Cabin John Trips is planning a trip to Busch Gardens and Water Country, USA on May 20_21. Sign_ups are occurring now. This trip may fill up and sign ups are first come, first served. Cost $185 Trip Departure: 8:00 a.m. Saturday _ Julius West Middle School (at Interstate 270 exit 5, Falls Road, in Rockville) Trip Return: 8:00 p.m. Sunday _ Julius West Middle School To sign up students must turn in a permission slip that accompanies the flyer and a check for the full amount to Mr. McCutcheon in room 225. Please DO NOT give to any other teachers. He needs to keep track of the order in which people sign up to create an accurate wait list.

Attention CJMS 8^th Grade Families: Savannah Yokley is in need of more pictures for the 8th grade DVD:

* Outdoor ed

* 6th grade pool party

* Hershey Park 7th Grade Trip

* School sports and other school sponsored activities

* Pictures taken in class and school

Please e_mail or send all photos to syokley4392@aim.com or students may drop photos on a cd or floppy disc in the office box marked 8th grade DVD pictures. All pictures must be turned in by Friday, May 12^th.

Thanks for your help!

Montgomery County Council: Councilmembers Propose Boost in After_School Programs Release ID: 06_052 Release Date: 5/2/2006 From: Office of Marilyn J. Praisner

Councilmembers Marilyn Praisner, Howard Denis, Tom Perez, Michael Subin, and George Leventhal today put forth a proposal to expand after school programs in all 38 County middle schools and add after_school sports academies at an additional four County high schools at an estimated total cost of $2.5 million.

Blair High School currently has the only after_school sports academy and 10 middle schools have County after school programs. Although the number two recommendation in the prevention section of the 2004 Joint County Gang Prevention Task Force Report called for implementing and sustaining after_school programs, the County has yet to act on this recommendation.

"After_school programs contribute greatly to the well_being of youth," said Councilmember Marilyn Praisner. "Besides providing a diversion from gang activity, research compiled by The Children’s Aid Society demonstrates that after_school programs improve academic achievement and behavior in school, engender better emotional adjustment and peer relations, while reducing youth crime and other risky behaviors, such as truancy, dropping out of high school, depression, and substance abuse."

Under the proposal, three separate models of the sports academy would be instituted at five high schools, including the Blair Sports Academy (BSA) model, a private/public partnership model, and a private provider model. The BSA offers support to students on several levels. Students with a grade_point average under 2.0 receive help from teachers and tutors in a study_hall environment for one hour after school, get help with test preparation or make appointments with specific teachers. This year, the BSA also operated an eight_week pilot peer mentoring program, Building Bridges, where Blair High School students provided mentoring to Silver Spring International Middle School Level 1 ESOL students two times a week. It also includes a summer program. The BSA provides sports, games and other activities as an incentive to get students to participate in the academic support component. Currently, the County’s Rec Extra Program offers ten selected middle schools a variety of different recreation and leisure activities in conjunction with the more traditional after school fare. This program provides a venue for youth in the 11_14 age range to experience and learn new activities. It also increases outreach to those students who are not typically involved in activities at their school.

Unique Rec Extra activities enhance the traditional school_sponsored programs by providing programs such as baby sitting instruction, sports including flag football, lacrosse, basketball, and tennis, STEP teams and cartooning. Rec Extra also offers off_site activities both after_school and on weekends including adventure activities such as kayaking, overnight camping trips, rock climbing, white water rafting, and caving. The proposal would expand the Rec Extra program, currently at 10 schools, to all 38 middle schools, and to expand it from three days to four days per week, at a cost, including transportation, of $1,127,030.

"Last year, the Council funded the Blair Sports Academy (BSA) to provide a safe, healthy and fun environment for students at the high school," noted Councilmember Perez. "The BSA operates four days a week, 40 weeks per year, and has over 600 registered students, with approximately 100 attending on a regular basis."

This year, the Council also received grant applications for after_school programs from the George B. Thomas Learning Academy and the YMCA. The goal of the proposal is to coordinate the government, private_nonprofit and community programs at the high school level by piloting three separate models at five high schools.

