th biggest school system and we are governed by more regulations than I have the patience to
count! Don’t believe me? Check out this index --
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/policy-index.aspx#
To give you an idea of the magnitude, there are ~70 regulations covering topics that begin with the letter “A.” So, it should come as no surprise, with this many regulations governing our school district, not every regulation change goes through a “public comment” process – especially if the changes are administrative in nature. (Check out the MCPS process through this link -- policies and regulations process.) One recent change -- MCPS updated the IKC-RA, Grade Point Averages (GPA) and Weighted Grade Point Averages (WPGA). Like most things in life (particularly in MoCo), over a
number of years it seems some advocated for a change to this regulation and just as many advocated for things to stay the same. MCPS managed to adjust this regulation so it changed for those that wanted change and stayed the same for those that wanted it to stay the same. To me, the advocacy involved in this regulation is an example of parents “paying it forward” for the benefit of future students who are years from recognizing the impact of this change!
What DIDN’T Change: Any high school course taken AND the grade earned (even if it is earned in
middle school) will be listed on the student’s high school transcript.
Most often, these courses include world language courses, math courses in the sequence
starting with Algebra 1, and for some, the Introduction to Engineering Design that some middle
schools offer that fulfills the “tech credit” necessary for graduation.
What DID Change: While the course and grade earned remains on the transcript, beginning with the students that will enter 6th grade in 2018-19 school year, there will be an option for these students and their parents/guardians to decide whether to include high school course grades earned in middle school in the high school GPA and WGPA calculation.
Who Does This Impact:Truth be told, for the student that takes one or possibly two high school credits while in middle school, this change might not make a big difference. But, for the students that take a number of high school courses in middle school (and there are actually A LOT of students doing this), this change can have an impact. What I like about the change is it gives parents/students the option! I have three daughters so I can use my own family as an example of why I like it:
For my third daughter who will enter high school with 10 semesters of credit (9 – As, 1—B), I
would have argued to keep the regulation the same -- she should get “credit” in her high school
GPA for those grades earned! She held a 4.0 many semesters of middle school and worked hard
to get those grades in the high school courses. She should see the full benefit of those points
factored into her GPA/WGPA. (In this revised regulation, she gets to keep her points earned!)
For my older daughters who held at least a 3.71 every semester of middle school, most of their
“non-A” grades were in high school level courses. I would have argued that students should not
be penalized for stretching themselves and taking more challenging courses in middle school. I
would have argued to NOT include those points in their high school GPA/WGPA. (In this revised
regulation, they could opt to exclude the points from the GPA/WGPA calculation!)
Real World Impact of this Change:Six years ago, little did I realize the impact those Bs and Cs in high school courses earned in middle
school would have later in high school. I admit, I was pretty “relaxed” about grades because I think
working 3 years above grade level is impressive in itself. “Who cares if they are getting Bs or an
occasional C in these higher level courses?” Colleges, so I learned later.
Knowing what I know now, if given the choice, it actually would have been in their best interest to
exclude their middle school grades from their high school GPA calculation. Here are a couple of impacts we have found by having those Bs/Cs included:
Impact 1: Middle school grades can lower overall GPAs and make students ineligible for the
various school honor societies (which starts to feel very important during the college application
process).o Each MCPS high school has different minimum requirements for the honor societies
(those requirements have a tremendous amount of latitude governed by another MCPS
regulation – JIA-RA) so this impact is certainly not evenly felt across the entire county.
A point parents might also find interesting…o Honor societies are often important to high achieving students that are most likely to
carry a large number of credits earned in middle school.
The only way for current students to improve their GPA is to repeat courses taken in middle school to expunge the middle school grades and replace the grades.
Impact 2: As students near the end of their junior year, they realize many college opportunities
– including scholarships and fellowships require minimum official unweighted GPAs to even be
considered for the awards.
o I have always believed (and still do) that colleges generally recalculate GPA based on
their own priorities. But the MCPS official GPA of the student is STILL the official GPA of
the student, regardless of the college recalculation that occurs. My experience is that
sometimes, that official GPA matters!
Moving Forward!I believe the aim of this change in the regulation is to create a win-win for all students. I think MCPS
achieved it! I know not everyone will be happy about the change. (Of course, I ask, when has everyone in MoCo ever been happy?) While I see the point of those that are critical of the change, I also see why MCPS made the change and think they did a fair job in examining the pros and cons to create a viable compromise to a concern that was raised years and years ago!
Monday, April 9, 2018
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Let's FIX THE FUND - they told us Casino Revenues would AUGMENT education funding --- let's make it happen!! Tracie Potts - MCCPTA
YOU'VE Got the Power!
