 Cluster
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Cluster
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Community Notes
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Our Cluster Coordinator is Sarah Defnet. 
As the 2008-09 school year gets underway (Fiscal year 2009) we have already
begun work on the Fiscal Year 2010 budget. My role as cluster coordinator
is to be in communication with each of our four cluster schools to understand
their needs, and to communicate those needs in various ways to MCPS and
the Board of Education to champion the change process. The school budget
consists of two separate components:
- Operating Budget, consisting of all the costs necessary to operate
our schools including salaries, utilities, maintenance, textbooks etc.
- Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) consisting of all construction projects
for new schools or major modernizations or life-cycle planned maintenance
projects such as roof replacement. The process begins in June when we
solicit comments from PTAs and cluster school Principals on items that
need to be improved in their physical school buildings. The CIP Budget
is projected for six years, and revisited each year to adjust projections.
We are currently working on the FY 2009-2014 plan. Every other year
is consider an amendment year – where limited changes are considered.
The year we are currently working on, 2010, is an amendment year.
Your role as a parent with a child enrolled in one of our cluster schools
is to come out and be in the audience when our cluster is testifying to
show support in numbers, to the Board of Education, or County Council
(depending on who we are testifying before). Numbers matter in winning
change or maintaining support for existing programs. The squeaky wheel
definitely gets the oil- so please come out and squeak with us when we
ask for your support!
Here is a general planning calendar for the Operating
Budget & CIP Budget Development
for 2010:
| June 1, 2008 |
Schools submit comments for consideration
for the 2010 CIP to MCPS |
| Early Sept 2008 |
Cluster reps meet with staff to review comments
and MCPS response |
| Sept. 18, 2008 |
BOE Community Forum at Watkins Mill HS (sign
up at BOE Website to participate) |
| Mid Oct 2008 |
Superintendent releases recommendations on
Spring 08’ boundary studies |
| Oct 16, 2008 |
BOE Community Forum at Albert Einstein HS |
| Nov. 12 & 13, 2008 |
Schools testify before BOE on the Amended
FY 2009-2014 Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) |
| Nov 20, 2008 |
BOE Acts on Amended FY 2009-2014 CIP and Boundary
Changes |
| December 2008 |
County Executive reviews BOE recommended Amended
FY 2009-2014 CIP |
| Dec. 11, 2008 |
The Superintendent presents/releases the Recommended
Operating Budget |
| Jan. 14 & 21, 2009 |
Schools testify on the operating budget before
the BOE |
| Jan. 15, 2009 |
County Executive recommendations for the Amended
FY 2009-2014 CIP |
| Feb. 10, 2009 |
The BOE adopts the 2010 Budget – now it’s
time to get the money from the County Council! |
| March 16, 2009 |
County Executive Issues County Operating Budget
(including schools) |
| April TBD 2009 |
Schools testify before the County Council
on the Operating Budget |
| May 21,2009 |
County Council Approves the Operating Budget |
| May 31, 2009 |
County Council approves the Amended FY 2009-2014
CIP |
| June 9, 2009 |
BOE final action on Operating Budget |
Indoor Air Quality at PHS
Visit the Students for
Healthy Air web site for all the latest information on the indoor
air quality at Poolesville High School.
Staph and MRSA Resources
With last year's articles highlighting the increase of Staph and MRSA
cases in our area, parents need to educate themselves and understand what
measures they can take at home to help Staph from spreading.
Emergency Preparedness
The following is a link to the MCPS web site, which includes a brochure
for parents on emergency preparedness, available in six languages.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/emergency/preparedness/
You will notice that the information provided here is brief, because each
school is responsible for its own emergency plans, including procedures
for evacuation, sheltering in place, and notifying parents.
Each local PTA works with your school to distribute information to parents
about your school's emergency plans, probably through several venues,
such as listserves, PTA meetings, posting to the school web site, and
newsletters.
The most important role of the PTA is in helping to formulate a plan of
communication with parents in the event of a school-wide emergency.
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