"Our non_profit partners, such as the George B. Thomas Learning Center, can make important contributions to this expansion," said Councilmember Subin, who heads the Council’s Education Committee.

The Councilmembers’ proposal would support funding for three models including the BSA model, a public/private partnership model and a private nonprofit provider model:

• After_school programs at Blair and Wheaton High Schools based on the current Recreation Department model for the BSA. The BSA is already included in the County Executive’s FY07 recommended operating budget at $318,220. The cost to add Wheaton would be an additional $295,320.

• After_school programs at Springbrook and Paint Branch High Schools based on a collaborative model, using George B. Thomas for academic support and the Recreation Department for the sports/games/recreation component.

Recreation Department Cost $ 266,470 per site

George B. Thomas Academy Cost $ 79,239 per site

Total per site $ 345,709

• An after_school program at Einstein High School based on the YMCA model at $345,709.

"If we are serious about combating the activity of gangs in the County, we’ve got to provide much more in the way of after school activities at schools such as Einstein," said Councilmember Perez. "This initiative would do just that."

Newsweek Ranks 5 MCPS High Schools in Nation's Top 100, April 30, 2006

Sunday, April 30, 2006

All 23 Eligible High Schools Listed in the Top 3 Percent in the Nation

ROCKVILLE, MD __ For the second year in a row, Newsweek magazine has ranked five Montgomery County public high schools in the top 100 high schools in the nation. That's more schools in the top 100 than any other school district in America. In addition, all 23 eligible high schools are included in the top 3 percent in the country, according to the Newsweek list released Sunday.

The five high schools are Richard Montgomery, Thomas Wootton, Bethesda_Chevy Chase, Winston Churchill and Walter Johnson. The Newsweek rankings highlight the efforts Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has made over the last six years to encourage more high school students from every background to take challenging Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. More MCPS high school students are taking and succeeding in AP and IB than ever before, and far outperforming the national average on the rigorous exams that accompany the courses.

Newsweek uses the "Challenge Index" which has been featured for the past several years in The Washington Post, as a way to measure the rigor of a high school academic program. The index is derived from the number of AP or IB tests taken by all students at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors.

"The Newsweek rankings confirm that our efforts to open the doors of advanced programs for all students are leading to unparalleled success for our students. Our staff, parents and students can be especially proud of their success as recognized by this national publication," said, Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. "Our outstanding teachers and staff challenge our students every day with a rigorous, high_quality curriculum that prepares them well for life in college and beyond."

"It is very satisfying to see our students' success recognized nationally. We have made extraordinary strides in creating a learning environment where all of our students can achieve and succeed," said Montgomery County Board of Education President Charles Haughey. "This is further confirmation that our educational reform efforts are paying off," said County Executive Douglas M Duncan. "In one of the largest minority school districts in the nation, extraordinary academic gains are being made because as a community we have put education first." The Newsweek rankings are the result of more than six years of steady efforts to reform the school system. The reforms are predicated upon hiring and training high quality teachers, reducing class sizes and offering students a rigorous and challenging curriculum. The reforms have focused on raising academic achievement for all students and closing the achievement gap. Student performance indicates significant progress has been made in raising achievement and closing the gap. Consider these statistics:

* 44 percent of the Class of 2005 scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam ¡V more than triple the national average and double the Maryland average

* 54 percent of the Class of 2005 took at least one AP exam during high school, more than double the national average of 23 percent

* 17 percent of African American students and 33 percent of Hispanic students in the Class of 2005 scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam, topping the national average of 14 percent for all students

* Record number of students ¡V 160 ¡V named National AP Scholar by The College Board

* Walter Johnson High School named best in the world for AP World History program by The College Board

* For the second year in a row, MCPS seniors topped 1100 on the math and critical reading portion of the SAT ¡V a record among school districts in Maryland

* Three high schools named among the best 29 in the nation for prestigious college placements of their graduates, according to the Wall Street Journal

* Winner of the U.S. Senate Productivity Award in Maryland¡Xthe state¡|s highest honor for organizational performance excellence

* 48 percent of Grade 8 students in 2005 completed Algebra 1, compared to the national average of just 25 percent

* 31 National Blue Ribbon Schools

* Tied for the top school in the nation with 12 semifinalists in the 65th Intel Talent Search; third place in the nation won by a Montgomery Blair High School student

* 81 percent of kindergartners in spring 2005 met or exceeded reading targets, compared to 39 percent in 2001.

