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Montgomery County Board Of Education

Sunday, May 12, 2013

School Board Agenda: School Renovations in Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Wheaton

The Montgomery County Board of Education meets regularly in Rockville.

The Montgomery County Board of Education will approve a bevy of school building improvements at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 14 at 9 a.m. in Rockville.  Projects at Judith A. Resnik, Sequoyah, Summit Hall, Arcola and Rosemary Hills Elementary Schools are on the agenda.  (To see the full agenda, click on the PDF above.) 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

New Student School Board Member Says, 'Students Are the Largest Stakeholders'

"Students are the largest stakeholders, but we are noticeably underrepresented in making critical decisions" in the school system, said Justin Kim, 18, of Gaithersburg.

Meet Justin Kim, junior at Poolesville High and an 18-year-old Gaithersburg native who will serve as student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education next year. Kim was elected to the position with 65 percent of the student vote, Montgomery County Public Schools announced April 26. All secondary students in the system were eligible to participate in the election. Patch spoke to Kim about what he hopes to achieve during his term and the challenges the school system faces.    Patch: Why did you want to become a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education? Justin Kim: I’ve always had a passion for service and working with others towards a common goal. Throughout my life, I am always looking for new ways to help others and …

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

PTA Council to Host Tuesday Forum on Schools Budget

County officials will take questions about the $2.23 billion budget request adopted by the Montgomery County Board of Education Monday.

The Montgomery County Board of Education voted Monday evening to submit a $2.23 billion budget request to the county executive and the county council for consideration on March 1. The budget request for fiscal year 2014 represents a 2.6 percent increase over the current year’s budget, according to a statement released by Montgomery County Public Schools. Tuesday night, board members and the school superintendent will join the county executive and five councilmembers at a forum hosted by the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations. The forum is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville. County Executive Isiah Leggett, Superintendent Joshua P…

TaL

10:04 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Ive got a big fat question, how is it that the schools budget doubled between 2001 and 2012 yet outcomes have dropped. Better yet, how is it that Fairfax County (with identical demographics) pays $2k less per pupil yet does 20% better in terms of test scores/college admits/ap exams?   more ›

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Top Headlines: False Drug Records, Burglary Ring Uncovered, Cows Run Wild and More

Get caught up on headlines you might've missed in Montgomery County.

With more than a dozen websites across Montgomery County, Patch brings you news from every corner of our community. Catch up on headlines you might have missed this week, including a burglary ring uncovered, national signing day, life sentence for a stabbing death and more. Rockville Woman Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Drug Test Results in Bribery Scheme ROCKVILLE—A Rockville woman pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to falsify results of court-ordered drug tests in exchange for bribes and then lying about it to a federal grand jury. Read more on Rockville Patch. 6 Charged in North Potomac Burglary Heists NORTH POTOMAC—Six males were charged in a North Potomac burglary ring that netted more than $100,000 worth of goods from 30 …

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Montgomery County School Board to Hold First Budget Hearing

The hearing on Superintendent Starr's $2.2 billion plan will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday.

  The Montgomery County Board of Education will hold a public hearing Thursday on Superintendent Joshua P. Starr’s $2.2 billion operating budget request for the 2013-2014 school year.  The hearing, the first of two before the board, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center, at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. The hearing also will be broadcast live on the web and on MCPS TV (Comcast channel 34, Verizon FIOS channel 36, and RCN channel 88). A second hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Carver Center. Click here for more information, including how to testify. The proposed spending plan for fiscal 2014, which begins July 1, is a $48.95 million increase (2.3 percent) over the current budget. Starr’s plan aims…

Friday, December 21, 2012

No Vote on Full Voting Rights for Student School Board Members Next Year

After a bill that would allow the student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education full voting rights failed last year, advocates said they are taking a break in pushing for the change.

Advocates of full voting rights for student members of the Montgomery County Board of Education announced that they would take a two-year break from pursuing the issue in the Maryland General Assembly, the Gazette newspaper reports.  A bill that would amend the student member's rights to include a vote on collective bargaining, capital and operating budgets and school closings, openings and boundaries cleared the House last March before being stalled in the state Senate, Patch reported.  Last year, one of the proposal's opponents, Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Bethesda) said he believed the issues were "too complicated and burdensome" for students.  Sen. Delores G. Kelley (D-Randallstown) said she felt the Senate would “rue the day” it voted to …

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Speak Out: What Would You Do On Your Last Day On Earth?

The world could end Dec. 21 if the Mayan calendar is correct.

If the Mayans are right, the world is supposed to end Dec. 21. Though many scholars have debunked the end of the world myth, across the DMV, people are throwing parties to celebrate. So we want to know, if Friday is your last day on Earth, what would you do to make it special? What's on your doomsday bucket list?

Craig

7:50 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012

I spent my end of the world day watching the news and getting more and more depressed about the state of this country. Maybe the Mayans were on to something. Only, it won't be Dec. 21... it will be some unknown date when the chinese finally stop buying our bonds. Or take over our industries.   more ›

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Winners of 26th Annual Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Honored

Photographers, volunteers and schoolchildren among 56 honorees.

  At the Dec. 4 26th annual “Keep Montgomery County Beautiful” community beautification award ceremony, organizers handed out 56 awards for municipal street plantings, community plantings, community landscape projects, outdoor projects at commercial and retail locations, outdoor projects at schools/government buildings/hospitals/churches, under-19 age groups, sustained maintenance, photographs of Montgomery County landmarks, adopt-a-road participants and forestry stewardship. The fifty-six award winners represent a number of areas in Montgomery County. Silver Spring/Colesville/ Wheaton/Takoma Park-area winners CITYSCAPE for municipal street plantings in median strips, near traffic ramps and next to sidewalks: Award of Excellence:  Wheaton …

Friday, December 14, 2012

Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Available in Montgomery County

Licenses can now be obtained.

The Montgomery County Marriage License Office is accepting applications for same-sex marriage. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a proclamation enabling Maryland courthouses to issue the licenses last week so that same-sex couples could be legally wed as of Jan. 1, 2013, when the law recognizing same-sex marriage takes effect. “We got about 20 calls asking would we be taking marriage applications for same sex marriage, so I was expecting at least 10 of them to come in," Montgomery County Circuit Court clerk Loretta Knight told the Gazette recently. Knight said one woman was at the office when they opened at 8:30 a.m. the first day it was legal to apply, Dec. 6. However, those eager to wed at the courthouse in Rockville on the first day will have…

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Once Again, a Battle Looms Over Funding Law and Montgomery County Schools Budget

Superintendent remains confident that he can win over the County Council.

Superintendent Joshua P. Starr’s proposed $2.2 billion fiscal 2014 budget for Montgomery County schools could face a familiar challenge—how to comply with a state law on school funding minimums while winning approval from a County Council determined to rein in spending on schools. Starr's spending plan, unveiled Tuesday, is $10 million—less than half a percent—above the funding floor mandated by the state’s maintenance of effort law, which requires counties’ per-pupil spending to remain the same or increase from year to year. But the half percent increase could have major implications. County school budgets that dip below the funding level can have the difference withheld by the state comptroller when passing through income tax revenues to…

John

4:07 pm on Saturday, December 15, 2012

This battle goes on every year and makes me sick. The schools need more money, MOE aside, because the number of students in the schools is increasing at a faster rate than the general population is increasing, in MoCo. Yet, the County Council, every year, does not give the schools enough money for MoCo's schools to remain among the top school systems in the country, which is why many people have …   more ›

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