MCPS launches webpage, hires two leaders to spearhead reform after Beidleman scandal

District working to show public progress in addressing county inspector general’s recommendations

April 30, 2024 9:53 p.m.

Montgomery County Public Schools has launched a webpage dedicated to providing the public with updates on its progress in implementing recommended corrective actions resulting from a 2023 sexual harassment scandal involving former middle school principal Joel Beidleman.

The webpage, located on MCPS’ website, is a “tool to show the community the progress that we are making to meet” the recommendations outlined in a report by the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General, Board of Education President Karla Silvestre said during an April 25 board meeting.

The Corrective Actions Progress Report webpage outlines the status of steps MCPS is taking following the investigation of its mishandling of employee complaints of sexual harassment and bullying against Beidleman.

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In June 2023, the school board approved the appointment of Beidleman as principal of Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville while MCPS was investigating complaints against him. Following his appointment, The Washington Post published a report in August that detailed years of alleged misconduct from Beidleman and inaction from MCPS officials in charge of investigating complaints. The resulting controversy led to widespread distrust and concern from many in the school community as well as local elected officials.

In February former MCPS Superintendent Monifa McKnight resigned after the school board allegedly asked her to step down. About a week later, the school board appointed former MCPS administrator Monique Felder to serve as the interim superintendent as the board conducts a national search for a new superintendent.

In addition to launching the webpage, the district has hired Jessica Boone and James Koutsos to “spearhead the reform efforts” in the MCPS Department of Compliance and Investigations (DCI), according to a district statement released Monday. Both began working Monday as department directors.

Boone is a “legal and investigative professional” who worked in the special investigations unit at BlueCross BlueShield and in the Washington, D.C., government’s Office of Risk Management, according to the release.

Koutsos was the principal of Clarksburg High School from 2005 to 2014 and an MCPS associate superintendent for three years, according to his LinkedIn account. He also served as president of the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals for five years.

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Both Boone and Koutsos are temporary part-time employees, MCPS officials said at the April 25 board meeting. Boone is set to work with MCPS until July 1 and Koutsos will work with the district until June 2025.

During the meeting, board member Rebecca Smondrowski (Dist. 2) asked MCPS officials why Boone and Koutsos were hired as temporary part-time employees instead of full-time staff, noting that could lead to turnover of leadership and operations.

“Everyone brings their own way of doing things, so I think MCPS has had enough of the short term,” Smondrowski said.

Acting Chief of Staff Henry Johnson said he believes there are benefits to bringing in temporary part-time (TPT) employees “who have an institutional knowledge of the district and how the district works.”

Johnson explained that having someone who has no experience with the school system, such as Boone, and pairing her with Koutsos – who he described as a “veteran administrator that principals will trust” because of his experience as the former president of MCAAP – the school system will have an “opportunity to strengthen the department and move towards a more permanent solution in the future as far as staffing is concerned.”

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Corrective Active Progress platform

The Corrective Action Progress Report webpage includes charts that show what actions the district has taken or will take along with a color-coded progress bar. An orange bar indicates that the actions are under review or have not started yet, a yellow bar indicates that the actions are in progress and a green bar shows what actions have been completed.

The site also includes “independent corrective actions” that MCPS leaders have taken before and after the inspector general’s office conducted its investigations, according to MCPS.

Most independent actions have been completed, such as enhanced monitoring, intake and resolution of complaints, and instituting a standardized filing process.

One action still under “review” is requesting an additional $500,000 in the proposed fiscal year 2025 operating budget to hire investigations and compliance experts. Adding those resources is dependent on the passage of the county’s fiscal year 2025 operating budget by the County Council later this spring.

The webpage also includes updates on policy work from the school board and recommendations from the Community of Practice workgroup on promotions, culture and climate, and supports for staff.

In March the school board proposed a new policy that aims to strengthen its oversight of appointing school leaders such as principals and superintendents. At the April 25 board meeting, school board members also discussed starting work on another new policy that would focus on complaint management in MCPS.

Part of the development of that policy would correspond with the launch of a new case management system for the Department of Compliance and Investigations, Johnson told board members.

He also noted the new case management system is among the next steps the district would be taking in the short term and said the district aims to have a new system by June 30. Other steps include continuing to work on the corrective actions that are in progress and still under review and upgrading standard operating procedures within the Department of Compliance and Investigations, Johnson said.

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