BLOG: Chicago Nightmares for Montgomery County
Thank goodness, Chicago kids are going back to school.
But their week of forced vacation for a teacher strike should alarm us here in Montgomery County.
Chicago's fiscal grief is what we will face if we don’t make different choices and set a new course for our school budget.
As one popular financial blog put it, the Chicago strike underscores, one of the “most important issues of our time,” namely how to preserve a public education system that is too heavily committed to unsustainable pension and benefit commitments.
Montgomery County earlier this year unilaterally granted teachers a significant increase without any progress on resolving long-term pension and benefit guarantees, which everyone agrees are unsustainable.
Specifically, MCPS granted a two-step, seven percent increase on top of pay and benefits on top of a compensation package that already leads the region.
As The Washington Post wrote, it is not a question of whether good teachers deserve high pay—they certainly do—but it is a question of how we are going to tie pay to performance and at the same time bring our pension and benefit system into a framework that is sustainable for the future and for other public employees in our county.
These are hard problems, but taking a pass on leadership as the MCPS school system most recently did is no way to start.
The roots of this problem are an antiquated way of dealing with teachers' compensation. All contact is made through the powerful Montgomery County Education Association, the teacher’s union.
The MCEA (the Apple Ballot's authors) are increasingly no longer representing the interests of most teachers or students.
For teachers, the MCEA is fighting a rear-guard action to hang on to a benefits structure that will benefit few, if any of the younger teachers. There simply is not enough money to support the promises that have been made. Instead of facing up to facts, the MCEA is using scare tactics to hold onto a benefit for the few without looking out for the future of the many.
For students, it is worse. The Apple Ballot no longer is a document that represents the interests of the students. To hang on to the last few years of an unsustainable system, MCPS has had to make staff cuts and increase class size. The impact on today’s students is terrible.
In an environment where we need to keep excellent schools and at the same time take on big social issues such as closing the achievement gap and ensuring all kids are safe in school, we simply cannot afford to cut investment in education.
We need independent voices, which will make tough budget calls and protect the interests of everyone. The county itself has put out excellent budget documents that show where compromise can be made, but like the Simpson Bowles commission document at the national level, these recommendations have been ignored.
The road ahead will be challenging, but it is the only way to make our great schools greater and ensure that Montgomery County leads the nation in education in this new millennium.
Morris Panner, father of four children in Montgomery County Public Schools, is running for the Montgomery County Board of Education.
Jay M
2:41 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
I am really disappointed and angry at your views about teachers and the current system you refer to in your blog. The teachers of MCPS are dedicated and committed to the students success in academics and as a person. Data has shown our students are as prepared for success in the future as any other county, region, or state. My two kids have had great teachers over the years and now my son is preparing on choosing a college for next year. I'm extremely confident he will be successful in college and beyond. Partial credit has to go to the teachers, administrators, other staff that have impacted his life over the last 12 years. But only if MCPS has the best staff around can this happen. A child will only be confident, motivated, and "smart" if they have had outstanding teachers in outstanding schools. We are professionals and in a profession that deserves and demands respect for what we do and what we accomplish daily! We have a dichotomy, in our profession, with too many people in power, and many are not educators, wanting students prepared for higher learning yet at a minimal cost for those that get the students prepared. Instead of enticing future and current professionals in our industry with competitive pay and benefits, compared to other industries, we choose to offer below-market value for talent that should be unmatched. I refuse to let you spread propaganda about a profession that my mom, sister, aunt, cousin, and myself have dedicated our lives to! Here's an apple!
Morris Panner
4:36 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
I agree with you that we need to continue to bring the best people into the profession. I, too, am heavily invested in the MCPS system, with four children in the system right now and for the next many years. The reason for my candidacy is to preserve the great system (and make it greater) that has allowed so many stories like yours. My family is also committed to education with my mom being on our school board and my father-in-law, as well. My parents and in-laws all have worked in education as either teachers or in a public school health office.