Newsweek's Rankings of Montgomery County Schools Among the Top U.S. High Schoolsƒn

Rank High School

15 Richard Montgomery

51 Thomas Wootton

34 Bethesda_Chevy Chase

74 Winston Churchill

100 Walter Johnson

114 Walt Whitman

155 Springbrook

230 Montgomery Blair

306 Poolesville

352 Col. Zadok Magruder

362 Quince Orchard

367 Sherwood

426 Rockville

443 John F. Kennedy

487 James Hubert Blake

507 Paint Branch

601 Watkins Mill

607 Wheaton

625 Damascus

648 Albert Einstein

666 Gaithersburg

704 Northwest

772 Seneca Valley

More information about the Newsweek Top 100 is available at www.newsweek.com.

MCPS: Student Member of the Board is Elected, April 27, 2006

Springbrook High School junior Sarah Horvitz has been elected student member of the Board of Education for 2006_2007. Horvitz was chosen by 54 percent of the secondary students who cast ballots in the April 26 election, conducted by the Montgomery County Region of the Maryland Association of Student Councils. The overall voter turnout was 82 percent (62,287 students). All high schools and middle schools submitted election results, along with several special schools and alternative programs. Her opponent, Lindsay Abbett, is a junior at Quince Orchard High School.

Horvitz will begin her term as the 29th student member of the Board on July 1. She has been active in student government for several years and currently is vice president of the Springbrook Student Government Association and coordinator of the Student Advisory Committee. Horvitz hopes to help open the Board’s public comment system to make it more accessible to students. Horvitz also attended White Oak Middle School and Jackson Road Elementary School.

Wootton to host drive_in movie

View the movie ‘‘Back to the Future" retro_style at 7:30 p.m. on May 13 when students from Thomas S. Wootton High School hold a community drive_in movie in the school parking lot, located at 2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville.

 

From Churchill, Parent Coordinator/WCHS Choral Dept: Auditions for Churchill Choral Department Placement for rising High School Freshman

Dates: May 9 & 10, 2006 Time: After school

Place: Room 126 (Sign in at main office first)

Are you a middle school senior attending Churchill next year and going to be involved in the Choral Department in any of the classes? This audition is important in order to place your talents in the proper class for you to grow, learn, & enjoy performing next year. Prepare a song to sing, any style _ preferably one that you are already singing in your classes. Questions? Contact Mr. Carlos Barillo/WCHS Choral Department at 301_469_1243.

Time to think about the consequences, Wootton students take part in a program on drinking and driving in time for prom, graduation season, Wednesday, April 26, 2006,

by Robert Roudik, The Gazette Youth Press

The bells rang and four students were removed from class each hour.The program ‘‘Every 15 Minutes" had arrived at Wootton High School in Rockville to educate students about the dangers of drinking and driving. The bells and removal of students on March 29 symbolized a sad but real statistic: every 15 minutes someone in America dies in an alcohol_related accident. (Statistics show the rate has improved in recent years since the program was conceived.) After the bells rang, a pre_selected student was taken out of class, dressed in black. His face was painted red and black to represent blood and death, then the student was allowed to return to class. But the living dead, as they were called, were not allowed to laugh or communicate with others for the remainder of the day. As soon as the bells rang, a grim reaper would enter the classroom, point toward a student and escort the student out of the room. As soon as the student exited, a Montgomery County police officer accompanied by a Rockville volunteer firefighter would enter and read to the class an obituary written by the student’s parents. At the end of the school day, the 30 ‘‘living dead" students went to the school’s commons and stood beside a plaque symbolizing their grave in a makeshift cemetery. When the school building began to empty, the living dead visited a funeral home, where they met with the director who explained the process and reaction that parents have while burying their children.

