Operating Budget → Question and Answer Archive

Budget Question and Answer Archive

Q1

Please justify the proposal to add two .5 communication specialists for translation of Amharic and Spanish documents rather than the use of contractual translation services. What would be the cost savings if these services were provided by contract rather than additional FTE? What would be the programmatic impact if all the translation services provided by the 5 FTE in this office were obtained by contract? What would be the cost savings?

Q2

What services are provided by the proposed 23 Transportation Cluster Managers and the proposed 80.5 Bus Route Supervisors in the Department of Transportation (DOT)? Are both these positions necessary? What would be the impact on services if either of these positions was reduced or eliminated? What would be the budget savings if these positions were eliminated? What would be the savings if either position was converted to a 10 month position? What would be the impact of such a conversion?

Q3

What services are provided by the proposed 89.125 Instructional Data Assistants for Elementary Schools and the 29.8 Instructional Data Assistants for Middle Schools? Please review staffing at surrounding school systems to see how these services are provided there? Can these services be provided by other staff? What would be the impact of the elimination of all or some of these positions? What would be the budget savings if these positions were eliminated?

Q4

What services are provided by the proposed 145.125 Lunch Hour Aides for elementary schools? Please review staffing at surrounding school systems to see how these services are provided there? Can these services be provided by other staff? What would be the impact of the elimination of all or some of these positions? What would be the budget saving if these positions were eliminated?

Q5

What services are provided by the proposed 7 Reading Support Teachers for Elementary Schools? Please review staffing at surrounding school systems to see how these services are provided there? Can these services be provided by other staff? What would be the impact of the elimination of all or some of these positions? What would be the budget savings if these positions were eliminated?

Q6

What services are provided by the proposed 49.125 English Composition Assistant for High Schools? Please review staffing at surrounding school systems to see how these services are provided there? Can these services be provided by other staff? What would be the impact of the elimination of all or some of these positions? What would be the budget savings if these positions were eliminated?

Q7

What is the cost for the step increase scheduled for October 3, 2015? What is the cost for the longevity increase scheduled for October 3, 2015? What is the cost for the general wage adjustment scheduled for October 3, 2015?

Q8

How does the proposed budget address the needs of unaccompanied youth? Specifically, please identify changes needed for our ESOL, METS, and SEPA programs? Do these children need additional mental or other health care services by MCPS? How does the proposed budget address these needs?

Q9

The proposed budget would begin a multiyear effort to implement the Home School Model at all elementary schools. What data or other evidence is available from schools where the Home School Model is currently used that would justify this expansion? Please quantify how those schools better meet the needs of students with disabilities?

Q10

Please provide the proposed FY 2016 budget compared to actual expenditures for FYs 2013, 2014, and projected 2015, across all offices for the following: Professional substitutes Stipends Professional Part-time Consultants Other Contractual Local/Other Travel

Q11

The proposed budget adds 5.5 additional counselors for schools impacted by poverty. What will be the staffing ratio for those schools with this addition?

Q12

Please provide specific details and initiatives in the Superintendent's FY 2016 Operating Budget Request that address what MCPS is doing or proposing to do to close the achievement gap.

Q13

What would be the budget savings if the pension contribution was based on the recommended actuarial rate rather than the Board policy that provides for a constant annual contribution rate of 5.73 percent of salaries? What would be the impact on achieving the 80 percent level for the Retirement and Pension system?

Q14

What are the costs of implementing a Middle Years IB Program at Sligo MS?

Q15

Please evaluate the early retirement incentive program recently announced by Howard County Public Schools, as described at this link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-hcpss-retirement-program-0101-20141231-story.html Should such a program like this or any other early retirement program be considered for MCPS? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a program? What budget savings could be realized? How would such a program be implemented to generate savings in the FY 2016 budget?

Q16

In some department budgets, the inflation adjustment for textbooks and instructional materials is eliminated in the proposed budget. What would be the savings if the inflation adjustment for textbooks and instructional materials was eliminated for all departments?

Q17

What would be the budget savings if class sizes were increased by one student across all schools? What if elementary focus and Title One schools were exempted from such an increase?