Parents and students are so frustrated with schools these days. Kids are struggling through classes. Homework's a nightmare. Classes are too hot or too cold. Buildings are old or too small and there's not enough money to fix them all. And lately incidents of violence have us wondering: are our kids even safe once we put them on the bus?
MCPS, parents, students - we're all trying but results seems elusive. Or slow. To be honest, it's maddening.
Sometimes better policies and enforcement helps. But more often than not, the fixes we need require more money. Where does it come from? Casinos! Remember all that casino money that was promised to schools that didn't quite happen? Now Governor Hogan and some lawmaker are proposing what education advocates have been asking for all along: a "lock box" on those funds to make sure they provide additional funding for schools, as promised.
This kind of effort can easily become mired in politics. HOW to do it. WHEN to do it. Exceptions. What we need is a clear, prompt, focused effort to infuse MILLIONS more into our schools, so we can fix buildings, add staff (and pay them competitively), add and keep programs. Basically, a boost to significantly improve educational opportunities for our kids. How do we do that? FIX THE FUND!
MCCPTA is supporting the Maryland State Education Association's "Fix the Fund" rally on March 19 in Annapolis. We've been told, as recently as a few months ago, that lawmakers are tired of hearing from the same groups and lobbyists but they really do listen when "average Joe parent and their kid" take the time to testify, meet with lawmakers or - in this case - rally in support of education. We need to take full advantage of that and drive maximum participation to this event.
If just 5 people from every Montgomery County school joined the rally, that's 1,000 people marching through Annapolis urging our elected officials to "Fix the Fund." Can you get 5 people to go from your school? Plus: if every other Maryland county sent just a fraction of that, we're talking thousands of parents, teachers and students putting pressure on lawmakers to act. That's impressive. That kind of presence speaks volumes. And it makes a difference.
As frustrating as it is when education gets caught up in politics, never forget - democracy always rises above. YOU'VE GOT THE POWER! Sometimes we forget just how influential our collective voices can be when we come together to advocate for our kids.
Last weekend I attended a PTA leadership meeting where a colleagues said her school's having a hard time engaging parents because they're so frustrated when they don't see change happening. They just give up. Stop coming to meetings. Stop speaking out. My heart dropped. I thought: that's exactly the opposite of what we need to do. Don't retreat - MARCH! Get those frustrated parents to hit the streets! It worked in Alabama. It worked for civil rights. It can work for our students in Montgomery County.
As frustrating as it is when education gets caught up in politics, never forget - democracy always rises above. YOU'VE GOT THE POWER! Sometimes we forget just how influential our collective voices can be when we come together to advocate for our kids.
Last weekend I attended a PTA leadership meeting where a colleagues said her school's having a hard time engaging parents because they're so frustrated when they don't see change happening. They just give up. Stop coming to meetings. Stop speaking out. My heart dropped. I thought: that's exactly the opposite of what we need to do. Don't retreat - MARCH! Get those frustrated parents to hit the streets! It worked in Alabama. It worked for civil rights. It can work for our students in Montgomery County.
Marching is just the beginning, but it's an important start. It's not just symbolic. Elected officials know if 1,000 people take time after work on a Monday night to drive 45 minutes to Annapolis with their kids, THEY CARE. And they know when you care, you'll VOTE. That's important to them. Let's tell them what's important to us.
It's time to TAKE ACTION! Download the flier HERE:
Monday, February 26, 2018
Career and Technology Education expansion in our traditional high schools - by Victoria Henley, MCCPTA representative to the CTE Task Force
There was a MCPS Career and Technology Education retreat held on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at the Thomas Edison
HS of Technology, located next door to the newly renovated Wheaton High School
in Wheaton, Maryland.
In December 2016, the Board of Education
contracted with the Education Strategy Group (ESG), a Bethesda based consulting
firm, to conduct a comprehensive review of MCPS Career and Technology Education
(CTE) Programs of Study (POS). Funding for this study was approved by the Board
as part of its Fiscal Year 2017 Operating Budget.
The retreat I attended focused on reviewing the recommendations
and collected feedback received by MCPS and Education Strategy Group (ESG),
since the release of the initial report in September 2017. As participants, we
were asked to prioritize the recommendations and suggest a multi-year timeline
for implementing the recommendations. MCPS and ESG consulting would take our
input into consideration as they prepare the final report. This retreat did NOT discuss the future of
Thomas Edison HS of Technology.
The Career and Technology Education retreat brought together Dr.
Erick Lang, MCPS’ associate superintendent of curriculum and
instructional programs, AND representatives from the business community, current CTE
students, former CTE students, MCPS relevant staff, and other
stakeholders. I represented MCCPTA. The
retreat was facilitated by Kathleen Mathers, a Director at ESG consulting.
Every participant brought to the retreat their energy, real-time data,
thoughtful discussion points, and professional experiences. I was personally
impressed by the wealth of knowledge and honest commitment to improving the CTE
programming.
