Recent Prince George's County School Budget News (24 & 25 Feb 2011)

News reports:

• Reading, other programs face sharp cuts in Prince George's (Post, 24 Feb 2011, Harris)
• Pr. George's school board approves big cuts (Post, 25 Feb 2011, Samuels)
• Prince George's school board adopts fiscal 2012 budget that would cut programs, 1,100 jobs; Controversial plan now awaits approval by County Council, Baker (Gazette, 25 Feb 2011, Leaderman)
• County's Board of Education Adopts $1.6 Billion Budget; Prince George's County school board members endorse budget, but with an eye on future negotiations (Patch, 25 Feb 2011, Aerts)

Twitter reports, before during and after the meeting, most recent items first.

• realpgcounty @pgcps approved @PGCPSHite's budget last night which called for deep cuts to most departments and spared most of the administration.
• PrinceGeorgians Reading, other programs face sharp cuts in Prince George's http://t.co/RhRJhgi 
• PGCTV I uploaded a YouTube video -- Save Camp Schimdt http://youtu.be/Ieh4MruD2kM?a
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : YES!! 
• pgcpsparents massive layoffs likely of reading recovery teachers 
• pgcpsparents much to be concern with, no alternative to reading recovery, over 100 positions, only 43 Title 1 schools and not all need reading recovery 
• pgcpsparents BOE states we are paying for mistakes in the past, does that include Washington Plaza? 
• pgcpsparents We encourage parents to stay alert continue to watch BOE meetings and stay connected to your BOE Rep ed by you
• pgcpsparents many voted after stating could not vote for a budget that did not contain alternatives for Camp Schmidt, reading recovery and others but did ed by you
• pgcpsparents 8-1 vote on one of the most historical budget votes in the history of PGCPS, what direction is the system headed, three years of cuts 
• pgcpsparents This is one of the most historical budget votes in the history of PGCPS took place last night, many feel betrayed by grand standing BOE 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : Of course they did...that impacts them. 
• kidjk PresSec alludes in conference Obama didn't mean he would actually walk a picket line w/ workers if they r being abused when he said it in 08 
• pgcpsparents They just brushed away the concept of more furloughs for Administration 
• kidjk the US Conference of Catholic Bishops have thrown their support behind the protesters in Wisconsin. 
• kidjk the @pgcps board of education has just approved a budget with massive cuts to all levels of the system. 
• pgcpsparents The best way to get your message across is to refuse to cut, refuse to give them an out! 
• pgcpsparents Dr. Hite has a 325K salary, while school system enrollment has dropped every year under his leadership
• kidjk This dedicated funding issue raised by Beck & others is an unspoken one. If Park&Planning can raise funds surely the schools should be able. 
• pgcpsparents It may be dismantling the system, just re-call you sat at the cusp of the drowning of the system..Dr. Hite has a 325K salary 
• pgcpsparents it is not about programs, it is about equity in budget management, cabinet's intact, 30k employees lose jobs, teachers laid off 
• pgcpsparents Several BOE members where on the BOE six years ago and never developed a sustainablity plan. 
• pgcpsparents An email states: The end of PGCPS has been televised 
• pgcpsparents if you have faith that money will be found, refuse this budget and pass one with the services you believe is on the way 
• kidjk this budget is not about sustainability. No one could have seen this budget situation we face 2day. 
• pgcpsparents Goodbye Middle School Budgets 
• kidjk I disagree w/ Dr. Hite's budget. I think it hits students 2 hard & doesn't hit pork hard enough. I however can understand those voting yes. 
• pgcpsparents Many emails suggesting the BOE has backed out and not leading 
• pgcpsparents This is not a responsive budget, it lacks too many details and few options. I think details should a major part of the approval process 
• pgcpsparents What I think is disrespectful from the BOE, whenever a parent or community members voices a position they are made to feel badly 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents oh goodness not. Greed is a terrible thing. 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents which is another reason y student board members should be full members. in to pgcpsparents 
• pgcpsparents This is how it has always work, they fuss, but approve nothing is changed 
• kidjk the fact that the admin cannot produce a list of all contracts and how beneficial they are 2 the system is a problem. #pgcpsbudget. 
• pgcpsparents Edward Burroughs has asked for this information since Dec. and while he was a student board member. He did not ask for a list 
• pgcpsparents Dr. Hite admits cutting without options 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : true that. Just hope they are prepared for what is to come. 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents I am not sure that he means it is 45K each. I think he means it is 45K total. in to pgcpsparents 
• kidjk I love Edward Burroughs proposal to furlough the senior cabinet making well over $100,000 a year 12 days.
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents how about getting rid of the Dir of comp, bens and HRIS and all sups reduce their salaries and everyone rpts to the Dir of HR 
• kidjk Burroughs proposal to furlough senior management 12 days won't get a million dollars but it is $540,000 and that is real money 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents that would be too much like right. Here's a idea.... via Twitter for iPhonein to pgcpsparents 
• pgcpsparents we need to see the board give back, $600.00 a day, every little helps 
• pgcpsparents 45k for a furlough day for cabinet ties 12 days equals 540K times how many cabinet members, which is at least 8-10 members 
• kidjk Edward Burroughs has just proposed furloughing the senior level management for twelve school days to save other programs in the budget. 
