MANAGEMENT, BUDGET AND PLANNING → FY 2008 Questions & Answers

FY 2008 Operating Budget: Question & Answers

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During the budget process, questions asked by members of the Board of Education at public hearings and work sessions are compiled. Appropriate staff from Montgomery County Public Schools respond to the questions with written answers that are forwarded to Board members.

Answers to other budget questions may be requested from the Department of Management, Budget, and Planning.
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1. What are the criteria for placement of parent community coordinators in schools? What schools meet the criteria but do not have these positions? What is the cost of a parent community coordinator position?
   Answer (44K PDF)

2. What is the ideal goal regarding the student to counselor ratio? What ratio do we use for middle schools?
   Answer (46K PDF)

3. Please provide information regarding the Lincoln Park transportation issue.  What strategies could be used to address the attendance problems of Lincoln Park students?  Would there be a fiscal impact?  Was the Lincoln Park bus issue evaluated by the STEP committee?
   Answer (67K PDF)

4. What would be the start-up cost for starting a JV lacrosse program? What are the on-going costs? Could the program be supported by an increase in the activity fee?
   Answer (51K PDF)

5. Please provide more information on the reduction in the budget for curriculum writing.
   Answer (49K PDF)

6. Provide information regarding standards for playground supervision.
   Answer (49K PDF)

7. How do we accommodate individual school needs for translation services? Do we have positions dedicated to providing this service?
   Answer (68K PDF)

8. Provide a brief synopsis of the scope of work for the four ESOL parent community coordinators added in the FY 2007 budget.
   Answer (53K PDF)
   Attachment

9. Provide information on the number of requests for translations from schools and the use of simultaneous interpretation equipment. What is the time frame between a request for translation services and delivery of the service?
   Answer (74K PDF)

10. Referring to the testimony by Mr. Campbell/Northeast Consortium, what are we doing in the Northeast Consortium (NEC) to ensure balance of demographic characteristics at each NEC school? What outreach do we undertake so families are aware of all opportunities?
    Answer (81K PDF)

11. How much was added to the FY 2007 budget for Study Circles? Is there a backlog of requests to form Study Circles and what is the ability to respond to the requests?
    Answer (39K PDF)

12. Provide the current class size reports.
    Answer (41K PDF)
    Attachment

13. What is the plan for phasing out the learning centers? How many students will go to each high school and middle school? What is the training plan for teachers to meet student needs? What is the plan for learning center students whose needs cannot be met in their home schools? Is there adequate funding in the budget for training?
    Answer (72K PDF)

14. Provide the actual number of students in the Kingsley Wilderness Program for the last four years. What is the graduation rate? What is the demographic profile of the students? What are the annual operating expenses? Where will the students go if the program closes?
    Answer (74K PDF)

15. What was the involvement of special education advisory groups regarding the decision to close the learning centers?
    Answer (48K PDF)
    Attachment (45K PDF)

16. What is the research and legal aspects that provide the underlying basis for the MCPS recommendation to moving more students to more inclusive settings? What is the trend for jurisdictions both regionally and nationally?
    Answer (50K PDF)

17. Provide data on performance of students in hours-based staffing programs. What has been the experience of other jurisdictions with regard to this model?
    Answer (49K PDF)

18. What is the capacity of the GT/LD program? Provide five years of enrollment data.
    Answer (46K PDF)

19. Are resources available so that class sizes will not increase when learning center students return to home schools?
    Answer (47K PDF)

20. How do we reassure parents that their child’s needs (IEP) will be met in the home schools if the learning centers are closed?
    Answer (49K PDF)

21. The testimony provided by Potomac Elementary School PTA requests that the half-time Chinese lead teacher be made full-time as is the case at College Gardens Elementary School. What are the criteria used to decide the staff allocation?
    Answer (48K PDF)

22. Please provide an update on the status of state requirements to offer pre-kindergarten services to all FARMS eligible children.
    Answer (63K PDF)

