By Adam Pagnucco.
Previously, I introduced this series and asked the candidates about what they believed was MCPS’s biggest problem, their experience with budgets, their opinions on the incumbents, their positions on opt outs, their positons on police officers in schools and what they think about teacher salary transfers. Now let’s discuss side payments to school employees.
Last month, I reported that Interim Superintendent Monique Felder had accepted $6,000 in payments from a company with ties to school vendors in one of her previous jobs. This became one of my most-read stories in more than 17 years of on-again, off-again writing. Felder later mischaracterized what happened when asked about it by the press. Since then, I described how such payments to school employees have spawned controversy all over the United States. Let’s find out how our school board candidates feel about this.
Question: Interim Superintendent Monique Felder once took $6,000 from an outside group connected to school vendors while she was the chief academic officer in Nashville public schools. Will you introduce and work to pass a policy change banning such payments to MCPS employees?
Lynne Harris, At-Large (Incumbent): I am a firm believer that the areas of work in MCPS are wide and deep, and we shouldn’t be solving problems we don’t have, because we have enough work to focus on.
It is common practice in many industries who research and develop products to bring in subject matter experts to review and critique new products before they are marketed, and provide those experts an honorarium for providing that service. Generally speaking, that results in better products moving into the marketplace. The education services industry is no different.
Before taking the drastic step of prohibiting MCPS employees from participating in a common industry research and development practice, I want to see substantive evidence that it is a problem. I would also ask to see evidence that our current Ethics Policy, Ethics Review Board practices, and annual Financial Disclosure requirements are inadequate to address legitimate concerns.
Should that review reveal that MCPS, or education generally, has a problem not adequately addressed by current policy and disclosure requirements, I wouldn’t hesitate to pursue a reasonable policy promoting ethical practices.
Sharif Hidayat, At-Large: I would introduce legislation that would prohibit this practice.
Melissa Kim, At-Large: No response
Jonathan Long, At-Large: After the improprieties and scandals of Superintendent McKnight’s administration, we need a superintendent who is above reproach. I don’t want to comment on Monique Felder specifically since I don’t have access to all perspectives on the matter. But, accepting money from outside interest groups that may one day be selling something to the school district would appear to be a conflict of interest. In the current climate, we need to make sure that the next superintendent is above reproach.
Fitzgerald Mofor, At-Large: As a member of the board of education, I will be fully committed to banning honorarium payments to MCPS employees. Such an anti-corruption stance will build the overall confidence stakeholders have in our public educational system. My posture on such matters isn’t an indictment of Dr. Monique Felder. Dr. Felder is an experienced educator and an accomplished scholar. I am sure her past transgressions in Nashville Public Schools were inadvertent.
Rita Montoya, At-Large: I think it is important for the MCPS Superintendent to be conflict-free to ensure MCPS is without undue influence. While the MCPS Employee Conflict of Interest Policy, GCA-RA, contains a clause that could be argued addresses a Superintendent’s receipt of a payment by a MCPS vendor (“It is a conflict of interest for an employee to 1. take advantage of relationships with…others doing business with the school system for personal benefit…), a more clear policy with language explicitly forbidding that arrangement should be established in MCPS. If elected, I will work with my colleagues to amend the current policy to ensure clarity.
Brenda Diaz, District 2: I unequivocally pledge to eliminate payments to MCPS employees to prevent conflicts of interest. Interim Superintendent Monique Felder must understand that such abuses will not be tolerated during her tenure. Additionally, in the current pool of Board of Education candidates, conflicts of interest persist. Natalie Zimmerman, a District 2 candidate, is an MCPS employee and MCEA member. How can an MCPS employee and MCEA member possibly provide diligent oversight as a member of the Board of Education when she is beholden to her employer and the two bodies who negotiate her contract? It is clear– such dual roles raise concerns about impartial oversight. Our focus must be on appointing board members dedicated to students, families, and teachers, free from conflicts of interest. My diverse professional background, spanning nursery schools to public and private schools across the DC-Maryland region, equips me to champion academic excellence, integrity, and accountability on the Board. I am committed to leveraging my over twenty years of experience in education to serve the MCPS community effectively.
Ricky Fai Mui, District 2: Absolutely! Taking, Accepting or not refusing any form of non-employment related funds, favors, or materials violates many ethical standards. All Public Figures; i.e., persons employed by a federal, state, county, or local agency, cannot have any indication of impropriety, especially as it pertains to the function of their duty. I would gladly introduce and push to pass policy changes that would require the refusal of any funds, goods, services, or favors; either personally benefitting or for the benefit of the public school system; and that any acceptance would require an immediate refusal and reversion; and depending on severity, history of actions, and whether a cover-up was implemented, the party at fault may be recommended for separation from further representing employment with the Public School System. We cannot support or tolerate the violation of public trust conveyed upon the caretakers of our children’s future and livelihood. We must be led by people of Honor, Courage and Commitment; these are the mottos I live by.
Rebecca Smondrowski, District 2 (Incumbent): MCPS has existing policies, regulations and expectations for staff including policies related to conflicts of interest and conducting business with companies and organizations that engage in contracts with MCPS. During my time on the Board, I helped establish stronger oversight prohibiting executives from taking paid consulting positions for financial gain without disclosure and permission from the superintendent as well as the Board. As Chair of the Policy Management Committee, I am always interested in re-evaluating existing policies for areas needing improvement. I will continue to ensure that the superintendent and all employees are held to the highest ethical standards.
Aby Thioye, District 2: Even if such payments do not constitute actual corruption, they have the appearance of corruption and erode public confidence in government. How can a public servant be trusted to be impartial as to whether her agency should sign a contract with a company that pays her? I absolutely support a policy banning this practice for MCPS employees.
Natalie Zimmerman, District 2: Every MCPS employee should be disclosing such information and not doing so is a violation of GCA-RA, Employee Conflict of Interest Regulation. As stated in the document, all MCPS employees should be acting with the “utmost integrity and professionalism”. I do not believe the Board needs to create a new policy to stop this as we have an ethics policy. As a member of the Board, I will ensure that our ethics policy is not only updated and relevant, but that it is applied to all MCPS employees – including those in the highest positions.
Shebra Evans, District 4 (Incumbent): I am in favor of creating a policy stipulating what is and is not appropriate for employees regarding outside payments.
Bethany Mandel, District 4: Yes, that would be a sound policy.
Laura Stewart, District 4: We need policies that eliminate conflict of interest in the central office. If a central office employee is involved in making decisions on acquiring vendors, they should be barred from being paid by an outside group that consults those vendors. After consulting with counsel, I would pass policies that eliminate conflict of interest.
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That’s it for this series. I hope this has been helpful to you in deciding how to cast your votes. Remember, in school board elections, all voters vote for all candidates, including all of the district candidates. On to the primary on May 14!