We are not building a system for the future. To make the next twelve years as good and or better than the previous 12, we need to take a new approach that will be sustainable for all of us and our children.
Thank you for your comment and for your strong support of public education.
Janis
8:48 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Jay - Did you read the article? Apparently not. Let's start at the top. Mr. Panner says the MCPS budget is unsustainable. Well, do you think it is sustainable?
Do the math. If you expect the public to be highly educated, then you expect that they can do the math. The math doesn't support teachers receiving increases at present. What do you suggest? Nothing in your comment addresses the problem. There is X amount of money. If the teachers union wants all of X, what is left for police, fire, libraries, buses, and health services?
Teachers are educated and can engage in an intelligent discussion about budget numbers. Let's hear your reasoning for why you think the MCPS budget is sustainable.
Kudos for Mr. Panner for even TALKING. Where is the other candidate? Hiding under an "apple"...
Theresa Defino
3:58 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
You say, "The roots of this problem are an antiquated way of dealing with teachers' compensation. All contact is made through the powerful Montgomery County Education Association, the teacher’s union."
So you are favoring the dissolution of the union? What would it take to do this and what are the pros and cons?
You say, "Instead of facing up to facts, the MCEA is using scare tactics to hold onto a benefit for the few without looking out for the future of the many."
Such as?
Voters want to know exactly what you would do if elected. Concrete proposals, please. MCEA did not endorse you. For the two open seats, MCEA endorsed a former principal, Fred Evans, and the incumbent whose seat you are seeking, Phil Kauffman.
What makes you better qualified than Mr. Kauffman?
Morris Panner
4:31 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Thank you for your comment. That is what the campaign is about -- why should we move from the current system to something different. In the coming weeks, I will be posting: 1) examples of innovative education programs, including those highlighted by the Race to Top initiative; 2) research from the County's office of legislative policy which points to a sustainable way forward on the budget; and 3) research that shows what is the most important element in closing the achievement gap. These are the ways in which we are going to move forward.
Janis
8:51 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Budget facts.
Teachers union sets contract in secret without public discussion, with Board of Education discussion, and without analysis of financial state of county.
What has Mr. Kauffman SAID about any of this? Again, thanks to Mr. Panner for speaking up. We will never have this dialogue with an Apple endorsed candidate. Why? Because they aren't allowed to speak. Right, Mr. Gerson?
Theresa Defino
4:48 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
I look forward to your future posts on the topics you have outlined.
However, you did not answer my request for details to support your attacks on the union, which make up the majority of this post.
Janis
8:52 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
If you read this post, he actually said there is a problem with the process.
Noelie Angevine
4:48 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
The race to the top rewards the schools that make the most progress. Competition between schools, states, teachers and students can be very divisive. The money is funneled into smaller areas.
Poverty stricken areas need more help. I am alarmed to see a prospective school board member suggest such a program as Race to the Top. The net result of that program is punitive, not rewarding.
I have great regard for Mr. Obama in many regards. However..........his children are in private schools. Most of us can't afford them.
Noelie Angevine
5:00 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Quick question? How do schools whose classes largely consist of hungry children in overcrowded classrooms, in counties that do not have enough money to pay teachers enough money to rent apartments, etc. succeed in the race to the top?
Janis
8:59 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Here's one of the budget problems that the Apple Ballot supports.
MCPS staff are allowed to travel the country hawking vendor products. Then, the same MCPS staff are given the go-ahead by the Superintendent and the BOE to spend $14.5 million on these same products without bids or contracts.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2012/09/mcps-sherwin-collette-at-promethean.html
Who wins? The vendors. Who loses? The classroom teachers. This is $14.5 million that won't be spent on teacher compensation, that won't be spent on classroom teacher supply requests. Yet, Mr. Jon Gerson has assured me that the Apple Ballot is good with this spending.
Teachers, you all support the recent $14.5 million no-bid, no contract purchase by MCPS staff? It is your desire that every elementary school classroom have their $5,000 allotment spent on a Promethean Board? Can't buy anything else for your classroom, and you won't get any extra compensation, but you do want a no-bid Promethean Board, correct? Even bidding this procurement out would yield savings that could be applied to classroom teachers. Your choice.