Undoubtedly, MCPS has
created a culture of high expectations in its schools. But, career preparation
and vocational training “has been marginalized, sometimes being inaccurately
perceived as the “direct opposite” of a college-prep education. After years of
focusing on preparing students to enter four-year colleges, MCPS is planning to
redesign and ramp up its career programs to keep pace with the changing world. MCPS
Superintendent Smith spoke about the new exciting career programming during his
proposed Operating Budget presentation.
Nationally, there has
been a resurgence of interest in career readiness. For various reasons, not
every high school graduate wants to, or will be able to attend a 4-year
university. According to ESG consulting, MCPS is one of only a hand-full of
large school districts around the country taking a serious look at Career
Readiness to be ahead of the curve. That is a good thing! However, among other large districts studied
in the state of Maryland by ESG consulting, MCPS was the only one with a
declining enrollment in career and technology education programs. During the 2015-2016 academic year, 29 percent of MCPS students
were taking one or more career technical education courses, compared to 35
percent in Howard County and 50 percent in Baltimore County.
In general, the
initial report from ESG recommends that MCPS bring leading employers together
in an advisory council led by the superintendent, train staff about the
regional labor market, and improve the quality and consistency of career
programs across high schools. MCPS Career and technology (CTE) education should
be redefined as offering rigorous academic coursework, 21st-century technical
instruction and real-world experiences.
At the retreat, we
were divided into 4 focus-area work groups. (CTE Vision, Employer Engagement,
Program Rigor and Implementation, and Stakeholder Communication). I
participated in the Stakeholder Communication work group.
We discussed the
benefits of students becoming both college-ready and career-ready – that these
two things can co-exist and should be promoted as such. Vocational training should not be disregarded
as a second-place finish. Yes, there are differences in Vocational Training and
graduating from an Ivy League university-
and they will bring different results. So, as a priority, we needed to
look at what motivates a person to choose a specific career path. Was it
personal fulfillment, an opportunity to give back to a community, financial
gain? Determining these types of
motivators would be key in reaching prospective students and increase
excitement around CTE programming. The truth is that we all have a vocation (a
job)- whether as a practicing attorney, a marketing manager, educator, writer,
or scientist. It’s how much training and educational that we are personally
want, and willing to commit to obtaining.
By definition, a vocation is, “a
person's employment or main occupation, especially regarded as particularly
worthy and requiring great dedication.) From a communication standpoint, the work group recommended
that all stakeholders (students, parents,
middle school counselors, the local government, and the business community)
must be encouraged to think more strategically and creatively about what CAN
and SHOULD be included within a high school experience. What opportunities
exist and will exist to prepare a student for the future?
Career and technology
education has widened in scope over the years, preparing students for jobs in
health care and information technology as well as more traditional areas such
as construction and automotive repair.
It became clear that
developing a powerful marketing message is critical. Career readiness within
MCPS is not just vocational training, but all training a student receives to
prepare them for their future profession.
Collectively, we felt
another priority and goal of career readiness programming should be to expose
students to job options more broadly and the educational paths that lead to
them. By communicating to stakeholders the successes for CTE programs, MCPS
would become the desired destination for well-rounded experiences, career
readiness and college preparation. We suggested that the messaging should
clearly communicate that a MCPS student will be well-prepared and equipped to
succeed, regardless of whether he or she decides to pursue a vocational certification,
2-year degree, or a 4-year degree. The value must be communicated well.
Why should a student
who wants to become a biomedical engineer feel that taking a hospitality
vocational course is not worth it? And
yes, you are correct, the hospitality course will probably have nothing to do
with his or her advanced engineering studies, but it might assist them as they
work to pay for college. Or, they might find the hospitality industry actually
interesting, and the student might change their major to Electrical or
Mechanical engineering in order to solve a hospitality industry problem.
It was also discussed
that the parents should play a role in the educational process. Middle school
and high school counselors must work with students and their parents to create
a plan that works for that student’s particular interests. At the end of high
school, every graduate should leave MCPS with enough preparation and training
to successfully go directly into a career or continue their educational studies
in 2 or 4-year programs and beyond.
During the retreat, we
noted that MCPS currently offers strong career and
technology education, however access to these programs varies widely across the
school system. That needs to be addressed for college and career readiness to
be successful in the MCPS for ALL students.
In addition, we expressed that tailoring the stakeholders
messaging to clearly communicate benefits and value will increase interest and
credibility to the CTE programs. Benefits such as CTE programs helping students
gain real-world experience in their fields of interest or earn college credit
and industry-recognized credentials while they’re in high school. These great
offerings are mostly unknown by stakeholders. School counselors (especially
middle school counselors) must help to increase awareness of available programs
and speak to parents about the opportunities that exist.
