Dr. Monique Felder was sworn in as interim superintendent at the Feb. 6 MCPS Board of Education meeting.in statement MCPS announced the board that a new superintendent will lead the system through the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year.
The decision comes amid scrutiny of the school board for its handling of reports of sexual harassment and promotion of former Farquho Middle School principal Joel Beidleman amid an ongoing investigation. Ta. According to an article published by washington post In August 2023, Mr. Beidleman was reported at least 18 times since 2016. A report by the Baltimore-based law firm Jackson Lewis found that Dr. McKnight knew before the summer of 2023 but “failed to act in a timely manner.” Moko360.
Many MCPS staff members are dissatisfied with the board's handling of the situation due to the lack of transparency and action taken against Beidleman.
“The teachers union has been saying for years that we need more transparency from the school board,” said English teacher Catherine Frikas. “We are experiencing a massive scandal like this that should not have been a scandal. It should have been handled a certain way.”
Story continues below ad
On January 22nd, Dr. McKnight published the following document: statement There, she announced that the school board had asked her to resign, but did not mention the reason for the request. Additionally, she writes: “For these reasons, I am concerned that the action is based on something other than my performance and that it constitutes a breach of my contract. We will protect decades of work.”
Despite plans to fight for his position and pursue legal action, Dr. McKnight and MCPS announced on February 2 that the two had “mutually agreed to separate.” In Dr. Macking's statement, she wrote:I have also maintained that it is important that my reputation remains based on facts and truth. After careful consideration, prayer, and a desire for fairness, today I have reached a mutually agreed separation with the Board of Education. ”
RM Principal Alicia Deeney shared her feelings about the situation. she”I think we've all seen it reported in the news, and it was a distraction from the school system's mission of teaching and learning and providing classrooms for students to learn… I think it was the right thing for the superintendent to step aside and not focus on that anymore. ”
At a recent meeting, the school board apologized for its handling of employee misconduct complaints and vowed to repair the school system. “We are deeply sorry for the pain this incident has caused to so many of our employees and the harm it has caused to this district,” said board president Carla Silvestre.
By appointing Dr. Felder as Interim Superintendent, the Board emphasized its continued commitment to improving MCPS's openness and rebuilding trust with staff, students, and families.
Dr. Felder began his career in education at MCPS and worked for the system for 22 years before joining Prince George's County Public Schools in 2014 as Executive Director of the Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Education and Learning, and then as Principal Investigator. Did. He served on the Tennessee Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Directors in 2016. He became superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in North Carolina in 2019, leaving the position in early August.
“Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet our new superintendent and hear her introduce herself to other high school principals. I was happy to hear that there was a focus on making sure we were working together,” Deeney said.
However, controversy has also arisen against the interim superintendent due to past financial conduct.by washington post, Dr. Felder was investigated for allegedly receiving undisclosed consulting fees and failing to properly report the money he received. However, at a press conference held by the board, it was discussed that board members were aware of the audit results when appointing Dr. Felder.
At a press conference held at the board meeting, Dr. Felder said he wanted to help. She said she would “fix and refocus our system” during her time as interim coach.
“For the next five months, please refocus on teaching and learning. We will focus on having strong teachers and strong principals. We already have strong teachers and strong principles, but we will We need a lot of teachers. So we have to make sure we can attract staff, but at the same time we have to be able to support them to retain them,” Dr. Felder said. .
She also discussed helping the board find a new superintendent while serving MCPS.
“It's important to ensure a smooth transition of permanent supervision. That's critical,” Dr. Felder said.
RM staff expressed hope for the remainder of the school year and the improvements MCPS can make in the future.
“[I am] We are very hopeful that our new superintendent will bring more unity to our school system and restore some of the trust we have lost in recent years, and especially in recent months. [I’m] It is my sincere hope that the MCCA and the Board of Education will begin to work together to build a more collaborative relationship with a foundation of trust and transparency,” Frikas said.
