----- Original Message -----

From: Louis Wilen

To: Delegate Saqib Ali ; Stephen_L_Bedford@mcpsmd.org
Cc: Saqib.Ali@house.state.md.us ; BOE ;
county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov ; Kumar.Barve@house.state.md.us ;
Stephen_L_Bedford@mcpsmd.org
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: Setting the record straight on MCPS curricular fee
policies

Dear Delegate Ali:

Thank you for your prompt action on my note from this morning.

Shortly before I received your note below, I received a note from the
Magruder principal, Mr. Evans, advising that he had changed his
decision on the fee for my daughter and decided to rescind the fee.
While his cancellation of the fee helps my daughter's situation, it is
my understanding that my son and other students will continue to be
charged curricular fees unless they go through the written appeals
process. It would be extraordinarily burdensome for each student's
parents to have to work though the appeals process.

By copy of this note, I will ask Mr. Bedford to advise whether the
curricular fee rescission applies to only my daughter or if curricular
fees are being rescinded system-wide without regard to whether an
individual student appeals a fee.

Thank you again for your prompt response and action.

Louis Wilen
----- Original Message -----
From: Delegate Saqib Ali
To: Louis Wilen
Cc: Saqib.Ali@house.state.md.us ; BOE ;
county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov ; Kumar.Barve@house.state.md.us ;
Stephen_L_Bedford@mcpsmd.org
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 3:33 PM
Subject: Re: Setting the record straight on MCPS curricular fee
policies

Dear Louis:

Thank you very much for getting in touch with me this morning about the
MCPS curricular fee policy. I always appreciate hearing from citizens
that watch our government agencies closely to make certain that we live
by our policies. I'm sorry to hear that the principal at Magruder High
School has made this mistake.

Since receiving your e-mail, I have sought clarification on the current

MCPS fee policy -- as well as been given some insight into the changes
that are coming down the road. This includes a very frank telephone
conversation between Delegate Kumar Barve, House Majority Leader,
myself and Superintendent Jerry Weast. In any event, there is no doubt
that the letter you received was a mistake. And it's my understanding
that the fee you have been charged is being cancelled. It is
unfortunate, but in a system the size of MCPS, there are bound to be
the occasional errors. This is why the BOE is monitoring the fee
policy monthly.

We have been assured of the cancellation of your fee verbally by the

MCPS Office of School Performance. Should you have questions about
this, please reach out to them. If you have any problems, do not
hesitate to get back in touch with us.

Sincerely,

- Saqib
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Capital Office: 224B Lowe House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401
District Office: 12504 Degas Court, North Potomac, MD 20878
Tel #: (301) 858-3021
Website: www.SaqibAli.org
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.MJE
On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 1:24 AM, Louis Wilen <louis.wilen@verizon.net>
wrote:

Dear Delegate Ali:

The purpose of this letter is to set the record straight regarding MCPS
curricular fee policies.

At the November 20, 2008 hearing of the Montgomery County delegation,

MCPS BOE President Shirley Brandman (BOE VP at the time of the hearing)
responded to questions about curricular fees in MCPS. You asked Ms.
Brandman if there had "ever been any instances in MCPS of graduation
tickets being withheld because of failure to pay these fees". After
initially attempting to evade the question, Ms. Brandman replied by
saying "I have not heard of any case where a fee held up a student's
graduation."

A video of the interaction between you and Ms. Brandman is available at

http://parentscoalitionmc.com/GuidetoFees.php. The interaction between
you and Ms. Brandman begins at 4:46 into the video.

On January 31, 2009, I received the attached demand letter from the
principal of Magruder High School. The letter advises that if I do not
pay a $35 fee for a class that my daughter participated in during the
first semester of the current school year, she will be prevented from
participating in the graduation ceremony and will not receive a
diploma. Please note that the class earns normal credit toward
graduation and is part of the curriculum.

<<...>>
Payment of the fee is currently in the appeals process at the
superintendent level. My initial formal appeal (school principal level
appeal) was denied last week.

Please feel free to share this letter and the attached document with
any interested party.

Thank you for your continued interest in the public school curricular
fee issue.

Louis Wilen
17101 Macduff Avenue
Olney, MD 20832-2960