As you might imagine, there was much more discussed. The other three
focus area work groups were just as engaged in prioritizing recommendations and
generating additional points to consider.
It’s anticipated that the group will reconvene sometime in March
2018.
I appreciated the opportunity to represent MCCPTA at this important
meeting.
Thank you!
A sampling of bills of interest in Annapolis during the 2018 General Assembly - by Neal Orringer MCCPTA VP Advocacy
Casinos/Rally(!): Last night, I emailed you about the Fix the Fund Rally in Annapolis (March 19). This rally marks renewed momentum to ensure casino revenue is used to supplement not supplant dollars for public schools in the state's Education Trust Fund. This must be done by constitutional amendment, to prevent future Governors or Legislatures from breaching the commitment made six years ago to increase Maryland's public schools. If the General Assembly approves bills HB 1687 or SB 1122, voters will decide this Fall to make this promise a reality.
90-Day Session: The Maryland General Assembly meets in regular session for 90 calendar days each year beginning the 2nd Wednesday in January to act on 2,500+ bills and the State's annual capital and operating budgets. Dozens of education-related bills have been filed and committee hearings/mark-ups are getting underway. Legislation ranges from bills to issue reimbursement for AP, CTE, & IB exams (HB 197) to authorizing state agencies to compete with local health authorities to inspect school facilities (SB 469); from increases in test/standards for reading teachers (HB 493) to requirements that the State cover costs of breakfasts and lunches for students eligible for reduced-price meals (HB 315). Below are a couple of details on other bills of interest.
- School Calendar: HB 679 overturns the annual school end-date set by the Governor by executive order in August 2016. It requires a public school to complete the school year on/before the 3rd Friday in June as opposed to the current limit of no later than June 15. After accounting for the 180-day school day minimum as well as mandatory State holidays and election days (for most counties), the bill will allow for a total of as few as 10 and as many as 15 days for local school systems to accommodate any additional holidays (including a spring break), teacher professional development days, and/or school closures due to weather and other exigencies within their respective school years.
- Details: Entitled: "Public Schools - School Year - Completion Date," Sponsored by Delegate Pena-Melnyk. Status: In the House - Hearing was held 2/22.
- PARCC: The Ways & Means Committee unfavorably reported on HB 723, which would have confined PARCC segments to 40min. Delegates Ebersole withdrew the bill since it would not have actually allowed students time to simulate researching/writing. (Most sections of the PARCC assessment in literacy involve sustained reading of two or more texts followed by a substantial writing piece. A longer test session over 40 minutes in duration is optimal for students; a limit of 40 minutes would drastically impact the type of questions/tasks students could complete in an uninterrupted session, particularly in literacy. On the other hand, HB 366 had a hearing and is still being considered. This bill allows students with disabilities to be exempt from taking the PARCC assessment unless the parent/guardian has agreed that the student may participate, and it is documented in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The MCPS Board of Ed is opposed to the bill since it potentially release school systems from needing to provide evidence-based, differentiated instruction to students with disabilities and would adversely impact the imperative for school systems to narrow the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their typical peers. Failing to measure the student outcomes of the special education subgroup would undermine the goal of the MCPS strategic planning framework which assumes that every child can learn when given the proper supports and services.
- Details: Entitled: "Education - PARCC Testing - Children With Disabilities (Ben's Rule)." Sponsored by Delegate Vogt, Status: In the House - Hearing held 2/2
- Early Literacy: The General Assembly sometimes opposes meaningful legislation to address the achievement gap due to perceived funding constraints. For example, the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee voted down to implement evidence-based literacy programs in Title I schools (to to meet literacy proficiency targets before 4th grade. MCPS has 25 Title I schools with ~16,000 students enrolled in Title I schools, roughly half (8,100) are ESOL. Currently, there is not one position designated for providing targeted early literacy intervention. Identifying an interventionist would increase quality. of instruction.
- Details: Entitled: "Education - Maryland Early Literacy Initiative Program - Established." Sponsored by Senator Conway. Status: Reported unfavorably and withdrawn.
- More Funding for Head Start: On the positive side, the Senate approved SB 373. This bill will require the state to supplement federal Head Start funding with additional appropriations. Currently, funding from the Maryland legislature provides $113,000 to Montgomery County to provide the Head Start summer program for children who are not enrolled in Title 1 schools for kindergarten. Of this amount of $113,000, MCPS received $106,000 to serve 120 children in a 4- or 5-week extended year program. The additional funding described in this bill would be divided among all of the Head Start programs in Maryland both Head Start (serving children aged 3–5) and Early Head Start (serving pregnant women and children aged 0–3). Each year in MCPS, there are approximately 1,200 Head Start-eligible students and only 648 can be served in the Head Start program (approximately 70 three-year olds-and 578 four-year-olds). The other Head Start-eligible children are served in the part-day prekindergarten program. The total cost for all Head Start-eligible 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in Montgomery County would be approximately $31,125,000. Additional funding to support these children is much needed and appreciated.