• pgcpsparents I like the idea of 12 furlough days for the cabinet 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents I hope the BOE does not approve Hite's proposed budget. 
• kidjk Dr. Hite knows that cutting the Reading Recovery program is a mistake. I know he knows that. 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents this is who Ms. Johnson is all the time. in to pgcpsparents 
• pgcpsparents She was voted in to lead and she needs to lead 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents that budget is a JOKE!! 
• pgcpsparents I am getting emails from people who are stating that this rant is disrespectful 
• pgcpsparents BOE Johnson is talking as if people in this area do not have real expereriences in managing budgets 
• WillWonka17 @kidjk : I really do hope that the board does not approve Hite's budget as is. via Twitter for iPhone in to kidjk 
• kidjk I love Donna Beck's idea to focus on cutting the non-public, out of Prince George's County, transportation. 
• pgcpsparents beck is thinking out of the box, somewhat 
• kidjk Donna Beck is smarter than that. She knows that the @pgcps website is not user friendly. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : of course not. They cut the low Enders like myself/staff and keep those that add no value.
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : YES!! 
• kidjk What? Even an effective teacher will struggle with a class the size of forty. Gimme a break. 
• pgcpsparents k-8 schools made ayp, middle schools did not, so increase classes there and watch their faliure begin 
• pgcpsparents where is the shared cuts, divisions have seen mass reductions in staff but they have not seen a reduction in their salaries 
• kidjk Verjeana Jacobs is right, we don't have a response to reading recovery 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents true but it is for special education and would be in violation of federal laws. in to pgcpsparents 
• kidjk 16 1/2 million for NON-PUBLIC transportation? OMG 
• kidjk Armwood doesn't want to cut on the back of students but instead charge them to pay athletics and increase their parking fee? 
• kidjk Any increase in student parking fees is outrageous. I mean do we charge teachers to park? What about charging admins to park? 
• pgcpsparents does monica gholson keep her cabinet position with the major reduction 
• kidjk I think when we are cutting reading programs, charging for bus transportation, & so on, the camp can go. 
• pgcpsparents here we go, we are working on it! This is the common theme, trust me, you will hear it again and again and again 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents yet again, where are the system's priorities? 
• kidjk Good question Mr. Armwood about how much money is being spent on non-public transportation 
• pgcpsparents 89 million on transportation? 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents or does that save a high paying secretaries job? 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : I thought "children come first!!" take away ms sports? How much of a savings is that? 
• pgcpsparents what is the alternative to Reading Recovery? What is the alternative? make sure teachers are teaching 
• kidjk If LeBron James was in @pgcps 2day he wouldn't be in the NBA because Dr. Hite cut his athletic programs. He was discovered in middle school 
• pgcpsparents removing middle school sports is not a good answer 
• kidjk the student board member and Mr. Burroughs both are the only two who attacked the need for reading recovery 
• pgcpsparents LeBron James was discovered as a middle school student not as a high school student 
• kidjk almost all of the high school varsity players today come from the middle school programs Dr. Hite is cutting. 
• pgcpsparents What will replace Ready Recovery, great question to Dr. Hite from the student board member 
• kidjk online classes for students in night school is a pie in the sky idea that even Dr. Hite knows won't work. 
• pgcpsparents pre-k could help reduce the need for reading recovery 
• pgcpsparents 9million dollars is a worthy investment for continue achievement 
• pgcpsparents business partners are few and far between in PGCPS, no clear way to engage in the communities 
• kidjk the kids we don't prepare today in Pre-K and head start we will pay for tomorrow. 
• pgcpsparents Pre-K has an amazing impact on student achievement, the reduction of the services will appear for years throughout the system 
• kidjk I always just want to turn the channel when Amber Waller takes the microphone but she is right on this topic #pgcpsbudget. 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents true and maybe @pgcps should or could help with that overall. in to pgcpsparents 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : I recall vividly the parent liaison fiasco. 
• kidjk Caroline Boston didn't seem happy that Dr. Hite's current budget as is, will eliminate middle school athletics. #pgcpsbudget. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : oh absolutely. Sad thing, they are getting away with it. 
• pgcpsparents A side moment, the removal of middle school sports, not on the equity of Mont or howard county 
• kidjk Park&Planning working w/ @pgcps for middle school athletics is a good idea but any suggestion to get rid of athletics is a joke 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents to assure those friends of hers are not on it or show more yrs in a job or the system than what is listed in the system. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents ; Also, it's known around sasscer that Kathy Malloy, Dir of Comp, Bens and HRIS has made chgs to past and current RIF lists 
• pgcpsparents we will see if the title one plans work, the Principals do not have to chose Reading Recovery, this happen to the PL 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents ur right. They are always working on a plan but then you never hear about the plan. in to pgcpsparents 
• pgcpsparents has a PL, it gives false hope to people 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents but I know for sure his job was saved/removed from the RIF list. 