Following their meeting with the funeral home director, the living dead were further isolated by being sent to a hotel to spend the night without family or friends. The students were kept busy with a lecture from a counselor who discussed the serious implication of death on friends and family. After listening to the counselor, the students occupied themselves with a candlelight reflection period, where each participant was given the opportunity to hold a candle and share one aspect of his or her experience with the other 29 participants. The group ended the day by writing letters to parents and speeches for the next day’s assembly.

On March 30, following a day of observation and sullenness, the Student Government Association presented a reflection assembly for the whole student body. The presentation began with speeches from the living dead regarding their experiences and transitioned to several parents of those students. Although some were more emotional than others, the speeches impacted many and allowed students to look at the grave impact of drunk driving from various perspectives. Even though it was a repetition of what students hear every day from parents, teachers and others, it was another moment to stop and rethink the consequences that arise from our decisions. The overall experience taught Patrick Kim, a program participant, that ‘‘you only get one shot at life and to waste it at such a young age impedes the overall potential of a better world." Although the assembly was concluded with a musical slideshow, it was very depressing and showed images of real deadly crashes caused by people driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The Rockville City Police Department, with help from county fire and rescue officials, presents the Every 15 Minutes program at one of Rockville’s high schools — Richard Montgomery, Rockville and Wootton — each spring. This year, it was Richard Montgomery’s turn, but Wootton’s Student Government Association wanted to present the program at Wootton ‘‘because the issue is so relevant today," SGA representative Emily Shniderman said. So the students worked with Montgomery County Police to put together some form of the program and preparations took three months. The SGA believes the program was ‘‘very beneficial," Shniderman said. ‘‘It was an eye opener for students [because] it made them realize what it would be like if their friends were killed." Even though some students said they did not learn or discover anything new from the presentation, they felt ‘‘it was a powerful way to display drunk driving," student Jessica Garber said. Even though students knew they would get their friends back and be able to socialize with them after the program, some, like Garber, believed ‘‘it was very emotional to experience what it would feel like if one of my classmates really did die every fifteen minutes."

Robert Roudik is a junior at Thomas S.Wootton High School in Rockville.

Changes at SoccerPlex on agenda for next week, Wednesday, May 3, 2006, by Melissa Chadwick, Gazette Staff Writer

The Planning Board will review proposed changes at Maryland SoccerPlex, including loosening field restrictions, during a meeting Thursday. The board will consider changes to the lease between the Department of Park and Planning and the Maryland Soccer Foundation, which runs the SoccerPlex at the South Germantown Recreational Park. The requested changes affect the hours of operation, the number of games allowed and the development of the next two phases of the soccer complex. The board and the foundation are renegotiating lease terms for the 5_year_old facility, which must be approved by the County Council. SoccerPlex officials have asked to install artificial_turf fields and to more than double the amount of seating at the stadium field.

They also seek to remove some field restrictions — including those that require 25 percent of the fields be rested on weekends and that the facility be restricted to hosting 10 tournaments per year. Doing so would mean $569,000 in additional revenue each year, foundation officials have said. SoccerPlex officials have also asked the county to forego the $40,000 annual rent it charges for office and storage space. As structured, that fee increases by 5 percent per year. The SoccerPlex is a public_private facility that operates on land leased from the county. If the board approves the changes the council will hold a hearing on the lease amendments before taking a vote sometime this summer. The Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. May 11 at 8787 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring. For more information call 301_495_4600 or visit www.mc_mncppc.org.