- Details: Entitled: "Education - Head Start Program - Annual Appropriation (The Ulysses Currie Act). Sponsored by Senator Currie. Status: In the Senate - Third Reading Passed (45-0)
- Guidelines for Dual Immersion Schools: HB 642 requies the State Board of Ed to establish regulations/guidance for implementing Dual Immersion school programs. There are currently three Dual Language Immersion Programs offered in MCPS. They are located at Brown Station, Kemp Mill, and Washington Grove elementary schools. All three programs meet the definition of “Dual Language Immersion Program” as provided in this bill, with one exception. The bill requires the use of two teachers, with one for each language. This is the expected model at MCPS; however, student enrollment at Brown Station Elementary School created the need for a fifth kindergarten classroom, and the odd numbered class is allocated only one teacher, who delivers the instruction in both languages. There are concerns that certain definitions/requirements in the legislation would hinder MCPS’ efforts in expanding Dual Immersion. As such, MCPS may be seeking amendments to support the intentions of this bill (but highlighting the importance of local control on the specifics of these programs).
- Details: Entitled: "Education - Dual Language Immersion Program - Authorization." Sponsored by Delegate Gutierrez. Status: Hearing was held 2/16. Awaiting further Committee action.
- Establishing the Learning in Extended Academic Programs (LEAP) grant program to provide additional funding for schools in which at least 90% of students qualify for federal free/reduced priced meals
- Expanding eligibility requirements for the Teaching Fellows for Maryland scholarship program;
- Establishing grants for more schools to build innovative a Career and Technology Education programs; and
- (of course) extending the final report date for the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
AP Advocacy - 5 Steps to a 5 --- Guest Blogger Cynthia Simonson, MCCPTA VP Educational Issues
IT’S HERE!
IT’S HERE! Starting in mid-December, I start checking
the MCPS Office of Shared Accountability daily… waiting and waiting for the
annual report that gives us the results from last year’s Advanced Placement and
IB tests. This year, the report dropped in late
January!
I know not everyone geeks out on this particular report, but
I LOVE IT; I simply love it!! The first
part of this report outlines how MCPS performed and, to our credit, year after
year, we outperform the state of Maryland and the nation. That is certainly
worth celebrating, for sure, but, I think like a swimmer -- “how did we do
against ourselves?” If you’ve ever lived
with a competitive swimmer, you know about best times. This “sport” isn’t so different. I look at different things in the appendices
(outlined below), I compare this year’s scores to how students did last year,
and I look at my specific school stats to see if we are performing where I
would expect in relation to the rest of the county.
What this report does, more than anything else, is it gives
parents material to frame questions and helps identify areas of advocacy as we
work toward being “better” than we were before.
As a school system, we put a lot of emphasis on AP courses as being a
strong indicator of college readiness. I
think AP courses are an AWESOME entry point for students to experience the
rigor of college courses. But, it is
important as we expand the pool of students accessing these courses, we expand
the supports also so when a student commits a year to study a college level
subject, they have every opportunity (and expectation) of passing the exam and
possibly getting the college credit.
It is my belief, students shouldn’t be shocked by the exam
scores they receive in July. If they
have been taking a rigorous college level course all year, they should have
plenty of indicators from their formatives how they will perform on the exam. Sometimes things happen… but that should be
the exception, not the rule!
Below is an outline of the content within the report. Data
can be powerful – use it well!
· Appendix A: Starting on
page 8 of the document, shows me how many AP courses (and IB courses) my high
school offers in comparison to all the other county high schools. The range of AP classes offered in 2016-17
goes from 9-33 (which mind you, isn’t as dramatic a range if low AP courses
correlates with IB offerings). But,
maybe that would be something for a cluster coordinator to ask about. Scrolling through Appendix A, I can see the
last three years of participation for my high school by demographics. Are we attracting more students? Less students? What do I see in the trending
of specific populations? What does this
tell me (and what questions do I have) about the accessibility of our courses to all students? Do the numbers at my high school look similar
to my benchmarking schools? If not, why
not? Is there something we can learn from
them? Is there something they can learn
from us?
· Appendix B: This is where access and success intersect! Page 22
shows not only who took the test, but who passed it (with a 3 or higher). And again, I can scroll to my high school and
see by demographics who is passing and not passing the APs. And, I can look at my school in comparison…
and I think about conversations I’ve overheard about programs that are in place
in other parts of the county and ask questions at the next high school PTSA
“has our school ever considered having…?”
AND, page 30 is a special treat
because this gets to the detail of high school’s participation and whether the
numbers represent 1000 kids taking 1 exam each or 200 kids taking 5 exams
each.