• kidjk Edward Burroughs is right, Reading Recovery should have NEVER been on the block to be cut. NEVER. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : exactly my point. Why him? There are plenty like myself that will be released that have homes, kids, etc. 
• pgcpsparents Hite has too many never has a plan always working on something this is not leadership have details 
• kidjk @pgcpsparents this isn't about going back on the programs. The cost is too high they are proposing but some cost should apply. in to pgcpsparents 
• kidjk We know these transportation costs are just too high. Doing nothing about them is not an option. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents the list that shouldn't have been. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : the Dir of comp, bens, hris and cried that he had 5 kids and couldn't afford to lose his $80k job. Which placed another on 
• kidjk R. Johnson is right, if u decide 2 put ur kids in specialty prog, they should be required to pay for transport. $1,900?? 2much. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : I wonder when HR presents, if they will admit that they saved a job of a emp, that has no skillset b/caused he went to 
• pgcpsparents BOE Johnson decries that transportation is crushing the budget, she states that everyone has to give up something 
• kidjk Rosalind Johnson is right on these specialty schools and transportation. I support charging a fee but $1,900 is just way too much. 
• kidjk Dr. Hite's plan to charge about $1,900 for out of district transportation costs. This hits poor families too hard. 
• WillWonka17 @pgcpsparents : secretaries making $90k and other top paid directors making $151k+ is where the money is going. 
• pgcpsparents class sizes will ballon at middle school. Beck asking the questions that parents would want to know, most schools will lose 2 to 3 teachers 
• pgcpsparents BOE Beck speaks with passion about how transportation will impact families, what is the cost, is it per family, per bus stop 
• pgcpsparents I am concern about the class size increas, 
• pgcpsparents billing structure for transportation is going to cost families who are struggling money, 
• pgcpsparents tuition fee on the way for students, reduction in reading recovery 50 FTE from General Fund and 28 FTE from Special Education 
• pgcpsparents 1.604 billion dollar budget 
• pgcpsparents I like the idea of passing a law where parents cannot be charged for transportation 
• pgcpsparents everyone is aware where the revenue come from, it has not changed, the questions are where is the money going. 
• pgcpsparents lost and unaccounted fund balances,this vote is tells parents where our system will be in the future 
• pgcpsparents This is one of the most historical budget votes in the history of PGCPS, what direction is the system headed, three years of cuts 
• pgcpsparents If you do not have comcast, you can watch it on verzion 38 or visit PGCPS website and you can view it live
• pgcpsparents then they can speak to what maybe parents can and do, until they need to fix a system that is way to top heavy 
• pgcpsparents You have the right to play analyst, despite what a member of the school leadership says, when that person has a child in they system 
• pgcpsparents   If you do not have comcast, you can watch it on verzion 38 or visit PGCPS website and you can view it live
• pgcpsparents  then they can speak to what maybe parents can and do, until they need to fix a system that is way to top heavy 
• pgcpsparents You have the right to play analyst, despite what a member of the school leadership says, when that person has a child in they system 
• pgcpsparents   Today is the day PGCPS budget is to be voted on. We are calling on all parents and educators to tune in to channel 96 comcast to watch live 
• pgcpsparents It was alarming to find out that only 2% of the school budget is spent on supplies and materials, poor teachers having to spend own money 
• pgcpsparents   Would be nice to know the title and types of positions being cut from central office, to ensure they do not come back one month into the yr 
• pgcpsparents   It appears that the new central office cuts amount to only an additional 3.1million from the original 31 million in cuts, now 34 million 
• pgcpsparents   Revenue break down for PGCPS 54% from the State, 39 % from the county and the remainder from the federal govt 
• pgcpsparents   system is seeking to develop a retirement plan to help reduce the number of layoffs 
• pgcpsparents   plan to target any additional resources to save on increase classes 
• pgcpsparents   On Saturday, Dr. Hite stated there will be no furloughs for teachers or admininistration 
• pgcpsparents   PGCPS proposes reorganizations in an attempt to close budget 
• pgcpsparents Harris states PGCPS is paying $75K to data-entry clerks, $90K to a secretary [and] more than $100,000 to several mid-level bureaucrats.” 
• pgcpsparents  disparity in spending on administrative salaries versus those of our teachers. 
• pgcpsparents  Jennifer Harris member of parents and pgcps and an Parent Talk Live contributor and most important a parent stated there is 
• pgcpsparents  Dr. Hite reported back that just 51 employees are directly involved in educating our children 
• pgcpsparents  said Saunders We have at least 723 people that are making over a $100,000 dollars each 
• pgcpsparents  “We need to look at how we have allocated our funds, our positions, etc.,” said Saunders 
• pgcpsparents  PTA President Theresa Saunders implored the Board of Education to rethink the cuts.