New laws on teen drivers who drink and tax breaks for military retirees are signed, Wednesday, May 3, 2006, by Thomas Dennison, Gazette Staff Writer

ANNAPOLIS — Teens who drink and drive will face stronger penalties, and certain military retirees will be given a tax break under two bills Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. signed into law on Tuesday. Penalties for underage drinking and driving would be doubled by suspending the license of a driver younger than 21 convicted of an alcohol or drugged driving offense. A first offense will result in a one_year suspension; a second will result in a two_year suspension. The law, which goes into effect on Oct. 1, is aimed at deterring drinking and driving among young people.

Veteran organizations applauded the tax break law — which goes into effect Jan. 1 — intended to keep military retirees in Maryland. The law increases the existing military retirement income subtraction from $2,500 to $5,000 for those 55 and older. It will cost the state $14.3 million in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and $10 million in fiscal 2008. ‘‘Today was a ‘Veterans Day’ in Annapolis unlike anything we have seen before," said Veterans Affairs Secretary George W. Owings III, a former Calvert County delegate and decorated Vietnam War veteran. The Veterans Advocacy and Education Act of 2006 was also signed into law. It establishes college scholarships for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their spouses and children.

It also provides a $50,000 death benefit for Marylanders killed in conflict, expands the Conroy Scholarship program and establishes an Outreach and Advocacy Program to ensure veterans and their families receive all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Owings highlighted other veteran_related laws. One provides property tax relief for the surviving spouse of a veteran. It gives a tax break to spouses of individuals who died of Vietnam_related Agent Orange exposure. Veteran organizations also received sales tax relief, and disabled veterans can get a free hunting license for life under other laws signed Tuesday. Edward T. Kreiner Sr., legislative chairman of the Disabled American Veterans, said he applauded the new laws, but said the retiree tax break was not enough. Kreiner vowed to push for more tax relief next year although the retiree tax break was almost defeated in the waning days of this year’s session.

House leaders wanted to extend tax relief to retired police and firefighters, but that provision was removed in negotiations with the Senate, which wanted to provide additional relief to senior citizens. The end result was that military retirees got their tax break while the firefighters and law enforcement retirees were cut out.

Other new laws will increase funding for the state’s 16 community colleges and increase participation in the state’s minority business program.

Another new establishes a registry as of July 1, 2007, in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and provides for a notation on a driver’s license or ID card that the person has made an advance directive regarding their care in an emergency .

Seven Locks community rejects options, Parents want a new school on current site to relieve burden on already overcrowded Potomac elementaries, Wednesday, May 3, 2006, by Peggy Vaughn, Gazette Staff Writer

A noisy crowd awaited school officials pulling into the Board of Education parking lot in Rockville for a public hearing Monday on the fate of Seven Locks Elementary School.

‘‘Keep it, rebuild it, hear what the people say. Save Seven Locks, Seven Locks stays," the 100 or more protesters chanted, including nearly 70 Seven Locks students who usually confine screaming to the playground. ‘‘We’re marching to save our school," said Alta Markley, 10, a fifth_grader at the school that faces closure. ‘‘And if this doesn’t do it, at least we tried." The protests continued at the hearing via two_minute testimonies given by some 60 PTA members, neighborhood associations and coalitions in a packed hearing room. The board intended the meeting to focus on two options it is considering: either building a replacement school for Seven Locks on Kendale Road or re_assigning Seven Locks students to four other elementary schools. Both options involve closing the existing school on Seven Locks Road. But the vast majority of speakers rejected both options, and again and again used the phrase ‘‘strongly disappointed" to describe their reaction to the way school officials are handling the problem of overcrowding in Potomac elementary schools. ‘‘We wonder why, after going over the options, you picked the two worst options?" said Allie Giles, a Seven Locks PTA member.

The board is acting on the findings of a task force that looked at eight options, to include rebuilding Seven Locks at its current site. But on April 20, School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said he favored the less costly option of building on Kendale Road. The board decided to focus on that plan, plus the option of reassigning Seven Locks students to Bells Mill, Potomac or Beverly Farms elementaries.‘‘This threat to close Seven Locks is astonishing. This is designed to force us to accept what we do not want," said Diana Conway, a Potomac Elementary School PTA member opposed to the Kendale site due to lack of sidewalks and street lighting and the environmental impact of removing trees and widening the road.