· Appendix C: THIS IS MY
CANDY… this is where it becomes very personal because from pages 33-52, you can
see each course and how the students performed by high school in the 20 most
popular courses. I look at the mean for
the county for each class and how did my school perform against that mean? I look to see what courses we didn’t offer
and make note to ask more about that. And,
again, I look at my benchmarking schools – how are my “training partners”
doing? And, I really focus on schools
that are posting “rock star-like numbers” and sometimes I reach out to those
clusters and ask “what is happening over there” to gain more insight. For the past year, I’ve been reaching out to
my Principal on any courses I have questions about and I have been talking to
other parents – does this seem right to you?
If there are courses that have been underperforming against the mean
year after year – which I can see by looking back at this SAME report that is
published each year here -- http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/ And, I ask parents
in my community about their students’ experience in certain classes and go back
to the Principal to ask what explains this?
Is it a preparation issue? Do we need to create more professional
development opportunities? Something else
I have dared to ask “can I see the correlation data?” I haven’t seen it yet, but, when many parents
have similar stories of their children getting As in the course but, 2s on the
exams, I have questions… To my way of thinking, if a big group of students are getting
As in the class, I’m expecting – if the course is covering all the material
with rigor -- most of those students will post 4s or 5s on the exam. With our new data system being launched, that
can help target support to teachers and students – giving every child their
best chance at success. (Watch for that
in coming years!)
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Reinvigorating the MCCPTA Blog - Public Education funding in Maryland -- what to pay attention to in an election year
I started this blog with an Advocacy emphasis during my tenure as MCCPTA VP Advocacy a couple of years back. It's been quiet for awhile now -- but not any more.
Look to see an upcoming series of posts on issues of all sorts -- to respect your inboxes, and to inform. Guest posters will include our officers, advocacy committee members, the issue-area experts for each of the Advocacy Priorities the Delegates Assembly approved in October, and more.
MCCPTA has an excellent team of officers this year, and great energy in our membership - committees and subcommittees working actively on issues we care about, actively reaching out for additional members, and sharing their work with all of us.
The budget committees - CIP and Operating - are in high gear. Health and Safety has groups working on school climate (combatting hate in all its forms), mental health, school nutrition, wellness initiatives, opioid crisis and other addictions and more. Reflections is in high gear, Curriculum and its subcommittees are working on MANY issues - the new ES report cards, sifting through and understanding the data on graduation college readiness (with the new reporting rubric), finding ways to make the process of course selection in middle and high school one that INCLUDES parents and students in meaningful ways, Cultural Arts is ready and willing to share volumes of resources to help PTAs support cultural arts programs in schools, the GT committee will soon sponsor another forum, the Special Education committee continues its strong work on issues, and making MCCPTA aware of opportunities and events. The Advocacy Committee is in high gear, keeping our collective eyes on the Kirwan Commission, the Knott Commission, the governor's executive order on the school calendar, the upcoming General Assembly session, working with our community partners on candidate forums and candidate questionnaires. The list goes on, the work never stops, and there is always room for you to join in...
MCCPTA is a wide AND deep organization because of the power, passion, experience, expertise and energy of our collective members. Individuals working on the issues they care about, and sharing with the rest of us!
Learn more, and join us -- check out our webpage at www.mccpta.org
Enough of the overview, now to the other purpose of this post -- how to stay critically informed about education related issues on the State level, and how to hold our elected officials, and elected official 'wannabes' accountable.
It seems these days as if we are perpetually in an election year -- political messaging and partisan bickering is everywhere -- and much of the rhetoric and policy coming out of the current White House has very real and very damaging impacts on our public schools, public education, and MCPS students. That's the subject of another post.
But it actually IS a state-wide election year in Maryland -- all of our county and state offices will be on the ballot in the June 26, 2018 primary and the Nov. 6, 2018 General Election. And frankly, with the new term limits in MoCo meaning more than half of our nine county council seats will not have an incumbent running, the county executive race is wide-open, and the 6th District Congressional seat being open --- everybody seems to be running for something, and many incumbents at all levels are shifting focus - running for new offices and giving up their current seats.
And public education is the holy grail -- it is essential. The mission of PTA is to make every child's potential a reality, and long ago we realized that providing access and opportunity to high quality education was the only way to achieve that. Did you know that the Maryland Constitution places only two explicit responsibilities on the General Assembly -- passing a balanced budget each year and providing for a free, adequate system of public education. If you ever talk to someone running for state-wide office and they don't know that, or don't acknowledge that they are constitutionally required to make public education the highest priority -- I would look for another candidate
All subjects for more blog posts -- because now is the time of year we focus on budgets in the County, and State-wide issues, because the 90-day General Assembly session kicks off on January 10, 2018. But, because 2018 is an election year, everything coming out of Annapolis this session will be more political than usual --- see above -- EVERYBODY is running for something!!!
