Following a successful election in which all three of the Board of Education members supported by the Montgomery County Education Assocation (MCEA) were victorious, union members announced what proposed state legislation they are backing.
MCEA supports expanding the number of mandatory school holidays, increasing compensation for Board of Education (BOE) members, limiting the use of cell phones by students and capping Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) superintendents’ contract payouts upon termination.
All these bills have been put forth by Maryland legislators who represent Montgomery County. Only some of the numerous bills put forth are expected to be included in the upcoming term.
“We believe that the proposed local legislation is sensible and helps address a diverse set of issues we face in Montgomery County,” said MCEA President David Stein.
Delegates Lorig Charkoudian and Joe Vogel have proposed a bill for increased compensation for BOE members.
According to Stein, MCEA members believe this is important, because BOE members oversee a $3 billion budget with 160,000 students and 26,000 employees. “We want our elected board members to be able to dedicate 100% of their time and attention to the school district and helping students and educators succeed,” Stein said.
Delegate Chao Wu is sponsoring a bill that would prevent excessive payouts to superintendents if their contracts are terminated. “During a time when we are likely going to have to tighten our belts, it makes no sense for the district to lose precious resources to cover the cost of million-dollar golden parachutes,” Stein said.
When former Superintendent Monifa McKnight mutually separated from MCPS, she received $1.3 million for agreed upon wages, attorney’s fees, deferred compensation and 403(b) payment.
MCEA members also support keeping cell phones out of the hands of students during the school day, calling them a distraction that keeps students from focusing on learning. Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo proposed a bill that would limit cell phone use by students while still allowing phones to be used for instructional purposes.
As for holidays, Delegates Wu, Bernice Mireku-North, Lily Qi, Ryan Spiegel, Vogel, Gregory Wims, and Sarah Wolek all support allowing people of all religious traditions to celebrate their holidays without missing instructional time.