Janis
9:59 am on Friday, September 21, 2012
Here's the problem: The MCPS budget is set in secret. It is not set at the public Board of Education table. the BOE is tasked with setting the budget per Maryland law, but the law is violated and the budget is set in secret. There is no "public" in the setting of the PUBLIC school budget.
The Parents' Coalition obtained Agendas from these secret meetings through a Maryland Public Information Act request.
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2012/03/exclusive-mcps-secret-budget-meeting.html
These documents were not made public by the BOE, and were not made public by any unions. These documents were made public by an advocacy group digging.
Why are these meetings a secret? Teachers? You are good with secret meetings and do not believe in the democratic process for setting the MCPS budget?
BCCPotomacParent
1:39 pm on Saturday, October 6, 2012
I guess I'm a little confused. . . was Morris Panner so disenchanted with MCEA before he unsuccessfully sought their recommendation? When I researched his past involvement in MCPS on the internet, the only thing I came up with was a letter to the Washington Post (whose historic dislike of unions drove its decision to endorse Panner) http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/one-schools-lesson-in-bureaucracy/2011/09/15/gIQAgMRQYK_story.html, in which he expressed unhappiness at his kid's elementary PE teacher not being allowed to operate a for-profit company out of the school at which they worked, using public resources. And when I researched Janis Sartucci on the internet, the only thing I came up with was an unending series of (rather inane) blog postings about "secret meetings in MCPS and MCEA" and Promothean Boards -- does she even have kids in the system anymore? However, when I researched the school system on the internet, the most significant objective data I found related to the success of all students (e.g. African American graduation rate rose to 74%, schools rated #1 in the country for the past four years, etc.). Seems to me that both Panner and Sartucci have a little issue of their own related to integrity and transparency. In political campaigns, it is not unusual for people to have different perspectives about challenging issues like public education; however, it doesn't seem like either of these two individuals add much value to the community dialogue.
Janis
6:31 pm on Sunday, October 7, 2012
Well, you sure are confused! Potomac families don't go to BCC!
First, no one can seek an endorsement from MCEA. That's not how it works. MCEA/Apple Ballot pre-selects the candidates that they will endorse. That pre-selection is done by Jon Gerson. (That may be you!) Any one else that runs for a BOE seat can not get the Apple endorsement. There has been only 1 exception to that rule. Recently, when Fred Evans filed for a BOE seat he did it without the Apple Ballot stamp of approval. The Apple Ballot/Jon Gerson had picked another candidate to endorse. But, when the actual classroom teachers looked at the candidates, they wanted Mr. Evans. No willing to throw in the towel, Mr. Gerson gave the Apple stamp of approval to 2 candidates in the primary. Mr. Gerson's candidate lost and the teachers' pick, Mr. Evans won.
Second, unless you are a billionaire (and maybe Mr. Gerson is!) then how our County government spends tax dollars is of interest to many citizens. If you chose to ignore how the government spends your tax dollars, then yes, the Parents' Coalition's investigation into the MCPS budget bores you. But, for the many citizens who care about how their tax dollars are being spent the facts exposed by the Parents' Coalition is of great interest.
Janis
6:33 pm on Sunday, October 7, 2012
There is a little something in Maryland called the Maryland Open Meetings Act. For citizens who expect their elected leaders to follow the law, violations of the Maryland Open Meetings Act are a serious issue. The Parents' Coalition has exposed a number of violations of the Open Meetings Act by the Board of Education. Those violations have been verified by the Maryland Open Meetings Act Compliance Board and are now detailed in published Opinions in your local library.
Janis
6:35 pm on Sunday, October 7, 2012
P.S. Take a look at the Parent's Coalition blog this week. Since the anonymous BCCPotomac person wants facts, we'll have a little piece of information from MCPS about how African-American students are performing.