The State portion of our public school funding is formula driven --- in the 2002 "Bridge to Excellence" Act, the General Assembly set out a specific, mandatory, formula driven funding method to ensure a certain basic level of per pupil funding for every public school system, and public school student, in Maryland. Though the governor has a lot of budget power in Maryland - more in fact than any other U.S. governor -- the governor can't avoid the mandatory funding formulas in the law. So -- it's an election year -- when you hear candidates and office-holders make claims about public school funding (because they're all going to say education is the highest priority), ask these questions:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-kirwan-delay-20171025-story.html
The organization Strong Schools Maryland is also doing great work following the work and priorities of the Kirwan Commission, and sharing substantive information about the educational priorities and issues identified in the Commission's work -- here's a link to Strong Schools website:
https://www.strongschoolsmaryland.org/about-us-1
There's always lots going on in Maryland if you care about public education -- so stay tuned!
Look to see an upcoming series of posts on issues of all sorts -- to respect your inboxes, and to inform. Guest posters will include our officers, advocacy committee members, the issue-area experts for each of the Advocacy Priorities the Delegates Assembly approved in October, and more.
MCCPTA has an excellent team of officers this year, and great energy in our membership - committees and subcommittees working actively on issues we care about, actively reaching out for additional members, and sharing their work with all of us.
The budget committees - CIP and Operating - are in high gear. Health and Safety has groups working on school climate (combatting hate in all its forms), mental health, school nutrition, wellness initiatives, opioid crisis and other addictions and more. Reflections is in high gear, Curriculum and its subcommittees are working on MANY issues - the new ES report cards, sifting through and understanding the data on graduation college readiness (with the new reporting rubric), finding ways to make the process of course selection in middle and high school one that INCLUDES parents and students in meaningful ways, Cultural Arts is ready and willing to share volumes of resources to help PTAs support cultural arts programs in schools, the GT committee will soon sponsor another forum, the Special Education committee continues its strong work on issues, and making MCCPTA aware of opportunities and events. The Advocacy Committee is in high gear, keeping our collective eyes on the Kirwan Commission, the Knott Commission, the governor's executive order on the school calendar, the upcoming General Assembly session, working with our community partners on candidate forums and candidate questionnaires. The list goes on, the work never stops, and there is always room for you to join in...
MCCPTA is a wide AND deep organization because of the power, passion, experience, expertise and energy of our collective members. Individuals working on the issues they care about, and sharing with the rest of us!
Learn more, and join us -- check out our webpage at www.mccpta.org
Enough of the overview, now to the other purpose of this post -- how to stay critically informed about education related issues on the State level, and how to hold our elected officials, and elected official 'wannabes' accountable.
It seems these days as if we are perpetually in an election year -- political messaging and partisan bickering is everywhere -- and much of the rhetoric and policy coming out of the current White House has very real and very damaging impacts on our public schools, public education, and MCPS students. That's the subject of another post.
But it actually IS a state-wide election year in Maryland -- all of our county and state offices will be on the ballot in the June 26, 2018 primary and the Nov. 6, 2018 General Election. And frankly, with the new term limits in MoCo meaning more than half of our nine county council seats will not have an incumbent running, the county executive race is wide-open, and the 6th District Congressional seat being open --- everybody seems to be running for something, and many incumbents at all levels are shifting focus - running for new offices and giving up their current seats.
And public education is the holy grail -- it is essential. The mission of PTA is to make every child's potential a reality, and long ago we realized that providing access and opportunity to high quality education was the only way to achieve that. Did you know that the Maryland Constitution places only two explicit responsibilities on the General Assembly -- passing a balanced budget each year and providing for a free, adequate system of public education. If you ever talk to someone running for state-wide office and they don't know that, or don't acknowledge that they are constitutionally required to make public education the highest priority -- I would look for another candidate
All subjects for more blog posts -- because now is the time of year we focus on budgets in the County, and State-wide issues, because the 90-day General Assembly session kicks off on January 10, 2018. But, because 2018 is an election year, everything coming out of Annapolis this session will be more political than usual --- see above -- EVERYBODY is running for something!!!
The State portion of our public school funding is formula driven --- in the 2002 "Bridge to Excellence" Act, the General Assembly set out a specific, mandatory, formula driven funding method to ensure a certain basic level of per pupil funding for every public school system, and public school student, in Maryland. Though the governor has a lot of budget power in Maryland - more in fact than any other U.S. governor -- the governor can't avoid the mandatory funding formulas in the law. So -- it's an election year -- when you hear candidates and office-holders make claims about public school funding (because they're all going to say education is the highest priority), ask these questions:
- Are you talking about public education? (Because there's been a lot of redirection of public money to private schools in the past couple of years)
- When you say 'increased education funding' - are you talking about spending even one penny more than the Bridge to Excellence formulas require you to spend?