Q18

What schools currently use the AVID program? What is the annual cost of this program? What data or other evidence supports this continuing expenditure?

Q19

What are the total amounts budgeted for textbooks? Are all textbooks that will be purchased aligned with Curriculum 2.0 and other MCPS curriculum?

Q20

What would be the savings in eliminating Staff Development Teachers?

Table Of Contents(TOC)

A
Actual and Budgeted Data for Various Types of Expenditures 10
Advanced Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program 18 60
Amharic and Spanish Translations - New Positions 1
Arts Education - Governor's Task Force on Arts Education 50
B
Bilingual Assessment Team - Cost to Restore Speech/Language Pathologist 44
C
Children's Opportunity Fund (Children's Trust) - Update and Budget 61
Class Size Increase - Savings 17
Closing the Achievement Gap - Details and Initiatives in the FY 2016 Operating Budget 12
Counselors - Additional Positions Budgeted for High Schools 11
E
Early Retirement Incentive Program 15
Elementary Counselor Ratios - Comparison with Other Districts 38
English Composition Assistants 6
ESOL Staffing Ratios and Issue of Mobility 28
Evaluation of Special, Choice, and Signature Programs - Status 34
Extra-curricular Activity Fees - MCPS Revenue and Comparison Data 22
F
Food Market Days - Budget and Engagement Results 66
Furlough Day - Savings 23
G
Governor's Task Force Report on Arts Education 50
H
Home School Model for Students with Disabilities 9
I
Instructional Data Assistants for Elementary and Middle Schools 3
Internet Issues at Strathmore Elementary Schools 32
Interpreting Services at Parent/Teacher Conferences 36
L
Language Diversity - Inclusion in Workforce Diversity Enhancement 46
Language Line Services - Actual Expenditures 64
Literacy - Approach in Secondary Schools 57
Lunch-hour Aides 4
M
METS Staffing Ratios 45
Middle Years IB Programme - Cost to Add a 9th and 10th Grade Program at Seneca Valley High School 41
Middle Years IB Programme - Cost to Add at a Middle School, Impact of Enrollment 21
Middle Years IB Programme at Sligo Middle School 14
N
Neglected and Delinquent Grant Funds 65
P
Pearson Funding 62
Pension Contribution - Savings if Changed to Actuarial Rate 13
Photographs - Archiving 63
Professional Development Path for Professionals without Teacher Certification 26
Promethean Boards 30
Psychologists - Impact of Changing Some Positions from 12 to 10-month 33
R
Reading Support Teachers 5
Residency Verification - Impact on PPWs Workload 37
Restoration of Positions (Staff Development Teachers, Reading Specialists, Media Specialists, Counselors) to Full-time in Elementary Schools - Costs 42
S
Safety of Students Who Walk to School 25
School Administrative Staff that are Fluent in Spanish 48
Sligo Middle School - Cost to Add Middle Years IB Programme 14
Staff Development Teachers - Savings from Eliminating Positions 20
Staffing Allocations - Consideration of Changing to Needs-Based 31
Staffing Ratios -Cost to Lower High School Ratio to Same as Middle Schools 45
Step and General Wage Adjustment - Cost of October 3, 2015 Implementation 7
Strathmore Elementary School Internet Issues 32
Students Who Have Experienced Trauma From Fleeing their Home Countries - Training 43
Study Circles - Implementation and Cost to Expand 49
Summer Orientation for Non-English Speaking Families to Navigate MCPS - Cost to Expand 47
Superintendents Leadership Program 24
Supplies and Materials - Music, Physical Education, Science/lab, Art 52
T
Textbooks - Amount Budgeted and Alignment with Curriculum 2.0 19
Title I and Focus Schools - Staffing Allocations 39
Training - Cost to Expand to Meet the Needs of Students who Fled From Their Home Countries 43
Translation Services for Amharic and Spanish 1
Transport ation Cluster Managers and Bus Route Supervisors - Cut Positions or Change to 10-month 2
U
Unaccompanied Youth - Services Provided and Budget 8 43
W
Workgroups to Examine Unique Needs of Small and Large Schools 27
Y
Year-Round School - Previous Studies/Data 54