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MCEA
Questionnaire
PAT RYAN'S RESPONSE TO
QUESTIONS FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
1.
As a
member of the County Council, what would be your view of honoring negotiated
agreements, especially in tight fiscal times?
It is my view that
negotiated agreements represent a binding commitment of the county and are one
of the many reasons employees choose to work for the county. To abrogate those
agreements sends the wrong signal to county employees. Tight fiscal times
should have been anticipated before the agreement was entered into, and
sufficient funds should have been put aside to honor these commitments.
2.
What is
your view of the current local tax structure? What, if any, changes would you
advocate?
I believe the current local
tax structure is sound and progressive. However, property taxes in particular
represent a substantial and growing burden for older residents and those with
fixed incomes. Additional property tax relief (enhanced circuit breaker) should
be examined.
3.
Would
you support a tax increase, if necessary, to fund the school budget and the
negotiated agreements? If so, in what way would you increase taxes?
I believe the county
council should consider raising taxes in order to honor negotiated agreements,
although raising taxes should only be considered after a thorough examination of
other budget reductions. Planned program expansions and new hiring may need to
be postponed or cancelled in order to balance the budget. If needed, tax
increases should fall on those most capable of paying an additional burden.
4.
What
is your position on the privatization or contracting out of public sector jobs
and services? Why?
Contracting out of public
sector jobs and services does not result in improvements to government
services. Contracting out was devised by persons who have little understanding
of the value of public sector jobs and the dedication and commitment of those
who hold these positions. In the private sector, contracting out is viewed as a
“cost-cutting” measure, but the ultimate loss in the quality of services
provided and the effect of the loss of good-paying jobs has never been
accurately measured.
5.
What is
your view of the Montgomery County Education Association’s role in education
reform within MCPS?
Teachers and administrators
are usually the most knowledgeable about what actually works in improving the
education of students. Well-informed parents can also contribute to the debate
about the value and benefits of reform. As the voice of teachers who have the
front-line experience of implementing education reforms and other changes in
MCPS, MCEA should be a highly respected
voice on education reforms.
6.
What is
working well in MCPS? What would you like to see changed?
All day kindergarten had
has a very beneficial effect on learning readiness. Changes over the past ten
years in school curriculum have also had mainly good results. Efforts targeted
at minority achievement have also produced noticeable results for students.
MCPS should reexamine its
decision to close special education schools. The effect of one disruptive
student on an entire class is something teachers know about all too well.
Although MCPS may believe its options are limited, real reformers would not
accept actions that have a negative effect on the learning environment of a
majority of students.
The push for all qualified
students to take AP classes is OK, but there needs to be some limit on the
number of AP classes a student can take in a single year.
7.
What
initiatives or programs do you propose to address the needs of Montgomery
County’s low income population?
Two areas
where we can improve services to
low-income residents are housing and health.
With respect to housing,
every person deserves safe housing that they can afford. The county has very
long waiting lists of persons whose income qualifies
them for housing assistance. The agencies handling affordable housing have
their hands full managing the limited supply. There should be an
effective advocate inside the Executive Branch seeking
ways of expanding the supply of affordable and workforce housing. Montgomery
County can also expand the supply of affordable housing by
creating a non-profit entity that could leverage foundation and other non-tax
funds to fund new and renovated housing. Montgomery County can also be more aggressive in exercising
its right of “first refusal” to prevent the conversion
of affordable rental housing stock to
condominiums.
Public health specialists
often refer to two areas where health can be improved without significant cost:
A)
Providing at-risk populations with diagnostic services to detect diseases
(e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure) which can have profound effects on personal
health and health care costs. Detecting disease at an early stage not only
prolongs life, it reduces costs, both to the individual and to society as a
whole.
B)
Compliance with preventative treatment regimens (e.g., taking
prescription drugs as required, smoking cessation, and weight management) can
prevent more serious health consequences
and expensive hospitalizations. Case
managers can remind patients who “forget” the goals of preventative treatment
that improved health is a matter over which they have some control. I favor
public campaigns in and out of our schools to model and encourage healthy
lifestyle changes and reinforce individual responsibility for healthy choices.