- Because -- education spending has increased in Maryland every year for the past 15 -- but in most years that's just because the number of public school students has increased. The Bridge to Excellence funding formulas are all 'per pupil' based -- number of students goes up, education spending goes up..... number of students goes down, education funding goes down.
- Beware of the governor's animus towards 'formula-driven funding' -- saying things like it removes autonomy, flexibility, and accountability from the budget cycle. Truth is -- almost all formula-driven funding in Maryland is specific to public education. So attacking the formulas IS attacking funding for our public schools
- And remember -- the current governor refused to spend $68 million in dedicated public school funding his first year in office -- in the FY2016 budget the GCEI formula funds were never released to the school districts like MCPS where education costs are higher than average. The governor had two choices -- release the allocated funds to public schools, or let the money sit there. He let the money sit there.
- And - looking at the work of the Kirwan Commission (Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education) they're making some serious recommendations about educational priorities in Maryland --- early childhood education, enhanced means of professionalizing the teacher workforce, creating a high quality cadre of diverse educators, CTE education etc. etc. But to really make Maryland schools the envy of the world takes commitment, substantive work vs. cosmetic changes, and FUNDING. What do our elected officials and candidates say about that?
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-kirwan-delay-20171025-story.html
The organization Strong Schools Maryland is also doing great work following the work and priorities of the Kirwan Commission, and sharing substantive information about the educational priorities and issues identified in the Commission's work -- here's a link to Strong Schools website:
https://www.strongschoolsmaryland.org/about-us-1
There's always lots going on in Maryland if you care about public education -- so stay tuned!
Monday, May 30, 2016
Advocacy Part II - What happens after a bill is passed?
Even after hardworking advocates are successful in getting a bill through the General Assembly, there is still another step or two in the process before the bill becomes law.
In Maryland, once the General Assembly acts to pass a piece of legislation, the governor has three options.
- the governor can sign the bill into law
- the governor can veto the bill (the General Assembly then has the option of attempting to override the veto - override requires a three-fifths vote of the elected membership of both the House and Senate)
- the governor can do nothing --- you may have heard a staffer, lobbyist or legislator say the governor 'put it in a drawer' - in which case the bill goes into effect the same as if it were signed, just without the governor's imprimatur.
The vast majority of bills passed in any General Assembly session are passed in the final weeks... the final days are a flurry of floor votes, conference committees, and concurrences. The governor is authorized to act on any piece of legislation as soon as the bill is passed - which means the governor can sign or veto a bill during session. It is relatively rare for the governor to veto a bill during session, because as soon as the governor vetoes, the legislature can attempt an override. In the 2016 General Assembly session there were several vetoes during session this year, immediately overridden. Here's an article discussing some:
Because so much happens at the end of the legislative session, usually the governor's office is presented with a large volume of passed legislation in a short space of time. The governor and his staff then have a maximum of 50 days to determine what action to take on each bill. Things generally take a pretty well-known path.
Even before the end of the legislative session, the governor's office announces multiple official post-session bill signing ceremonies --- there are usually about five or six of them. Then, after the governor's office is presented with the list of passed bills, the staff go through the list to determine which bills the governor will sign, and then assign each of those bills to one of the pre-determined bill signing ceremonies.
The bill signing ceremonies provide an opportunity for hardworking legislators and advocates to be present, be recognized, have a nice official photo op. with the governor etc. -- I'm sure you've all seen some of those photos - the governor, the speaker, the Senate president at the dais with a line of legislators and advocates behind.
You'd think that would be a pretty straightforward, transparent process -- but really not so much. Sometimes, the governor's office notifies primary bill sponsors of the date on which their bill will be signed well in advance, but often there is little notice. Many times the governor's office will release a list of bills to be signed only a day or two before the relevant signing ceremony.
Practically speaking, the Speaker's office and Senate president's office maintain a list of bills passed during session, and monitor the bill signing announcements that come out of the governor's office -- -checking bills off as they go. After the last bill signing ceremony a list of unsigned bills remains. Usually - and this year is no exception - the last bill signing ceremony takes place about a week before the final deadline for gubernatorial action on session legislation. So then, you literally just wait to see what will happen with the remaining bills.
Bills vetoed after the end of the General Assembly session have to wait til the General Assembly convenes again to attempt veto overrides.... and that's more than seven months. Effectively that means when the governor vetoes a bill passed by the General Assembly with a veto-proof majority, the veto isn't the death of the bill, just a delay. Which begs the question.... if you know the bill will eventually be enacted, why thwart the work of the General Assembly? But it happens.....
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