Incoming MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith announced his strategy last night to address the achievement gap between white students and black and Latino students. That gap has increased since 2010, despite record amounts of your money being supplied to MCPS by the Council.
So, we had the 9% property tax hike, and taxes are now at the highest total level in Montgomery County history. What is MCPS going to do with it on the achievement gap? What's the innovative new strategy? We know what we're doing now doesn't work. After several months to strategize, here's what MCPS has outlined for spending your $90 million:
According to the Washington Post, Smith "stopped short of providing a detailed plan for the coming year, and school officials said more specifics would come soon."
Wait a minute, what?!
Here comes the barrage of Orwellian buzzwords and phrases:
"Optimistic"
"build up cultural competency among educators"
"operational excellence"
"learning accountability"
(quite a statement from a system that just jettisoned final exams, and dumbed down its grading system to inflate final grades - which college admissions offices will catch onto soon enough, tarnishing our once great reputation across the country)
"Smith did not say precisely how success would be measured."
God help us.
Your tax dollars "at work."
#MoCoTermLimits #ThrowTheBumsOut
The Litany of St. Dyer has begun once again.
ReplyDeleteMoCo residents are counting the days until Mr. Leventhal is barred from running for his Council seat again :)
ReplyDeleteTime to get the legacy members of the Council out and new ideas in.
Psychobabble aka Dyer's blog
ReplyDelete6:38: No, I'm always advocating for new and specific policies and transportation projects. The psychobabble is clearly quoted above from MCPS.
DeleteYet your new and specific policies never explain the logistics behind them either
DeleteYet your new and specific policies never explain the logistics behind them either.
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ReplyDeleteJust fyi - Modern Market is doing training days. Food/drink will be free on August 5 and 6. You need to register (if you have multiple reservations, your name will be removed.) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bethesda-trial-dining-aug-5-6-tickets-26446785046
ReplyDeleteOlazzos looks closed. Signs completely gone.
ReplyDeleteI doubt they're closed...Olazzos sign has been gone for weeks. There is some kind of work being done on the building.
ReplyDeleteGet the deadwood off the Council.
ReplyDeleteEnough with the lifetime appointment mentality.
@ 7:38 AM - You clearly don't understand the difference between an elected official and an appointed official.
DeleteOlazzo is gone? I don't believe it until Dyer reports it.
ReplyDeleteSecond, they were one of the strongest advocates to end the DLC monopoly so sad if they actually are gone.
9:20 AM - And you clearly are lacking in reading comprehension. "Lifetime appointment mentality" is not the same as lifetime appointment.
ReplyDeleteMy question of course is if y'all who complain about "getting the deadwood off the council" are actually going out and voting. Or for that matter, are you guys (except for the Moribundly Low-Energy Dyer) getting out there to get onto the ballot?
ReplyDeleteCynical me says "probably not."
And by the way the proposed salary hike to council members is actually pretty well in line with what a highly experienced GS-14 or SES person makes....and certainly they are getting more done than most of the weirdos in Congress making more than that.
Peter, given that the Council has been in a budget shortfall every single year, and their own former staff members have publicly stated our private sector economy is moribund and our school system "is no longer great," I don't think we can compare them to a highly qualified professional in any field. You would likely have done a better job on the Council than they have.
DeleteWhy can't you compare them again? Because the end product isn't what you desire? Does that make them not professionals? Not speaking to the quality of their work.
DeletePeter, are you voting? Or thinking of getting on the ballot? I'm a cynic too.
ReplyDeleteDo I remember correctly? Aren't the county council members considered "part-time?" Can they still keep other jobs? Are their staff full-time employees? Isn't it shady to keep their agreed-upon raise when they invalidated an agreed-upon raise for school workers?
I'm sure, like me, many of the readers here vote. I don't know how many of them pay attention to the inner-doings of the county. I do know I've been hearing more about it since the property tax increase.
What exactly is an "Orwellian buzzword"?
ReplyDelete#DyerNeedsAnEditor
ReplyDeleteWe have to pay for all the illegals learning English and dragging down the SAT scores and federal funding to our increasingly low ranking schools bc of the above
Robert Dyer is a hero. Thank you for reporting this.
ReplyDelete6:49: You can't compare them, because the councilmembers have shown none of the skills that federal employees have.
ReplyDeleteWhat are Dyer's skills?
Delete8:37: There's no "opinion" - every statement I made about the Council record is factually correct.
Delete8:41 ooh that's a mighty fine point. Dyer wants to talk performance. He runs two popular but controversial hyper local blogs. He's run unsuccessfully for county council twice is it? He's self recorded a critically acclaimed music album or two.
Delete2:29, you misunderstand. You claim the opinion of others as false if you disagree.
3:00: Actually, I run 3 popular hyperlocal news sites. Marc Elrich lost more times than me, and yet is the highest votegetter in the County. Where's your record, bozo?
DeleteWell as you proudly pointed out, you and Mr. Elrich are public figures, so my record as a private citizen is irrelevant while yours is open to public view and discrimination.
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