But school officials said construction at the Kendale site would cost $17.2 million, several million dollars less than building at Seven Locks. Neighborhood groups opposed to tearing Seven Locks down continued to question those numbers at the hearing. But the board also heard equally strong testimony from Bells Mill parents frustrated by the fact that the task force did not suggest immediate relief for their school. Mold in portable classrooms at Bells Mill is exacerbating the already crowded conditions at a school nearly 50 percent over capacity, they said. Classes are being held in makeshift spaces, including the teacher’s lounge, hallways — and now the media center. Students continue to fall ill from mold, the parents said, and on top of that the annual spring book fair was canceled due to lack of space. ‘‘Our school is falling apart both physically and emotionally," said parent Caroline Satchell, one of many parents calling for immediate relief by accelerating a six_room addition and modernization planned for 2010.

Dick Hawes, Montgomery County Public Schools facilities manager, said the problems at Bells Mill did not come under the purview of the task force. ‘‘There was no specific option to look at the overcrowding at Bells Mill," he said, but added that the council could accelerate its expansion and renovation if it ‘‘was willing to do the funding."

The board will forward its recommendation to the County Council on May 9. That same day, the council’s Education Committee will discuss whether to spend $3.3 million more to build at the Kendale site, a measure likely to be voted down. It is also considering a plan to rebuild the school at the Seven Locks Road site. But before the board submits its recommendation, it may decide to broaden the scope beyond the two options now under consideration, said board member Patricia B. O’Neill (Dist. 3) of Bethesda in a later telephone interview. ‘‘It’s not wide open, but there may be some tweaking," she said.

Since the council is on record opposing the Kendale site, however, the board recommendation to build there may lead to a ‘‘collision" when the council announces its final decision, she said. The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing on the issue Tuesday night, too late for the Gazette deadline. Just who has the final say on the decision is yet to be determined. ‘‘I think that would be a matter to be decided by the attorneys," O’Neill said.

Canyon Ranch to open in Bethesda, $1 billion residential community and hotel planned for Rock Spring Centre, Wednesday, May 3, 2006, by Olivia Doherty, Gazette Staff Writer

After more than a year of rumors, the luxury health resort chain Canyon Ranch confirmed last week that it will open a residential community in North Bethesda.

The $1 billion project will include 434 luxury condominiums in two 20_story towers, a 157_room hotel and 87 luxury apartments as part of Rock Spring Centre, which is currently under development just off Interstate 270 on Old Georgetown Road. A 90,000_square_foot wellness center will anchor the complex, offering access to spa treatments, medical professionals, fitness classes and a gourmet restaurant almost exclusively to residents and guests.

A '60s Buzz Recycled, Teens Rediscover Morning Glories Can Be Used as a Hallucinogen By Theresa Vargas, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, May 3, 2006; Page B01

They have such whimsical names as heavenly blue, crimson rambler and pearly gates, and delicate blooms that crawl quickly up trellises. But when morning glory seeds aren't planted __ when they are instead ingested __ whimsical thoughts can crawl through altered minds with kaleidoscope_like visions. And teenagers know this.

Once popular in the hippie era of the 1960s, morning glory seeds as a hallucinogen seem to have sprouted once again. Local gardening shops have noticed their seed stocks depleted by adolescent hands, and poison control centers in the District and its suburbs have received calls from hospitals with patients experiencing adverse reactions, or bad trips, from the seeds.

Continued http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp_dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201413.html

New law could enhance more than just teachers’ pensions, School board weighs seeking $13 million for a plan that would give more to supporting service workers

Wednesday, May 3, 2006, by Sean R. Sedam, Gazette Staff Writer

County school officials are considering sweetening the state’s new pension plan by asking the County Council to provide $13 million more for teachers’ and supporting service workers’ pensions. If approved, the enhanced package could give the county an advantage in the highly competitive game of attracting quality teachers and other school employees. Montgomery County is the only county in the state that provides an add_on to the state pension for its 21,000 school system employees. ‘‘We just had the National Teacher of the Year," said Sue DeGraba, the county school system’s chief financial officer. ‘‘We want to attract and keep those quality people." The county’s existing pension supplement adds between 8 percent and 9 percent of the state benefit to teacher pensions, DeGraba said. The new proposal could raise that add_on to about 10 percent.

