My name is Brian O’Leary. I am the father of two elementary school children in MCPS.

I am here tonight to reiterate my concerns over the spending priorities in the District. What sparked my interest in this issue was the lack of math textbooks in my kids’ classrooms.

What I’ve learned is this issue is about more than textbooks. It’s about the wants of highly paid bureaucrats being put before the needs of students. It’s about District leaders avoiding accountability, even if it means pointing fingers at teachers and parents. Most important of all, it’s about the District failing to meet its mandate to provide equal access to education.

All of these issues were brought into sharp focus during my meeting on October 27th with Superintendent Apostle.

In that meeting, the Superintendent said the District could not afford to provide textbooks and learning materials for every student. I asked him to make cuts in his office to free up more funding for students. He refused, even though his pay has increased 50% during his tenure.

The only time that money appears to flow freely at MCPS is when raises for the Superintendent or members of his Cabinet are at stake.

During our meeting, the Superintendent said that my focus on textbooks was misplaced and that instruction is changing to reflect advances in technology. In my view, this misses the point. The issue is not textbook versus digital or Internet-based learning. It’s an issue of equal access to education for all students.

To see what I’m talking about, let’s look at some of the math curriculum materials being provided in grades 3 through 5.

In many cases teachers are being given thumb drives that store the instruction materials. The learning is not digital or “tree-free” as some have suggested. It’s built on paper copies. Piles of them in the form of worksheets and classroom activities printed out by the teacher from the thumb drive.

At present, if a student wants to study at home, or if a parent wants to help their child with homework, often times the only place to find a complete copy of the textbook is online.

MCPS is proceeding as if every student in the District has a computer and Internet access.

I don’t need to rattle off the stats about the number of students receiving free or reduced fee meals for you to know this is unrealistic in our community.

When I raised the shortcomings of the flash drive/photocopy model, the Superintendent’s response was to blame the teachers and say they must not be using the materials properly. He could’ve said, “We’re experimenting with this, there are issues, we will work to make it better for all students.”

Instead, the Superintendent looked for a scapegoat. Hours later, his spokesperson went on local TV and did the same thing.

So, what can the Board do to address these issues?

First, I urge the Board to freeze the salaries of the Superintendent, the Executive Regional Directors and the Director of Communications and Technology until all students have textbooks and basic learning materials that guarantee equal access to education.

Second, I urge the Board to review the effectiveness of the Executive Regional Director system. Are we spending money on a layer of bureaucracy to insulate the Superintendent from accountability? Would we be better served by eliminating it and having the principals report directly to the Superintendent and one Assistant Superintendent? This review needs to be open and transparent.

Finally, the Board needs to find a better way to budget textbook and materials purchases. If that means still relying on end of year funds, more money needs to be set aside so students are not shortchanged from year-to-year. When it comes to finding those additional funds, I urge the Board to start at the top.

Thank you for your attention.