8.
What
steps do you think the County Council should take to address the needs of an
increasingly diverse population in Montgomery County?
The residents of Montgomery
County, including those who have recently immigrated to this area or this
country, are what makes the County great and its future bright. However,
residents who have lived here for many years are concerned about new residents
who may not fully comprehend such things as traffic laws or who may have
difficulty communicating with persons who speak only English. The county
council should foster efforts to welcome newcomers and to encourage long-time
residents to volunteer in efforts to acclimate newer residents in ways that are
sensitive to the desires and needs of both.
9.
What
should Montgomery County do as a result of the state’s chronic under-funding of
the capital budget?
The chronic under-funding
is due in part to the growth which has occurred in Montgomery County. While the
county delegation to the legislature certainly attempts to address the shortfall
in the capital budget, their efforts have been only partially successful. It is
difficult to envision a scenario where the state significantly changes its
attitude toward the funding needs of Montgomery County. Therefore, Montgomery
County needs to continue funding projects in advance as it currently does.
10.
What
ideas do you have for addressing the need for workforce and affordable housing
in Montgomery County?
A)
The county executive should appoint a special assistant and necessary
staff to advocate for affordable and workforce housing in the county. The
function of this person would be to negotiate on behalf of the county government
to slow down the conversion of affordable housing to higher-cost housing, and to
encourage development of workforce housing in areas that have been targeted for
increased housing density under approved area master plans.
B)
The county should continue its efforts to encourage more affordable and
workforce housing by making county-owned land available to developers who can
produce such housing.
C)
The county should consider creating a non-profit corporation to develop
affordable and workforce housing using non-tax dollars.
D)
The county should continue to expand the amount of funding for the
Housing Initiatives Fund which has already preserved 6,000 units of affordable
housing in the county.
E)
The county should consider partnering with non-profit affordable housing
developers to create a vision and a plan for meeting present and future
affordable and workforce housing needs
11.
Do you
support the current premium sharing formulas in the MCPS employee health
insurance plans or do you believe employees should pay a higher share of the
premium costs?
Employee health insurance
cost sharing has gone as far as it should go. Further shifting of costs to
employees amounts to a pay cut.
12.
Do you
support significant reductions in class sizes and if so, how would you fund that
initiative?
While there is little doubt
that smaller class sizes have a beneficial effect on student performance, there are not funds
currently available to support this initiative on a county-wide basis.
Targeting class size reductions on at-risk populations is an appropriate interim
strategy.
13.
What is
your view of the current workload of teachers?
My sister has been a public
school teacher and administrator on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for 30 years.
She likes her job, even when it involves late evenings and weekends, but wishes
that salaries for teachers were more commensurate with their dedication and the
vital role they play in the development of students. She also believes that the
current emphasis on complying with Federal mandates and state testing
requirements has stifled creativity and the kind of innovative teaching which
experienced teachers can use to excite and motivate students. I agree with her
views.
14.
Describe a political event that shaped your thinking about politics and/or your
decision to run for public office.
When I was 12 years old, my
parents had a social gathering at our house attended by several lawyers who had
worked with my father for the Department of Justice and had then gone on to
participate in the effort to elect Robert Kennedy to the U.S. Senate from New
York. This was in 1964, less than 9 months after the death of President
Kennedy. I was amazed by Robert Kennedy’s courage in the face of the recent
assassination of his brother, and by the manner in which dedicated public
servants switched so easily from prosecuting criminals to working to elect
public officials. It was an unforgettable lesson on the need to step forward
when the opportunity arises.
15. What are
three things you would like to accomplish, if you are elected to the Council?
A)
Reduce the overcrowding in schools around the county and find ways to
decrease student teacher-ratios to improve learning.
B)
Develop innovative ways to finance more workforce housing so that
teachers, firefighters, and other county employees can afford to live in
Montgomery County.
C)
Plan and develop additional mass and public transit so that traffic does
not continue to worsen.
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