{"id":9408,"date":"2018-02-07T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T12:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/?p=9408"},"modified":"2018-02-06T20:54:43","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T01:54:43","slug":"team-moco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/?p=9408","title":{"rendered":"Team MoCo"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Adam Pagnucco.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesterday, we wrote about the recent history of MCPS<\/a> and it was not a pretty picture.\u00a0 The recession, new state laws, political conflict and the erosion of a once-strong consensus around the public schools resulted in MCPS getting lower funding increases than most of the rest of county government, especially when measured in local dollars.\u00a0 But the good news here is that change is coming to MoCo with the sheer number of open seats in county elected offices.\u00a0 There is a better way forward.\u00a0 And today, we will plot out what that way can be.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s steal a page from the playbook of former MCPS Head Coach Jerry Weast and recognize this: nothing brings folks together like a common enemy.\u00a0 The Axis powers brought together America and the Soviet Union.\u00a0 The New England Patriots brought together nearly all NFL fans without ties to the Greater Boston area to root for the not-quite-as-bad Philadelphia Eagles.\u00a0 And Donald Trump may just bring together the feuding members of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young<\/a>, who hate Trump more than they dislike each other.<\/p>\n

The various factions of MoCo\u2019s education family do not have a common enemy, but they do have a common challenge: dealing with Annapolis.\u00a0 The state capital poses three problems for MoCo\u2019s public schools.\u00a0 First, the state has a Governor who has cut education funding before<\/a> (especially state aid for MoCo) and is doing it again<\/a>.\u00a0 Second, while the state has improved recently, it still short changes MoCo on school construction money<\/a> and the county cannot keep up with capacity needs on its own<\/a>.\u00a0 And third, a consultant advising the state\u2019s Kirwan Commission on education reform has recommended massive cuts to state operating aid to MCPS<\/a>.\u00a0 If all three of these things proceed in a baleful direction, MCPS\u2019s funding issues will get a lot worse and the entire county \u2013 parents, students, school employees, residents and businesses \u2013 will pay a steep price.<\/p>\n

When you get past the details of MCPS\u2019s recent money problems, one root cause stands out: political division in the wake of Weast\u2019s departure.\u00a0 The County Executive, the County Council, MCPS leadership, the MCPS unions and the PTAs all have different priorities and different views on MCPS funding, and they often go in different directions.\u00a0 That has to stop or things won\u2019t change.\u00a0 We need a Team MoCo.<\/strong>\u00a0 And here\u2019s what that looks like.<\/p>\n

County Council<\/u><\/p>\n

The council has one job when it comes to the schools: funding them.\u00a0 And since the schools are both a critical public policy priority as well as a big political priority for the voters, their funding situation must improve from the last eight years<\/a>.\u00a0 The council largely got this right in its FY18 budget, which gave MCPS a modest (roughly $20 million<\/a>) increase over the state\u2019s Maintenance of Effort requirement.\u00a0 The policy of regular, modest per pupil local dollar increases that will \u2013 at the very least \u2013 keep pace with MCPS\u2019s costs and needs should continue.<\/p>\n

The council must not get involved in sensitive internal MCPS issues, especially in pressuring the system on its collective bargaining agreements.\u00a0 Blowing up the union contracts in 2016<\/a> was a major mistake and caused a serious breach of trust.\u00a0 Let MCPS management and the unions decide what the agreements look like in the context of their total budget.\u00a0 If the council does not stay out of this, Team MoCo will crumble and the entire arrangement will fall apart.<\/p>\n

Superintendent and Board of Education<\/u><\/p>\n

If the council gives MCPS leadership the funding it needs, then MCPS leadership must reciprocate by giving the council what it needs: fiscal stability.\u00a0 The state\u2019s Maintenance of Effort (MOE) law, which was rewritten in 2012, sets each year\u2019s local dollar per pupil funding as a base for future years.\u00a0 Every time the base goes up, it becomes a new base and can only be lowered by a waiver from the State Board of Education.\u00a0 This is a major concern for the council and was partially responsible for several years of per pupil cuts and freezes.\u00a0 Given the immense implications of this for the county\u2019s budget and AAA bond rating, the council is right to be wary of going too far above MOE.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, \u00a7 5-202 (d) (9) of the state\u2019s education law specifies that the State Board of Education shall grant an MOE waiver \u201cin the amount that has been agreed on by the county and county board that is attributable to reductions in recurring costs.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, if the county falls into another big recession and it has to cut costs in the school system along with all the other agencies, it can get a waiver if the school board agrees.\u00a0 This deal must be honored by MCPS: if the council extends its trust by funding them, MCPS must agree to reciprocate by helping to relieve the county of financial stress in dire circumstances.\u00a0 Both sides must stick to this or relations will revert to the bad old years.<\/p>\n