23. How do we communicate the availability of the Kingsley Wilderness Program to parents?
    Answer (53K PDF)

24. How many slots are available for three-year olds in pre-kindergarten/Head Start programs? How are the children identified? What is the enrollment forecast?
    Answer (65K PDF)

25. Provide information on the cost-of-living adjustments proposed for public and private sectors in the Washington metropolitan area. Also provide information on salary and benefit packages.
    Answer (48K PDF)

26. Provide information on the construction of the Northwest High School football field. Was the field constructed based on standards? If not, is there a warranty on the work that can be pursued? If it was constructed based on standards, what will be done to meet the needs of the school?
    Answer (49K PDF)

27. What criteria are used to determine enrollment for the Junior Great Books and the READ 180 Programs? What are the annual costs and how do the schools receive funding?
    Answer (68K PDF)

28. Provide information regarding the testimony of the Northwest Cluster regarding the outdated septic system at Darnestown Elementary School that is causing bathroom odors. Have work orders been submitted to fix the problem?
    Answer (47K PDF)

29. The Seneca Valley Cluster’s testimony includes a request for additional Math A instructors. What criteria are used for allocating these positions? What is the cost of one position?
    Answer (48K PDF)

30. Provide a comparison of staffing for the humanities programs at Roberto Clemente and Eastern middle schools.
    Answer (54K PDF)

31. Why was the summer pre-AP prep program at Martin Luther King Middle School discontinued? Was it replaced with another program?
    Answer (39K PDF)

32. The Einstein Cluster testimony states that they continue to find that every school has a different definition of a smaller learning community. Provide a definition of smaller learning communities. Is the definition different among and between middle and high schools?
    Answer (63K PDF)

33. Provide information on the testimony regarding challenges in retaining AP class teachers and the difficulty in finding qualified substitutes at Northwood HS. What is the impact on student performance?
    Answer (50K PDF)

34. What is the current student to counselor ratio for each middle and high school? What is the impact of the additional positions for FY 2008 on the system-wide average ratio?
    Answer (84K PDF)

35. Provide data on the impact of 9th grade academies, algebra lead teachers, and literacy coaches on student performance.
    Answer (66K PDF)

36. Provide data on the performance of special education students that attend the Walter Johnson Learning Center.
    Answer (53K PDF)

37. Provide data on the performance of students attending the High School Plus program.
    Answer (47K PDF)

38. Does MCPS provide summer academic support for students who will be taking their first AP class? If not, what would be the cost to provide the support?
    Answer (49K PDF)

39. Provide the current status of lead remediation efforts in schools in the Walter Johnson Cluster.
    Answer (57K PDF)

40. Provide information on why MCPS does not include special education students in the head count for determining maximum class size.
    Answer (47K PDF)

41. What is being done to work with general education students on bullying? Are there dollars in the budget for training general education teachers on strategies for dealing with bullying?
    Answer (49K PDF)

42. Provide documentation that shows that MCPS is legally required to meet an 80 percent inclusion rate for special education students.
    Answer (71K PDF)

43. Provide information on the reduction changing the Extended Year Program (ESY) for special education students from five days to four days a week.
    Answer (48K PDF)

44. What is the staffing for the CAP program? Are we still using grant funding? And what is the plan for the program when the grant expires?
    Answer (49K PDF)

45. What are the criteria for adding PPW and psychologist positions in the budget?
    Answer (50K PDF)

46. How will the Office of Special Education and Student Services monitor the effects on placement changes for special education students if the learning centers close?
    Answer (49K PDF)

47. Provide a description of the continuum of placement options for students that would typically be placed in secondary learning centers.
    Answer (62K PDF)

48. What is the rationale for the closure of Kingsley and Mark Twain? What are the plans for those students?
    Answer (55K PDF)

49. What is the ideal caseload maximum ratio for speech-language pathologists? How does this compare to the MCPS proposed ratio for FY 2008? And if there is a difference, what is the impact on students? What is the rationale for reducing 6.5 speech pathologist positions?
    Answer (51K PDF)

Updated February 7, 2007 | Maintained by Web Services