By Adam Pagnucco.
Last Thursday, MCPS leaders appeared before a joint meeting of the county council’s education and audit committees to discuss the findings of a recent inspector general report on the school district’s complaint processes. The discussion was not confined to the report as council members had questions about many aspects of the district’s leadership problems, which began when former Principal Joel Beidleman was promoted while under investigation for sexual harassment.
The meeting had the feel of the council’s interrogation of MCPS officials last September. I wrote about that meeting at the time – see these links for Parts One, Two and Three. MCPS’s current scandal is historically important as it resulted in the forced departure of a superintendent in the middle of a contract term, something that has not happened here since 1979. Given that fact, this series contains transcripts of notable exchanges between the council and MCPS leaders directly from video of the meeting. These remarks will be preserved here for the sake of posterity.
Let’s start discussing a few things the council learned at the meeting.
Two people who were involved with Beidleman’s promotion are still working for MCPS.
This fact came out in an exchange between Council Member Kate Stewart and Silvestre, which is transcribed below.
Council Member Kate Stewart
The conclusion of the Jackson Lewis report stated, “Simply put, Employee 25 was promoted while the investigation was pending because key decision-makers did not exercise enough diligence to ascertain important details about the investigation. That failure is not as troubling as the failure of these key MCPS leaders to correct the mistake once those details were known after the promotion and to promptly notify the Board about the issue.”
Now I’m not asking about specific individuals. But I want to ask a question that was sent to you prior to today. And again, a very simple yes/no answer. On page 5 of the Jackson Lewis report, it says, “MCPS leaders knew about the investigation prior to promotion. There are five employees – Employees 21, 14, 5, 13 and 22 – did not inquire about the specific nature of the allegations. All this information was available to them prior to the promotion. My question is, are those five individuals still employed by MCPS?
Board of Education President Karla Silvestre
Chair Stewart, they have either been terminated, they have gone through a disciplinary process and are still in that process, they have left the system or they have gone through a disciplinary process and been reinstated to a position within MCPS.
Stewart
Can you tell me the breakdown of that in numbers? How many are still with the system? There are only five of them.
Silvestre
I can share… I mean, that includes who was… people are still in the process… um…
Stewart
So how many people are still in the process?
Silvestre
Of the five that you are referencing… um, lemme see… I’d say two.
Stewart
And do we have a timeline for when we will be done with the process? A timeline, do you know approximately how much more time to go through the process?
Silvestre
I’m not sure how much time remains in that process.
Board of Education President Karla Silvestre (left) and Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi.
Stewart
So if two are still with, that leaves the three others. How many of the three are no longer in the school system?
Silvestre
Some have been terminated and some have left the system for different reasons.
Stewart
Can you tell me of the three, are any remaining? Of those three, are any remaining in the school system now?
Silvestre
Those people that are still in the process?
Stewart
In the process.
Silvestre
…That have finished the process are still in the system now?
Stewart
So I am just going to say this again. I only have two more minutes. Two people are still going through the process. We have three others named in the report. Are those three… how many of those three are still working for MCPS?
Silvestre
If I’m doing my calculations correctly, none. Either they’ve been terminated or they have left the system for various reasons.
Note from Pagnucco: More to come in Part Two.