MCPS Unions and PTAs<\/u><\/p>\n

MCEA and SEIU Local 500 are two of the most powerful players in county politics.\u00a0 The PTAs do not endorse candidates, but they have listservs that include thousands of parents and therefore \u2013 at least in theory \u2013 have a big voice.\u00a0 These organizations should function as the muscle of Team MoCo.\u00a0 They will be getting regular funding increases and, in return, they should help the Team pressure Annapolis to get what is needed for the county.<\/p>\n

MoCo Delegation<\/u><\/p>\n

If Team MoCo gets its act together and strikes an equitable deal for local funding for the schools, the remaining challenges lie in Annapolis.\u00a0 Rockville does not understand Annapolis.\u00a0 It does not fully appreciate the obstacles faced by the delegation in pursuing county priorities: the perception of MoCo by the rest of the state as paved in gold; the competing priorities of other population centers in the state; the constraining effect of the legislature\u2019s leadership; and the fiscal constraints of the state\u2019s own tight budget.\u00a0 Given those hurdles, it\u2019s a heavy lift for the delegation to bring back Big Bacon to MoCo.\u00a0 But it can be done: witness the Baltimore City delegation\u2019s victory in getting the state to pump a billion dollars into the city\u2019s school construction program<\/a>.\u00a0 The city legislators are not smarter than MoCo\u2019s legislators (although they are more parochial).\u00a0 A big reason for their win was that the entire city stuck together, from the Mayor to the City Council to the city legislators to the folks back home who wanted the money.\u00a0 Team Baltimore got a billion dollars.\u00a0 We need a Team MoCo to do something similar.<\/p>\n

The role of the county leadership and its constituent groups is to set a mark for the delegation and do everything possible to help them stay organized and succeed.\u00a0 This is not easy; the other jurisdictions and the presiding officers won\u2019t just roll over for us.\u00a0 Every member of Team MoCo has to tell our delegation with one unified voice, \u201cWe have your backs.\u00a0 We know it\u2019s a lift, but if you come through for us, we will celebrate you like the heroes you are.\u00a0 You will never have to buy a drink for yourselves in Rockville ever again.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t come through, you will not be served a drink in Rockville ever again!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Good performance must be rewarded.\u00a0 Bad performance must be met with accountability.<\/p>\n

One more thing: the delegation has an ace card.\u00a0 Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker Mike Busch are not going to run the General Assembly for much longer.\u00a0 Successors to their thrones are making the rounds and lining up votes, however quietly.\u00a0 The MoCo legislators should tell all of them that whoever gives the county the best deal on schools will lock up all their votes.\u00a0 It\u2019s huge leverage that should not be wasted, but it will only be used if it pays off in political terms.\u00a0 Team MoCo\u2019s job is to make sure it does pay off so the Big Bacon gets served.<\/p>\n

County Executive<\/u><\/p>\n

This is the most critical person in this entire endeavor.\u00a0 Every team needs a Captain.\u00a0 In MoCo, that has to be the Executive.\u00a0 This individual is the county\u2019s spokesperson and the one everybody else will inevitably look to for leadership.\u00a0 The Executive must be a troubleshooter who works out periodic squabbles between the different members of the family, charts out a general course on budgets and state action and makes sure everyone gets the credit they deserve.\u00a0 Most of all, the Executive must be a LEADER.<\/strong>\u00a0 The lesson from the aftermath of Weast is that without central leadership, everything can fall apart.\u00a0 If we pick the right Executive, that won\u2019t happen and Team MoCo can succeed.<\/p>\n

And so if everything works out, everyone wins.\u00a0 The county gets its fair share from the state.\u00a0 MCPS stakeholders get the funding they need.\u00a0 MCPS employees get fair compensation and the resources they need to do their jobs.\u00a0 The elected officials get to be heroes.\u00a0 And the county as a whole will maintain its status as one of the best places to live on Planet Earth.<\/p>\n

We can do it, folks.\u00a0 Yes we can!<\/strong>\u00a0 If you agree, ask the candidates how they intend to play on our team and keep it in mind for Election Day.\u00a0 Team MoCo will only come together if the voters demand it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adam Pagnucco. Yesterday, we wrote about the recent history of MCPS and it was not a pretty picture.\u00a0 The recession, new state laws, political conflict and the erosion of a once-strong consensus around the public schools resulted in MCPS getting lower funding increases than most of the rest of county government, especially when measured … Continue reading Team MoCo<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,33,35,32],"tags":[1545,1368,1476,1475,1904],"class_list":["post-9408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adam-pagnucco","category-budget","category-mcea","category-mcps","tag-adam-pagnucco","tag-budget","tag-mcea","tag-mcps","tag-school-construction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4mKJE-2rK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9408"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9414,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9408\/revisions\/9414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theseventhstate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}