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Operating Budget → Question and Answer Archive
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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
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?
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.
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?
What are the costs of implementing a Middle Years IB Program at Sligo MS?
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?
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?
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?
What schools currently use the AVID program? What is the annual cost of this program? What data or other evidence supports this continuing expenditure?
What are the total amounts budgeted for textbooks? Are all textbooks that will be purchased aligned with Curriculum 2.0 and other MCPS curriculum?
What would be the savings in eliminating Staff Development Teachers?
What is the actual cost of introducing MYP (Middle Years Programme) at a Middle School? How does enrollment in the school factor into the decision to introduce a program and the cost?
What is the current rate for extra-curricular activity fees and how much does it generate annually? How does this compare with Fairfax, Frederick, Howard and Prince George's County?
What would a single day furlough save MCPS?
What would be the cost of reinstating the Superintendent's Leadership Program?
Do we have a means for ensuring the safety of students who walk to school?
Is there a professional development path that allows seasoned professionals who do not have teacher certification to transition into the profession?
What was the result of the workgroups that were formed to examine the unique needs of small and large schools? How do we staff these schools?
How do we formulate the ESOL staffing ratios? How do we deal with schools that experience mobility (both in and out) during the school year?
Testimony on behalf of the Whitman Cluster suggests that MCPS introduce more language instruction in elementary schools since research shows that language acquisition is easier at early ages. Are there plans to expand foreign language instruction offerings in elementary and middle schools?
Provide the number of schools/classrooms without Promethean Boards?
Has consideration been given to changing the staffing allocations from formula-based to a school needs basis?
Has a work order been submitted for the Internet issues at Strathmore Elementary School? If so, what is the status?
Has changing some psychologist positions from 12- to 10-month impeded our ability to hire psychologists?
What is the status of the evaluation of special, choice, and signature programs? Will the Middle Years Programmes be included in the evaluation?
Do staffing allocations take into account the number of levels of differentiation in the classroom for math and reading?
How do we make sure that parents who attend parent/teacher conferences get the appropriate level of interpreting services? Is school staff aware of the process required to obtain services?
There is concern that the number of non-resident students attending MCPS is growing. How is residency verification impacting the workload of PPWs, and what priority does it have in terms of their duties and responsibilities?
Compare MCPS elementary counselor ratios with other school systems of the same size.
What is the flexibility in the staffing allocations for Title I and Focus schools? How are the allocations differentiated?
What is the cost of adding a 9th and 10th Grade IB/MYP at Seneca Valley High School?
Provide the cost to restore staff development teachers, reading specialists, media specialists, and counselors to full-time in elementary schools.
Provide information on the training that is provided for staff to help students who have experienced trauma from fleeing from violence in their countries of origin. What would it cost to expand the training to all staff?
What is the cost of restoring the speech-language pathologist position to the Bilingual Assessment Team?
What are the staffing ratios for the high school and middle school METS programs? What would be the cost to lower the high school ratio so it is the same as the middle school ratio?
Will language diversity be part of the Workforce Diversity Initiative?
Does MCPS conduct summer orientation sessions for non-English speaking families to help them navigate the school system? What would be the cost of expanding these programs?
Provide data to show how many schools have administrative support staff that speak Spanish fluently.
Provide information on the implementation of the Study Circles program. How much would it cost to expand the number of Study Circles in schools?
Summarize the recommendations in the Governor's Task Force Report on Arts Education and provide information on how MCPS compares to other districts.
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How do we allocate funds to purchase music, physical education, science/lab, and art supplies and materials?
How is the budget structured to address the issue of the achievement gap and provide information on the accountability measures we have in place?
Provide any previous studies or data considered by the Board on year-round school.
For positions such as those listed in Appendix C on page 5 have we considered using school need as a factor rather than enrollment?
Provide data on how many eligible prekindergarten students are not being served by MCPS programs.
What is our approach to literacy in our secondary schools?
How many students are found to be non-residents on an annual basis?
What would be the savings if class size was increased by one student except for Title I and Focus schools and high needs secondary schools?
Provide additional information on the data in the response to Question 18 that shows why only 54 percent of the students were accepted to four-year colleges/universities.
Provide an update for the budget for the Children’s Trust.
What has MCPS been able to achieve with the resources that were funded by Pearson?
Have we been able to catch up with all of the photographs that need to be archived?
Provide actual expenditure data for the language line services.
What is the funding from the Neglected and Delinquent Grant used for?
How much is budgeted for the Food Market days? Provide data on the number of parents that attend and are engaging in our schools as a result.