On April 25, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) signed into law a $120 million plan that will enhance pensions for teachers and state employees. The plan boosts the multiplier, which is applied to employees’ final average salary in order to calculate their pension, from 1.4 percent to 1.8 percent. Under the state plan, employees who began working after July 1, 1998, and work for 30 years will receive 54 percent of their average final salary at retirement. The county plan would extend similar benefits to 4,800 supporting service workers, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers and maintenance workers who are not covered by the state pension law. The supplemental pension proposal, to be considered by the school board on Tuesday, would increase the multiplier for all school employees to 2 percent, allowing teachers and supporting service workers to receive 60 percent of their final average salary after 30 years.

Sweetening the pot

County school employees could receive 10 percent of their final average salary — calculated from their pay for three consecutive years — under the supplemental pension formula the school board will vote on next week. ‘‘Even with that, our teachers get below the national average," said Michael L. Subin, chairman of the County Council’s Education Committee. ‘‘All this will do is get them up to the national average, up to that 60 percent." Taken by itself, Maryland’s new formula places the state 32nd in the country for the portion of final average salary teachers receive as pension — even with Oklahoma, Washington and West Virginia and just above Washington, D.C. Montgomery County’s supplemental pension benefit gives the county a significant advantage, said Lewis A. Robinson, executive director of the Prince George’s County teachers union. ‘‘We would love to have something comparable to what they have in place," Robinson said. ‘‘It is something that gives them an advantage or an edge in the whole teacher retention piece and in recruitment."

Montgomery County is spending more than ever on compensation and benefits for county employees, according to a County Council report released last week. That includes $35.9 million for retiree benefits for county school employees during the fiscal year that ends June 30. ‘‘The quality of our workforce is second to none and our employees deserve a better pension benefit," Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said through a spokesman. ‘‘If we are going to keep our great employees and attract more high_quality people to work here, then we need to have a better pension benefit. My proposal will provide new employees with roughly 60 percent of their salary after 30 years of service and that will keep us competitive with the rest of the nation."

Montgomery County has neighbors outside the state to consider when competing for quality teachers, said Patricia A. Foerster, president of the state teachers union, which fought in Annapolis this year for a pension plan that would give teachers statewide 60 percent of their final average salary after 30 years. ‘‘Montgomery County has recognized that they are also losing educators to Northern Virginia, where people take a look at a higher salary and a better pension," Foerster said. ‘‘Since we have to recruit more teachers than anyone in the state, we have to be the most attractive school system," said Montgomery County school board President Charles Haughey (At large) of Rockville. ‘‘In some ways, it’s a symbolic measure that shows we value teachers and see the need to provide more equitable compensation."

An April 25 letter from Subin (D_At large) of Gaithersburg and Councilman Steven A. Silverman (D_At large) of Silver Spring to their council colleagues acknowledged the stiff competition for teachers in the metropolitan area. ‘‘[Montgomery County Public Schools] has the challenge of recruiting and retaining teachers and other staff who find it difficult to afford living in the county," the letter stated. ‘‘MCPS competes directly with Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools. The FCPS retirement system that is equal to 73.5 percent of the average final salary after a 30_year career. FCPS employees pay a 4 percent contribution for that benefit." Under the state plan, teachers and state employees will contribute 3 percent of their annual pay in fiscal 2007, which begins July 1, 4 percent in fiscal 2008 and 5 percent in fiscal 2009. Bringing all county school employees’ pensions on par with the new state pension plan and providing the county supplement would cost from between $11 million and $13 million in fiscal 2007, according to Subin and Silverman’s letter, although school officials said Weast will ask for $13 million.