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Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 3—Education Reform (or not)
Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 3—Education Reform (or not)
Throughout My Seven Black Fathers, Will Jawando returns several times to his experiences (good and bad) in school, as well as the differential treatment between white and black school children. In Chapter 2, Jawando relates horrific treatment at the hands of a teacher’s assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic school. Being falsely accused of…
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Read more: Affordable housing: We need bulldozers, not corridors
Affordable housing: We need bulldozers, not corridors
Go to the soft-drink aisle of the supermarket, stand in front of the display for 16.9 oz Coca Cola bottles, and you will see something absolutely amazing. The level of the beverage inside the bottles is almost identical. You’ll probably never find a bottle with exactly 16.9 ounces, but all of them—millions of them—will be…
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Read more: Call To Action: Help Jane Decolonize Montgomery County Public Schools
Call To Action: Help Jane Decolonize Montgomery County Public Schools
TLDR; Scroll to the bottom of this post and send urgent emails to the County Council and our Annapolis delegation demanding that MCPS issue a high school diploma to Jane Doe (we don’t know her true name). Forced conversion and assimilation is a topic that comes up in most histories of conquest and colonization. Canadians…
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Read more: Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must Read
Jawando’s Seven Black Fathers: Part 1—A Must Read
In 1930, the Soviet newspaper Pravda published an article by Josef Stalin in which he summarized his accomplishments in agricultural policy: The Soviet government’s successes in the sphere of the collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone. Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantial. And they really are…
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Read more: John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCo
John Locke, Tyranny, and MoCo
One of DC’s architectural treasures is Georgetown’s Riggs Library. Quoting Atlas Obscura, “Riggs has four floors of cast iron walkways laid out around a central light court. Sixteen columns divide the hall into smaller alcoves and two spiral staircases connect walkways.” Trust me, Riggs is one of those spots for which viewing electronic images is…
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Read more: Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal Prudence
Attach Performance Metrics to All Future MCPS Budgets: Our Children’s Education Depends on Our Fiscal Prudence
The County Council, County Executive, and MCPS are placing its residents in a moral and financial bind. On the table, there appears to be a dialectical dilemma: our children’s future or fiscal prudence. However, an honest discussion regarding fully funding MCPS above and beyond historical trends demands that we resolve the following questions: How can…
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Read more: Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than Ever
Turning Challenges Into Change: Why Montgomery County Needs MBLI Now More Than Ever
Starting something new is never easy—especially when it’s never been done before. As the first and only business-focused public charter school for middle school students in the state of Maryland, The MECCA Business Learning Institute (MBLI) Public Charter School was always destined to be more than just a school. It is a movement—a bold reimagining…
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Read more: Affordable Housing Is Not a Public Benefit
Affordable Housing Is Not a Public Benefit
In a previous post we introduced Maria, an irresponsible alcoholic parent. Her sister Juanita is fortunately much more responsible. Juanita’s daughter broke a leg during hyperactive cheerleading tryouts, and the orthopædist recommended a waterproof cast. Juanita runs to the medical supply store and sees an item for $200—exactly the amount she budgeted for medical emergencies.…
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Read more: Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer Contracts
Non-Competitive Knowledge Transfer Contracts
Though briefly mentioned in the last article, here we will take a deeper dive into the 5 most expensive of the 13 knowledge transfer contracts that the county currently has in place. Each of these contracts were direct awards to an individual. We have redacted the names of the contract recipients. Person 1 – Awarded…
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Read more: Mini DOGE on MoCo Contracts
Mini DOGE on MoCo Contracts
Under the Montgomery County Code, § 11B-14, the County can award non-competitive contracts. With these contracts, multiple businesses or entities are not required to compete on the price of services. The results of a recent Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request were recently sent to CleanSlate MoCo that outline the 154 non-competitive contracts that the…