New boundary study for Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, RM, Northwest, Poolesville, QO, SV, WM, Wootton

[Anonymous]

Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Lynne Harris seemed keenly interested in closing an elementary school or two in the Wooton cluster (she keyed in on Cold Spring in particular). I suspect she'd vote in favor of this study to ID how to better utilize the free seats in the elementary schools in that cluster.

[Anonymous]

What was the rationale for combining them? Seems odd to add 6 additional HS to the study given that several of the others are not close to the former.

If anything they should just do a district wide boundary study and stop the games. Everyone knows it needs to be done. And the actually have a whole year or two to complete it and the boundary analysis to use as a starting basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What was the rationale for combining them? Seems odd to add 6 additional HS to the study given that several of the others are not close to the former.

If anything they should just do a district wide boundary study and stop the games. Everyone knows it needs to be done. And the actually have a whole year or two to complete it and the boundary analysis to use as a starting basis.

Yes! That would be better than doing it piecemeal over numerous years. Rip off the bandaid and let everyone be mad at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What was the rationale for combining them? Seems odd to add 6 additional HS to the study given that several of the others are not close to the former.

If anything they should just do a district wide boundary study and stop the games. Everyone knows it needs to be done. And the actually have a whole year or two to complete it and the boundary analysis to use as a starting basis.

Because the Crown site is situated in the Gaithersburg cluster, and that cluster borders Damascus as well. And then the others like Watkins Mill and Seneca Valley are in between them, so it would be weird not to include them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Lynne Harris seemed keenly interested in closing an elementary school or two in the Wooton cluster (she keyed in on Cold Spring in particular). I suspect she'd vote in favor of this study to ID how to better utilize the free seats in the elementary schools in that cluster.

Because the classrooms have no interior walls. It's a 1970s open concept design, which is no longer desirable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Lynne Harris seemed keenly interested in closing an elementary school or two in the Wooton cluster (she keyed in on Cold Spring in particular). I suspect she'd vote in favor of this study to ID how to better utilize the free seats in the elementary schools in that cluster.

Yes but the elementary schools aren't included in the scope of this study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Giving this one its own thread.

This morning, MCPS staff proposed combining the boundary studies for Crown and Damascus high schools into one large study with the following high schools and their feeder middle schools in scope: Churchill, Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Watkins Mill, and Wootton.

The boundary study process would happen during 2025, and the final boundary vote would be in March 2026.

Detailed timeline:

Spring 2024--Request for Proposal released
Summer 2024--Board approves consultant
Fall 2024--Prepare for community engagement
Early 2025-Fall/Winter 2025--Boundary study process
January 2026--Boundary Study Report released
Early February 2026--Recommendation released
Late February-March 2026--Board work sessions, public hearings and action

This study has been proposed, but not approved by the board yet. That would happen at their March 19th meeting.

Lynne Harris seemed keenly interested in closing an elementary school or two in the Wooton cluster (she keyed in on Cold Spring in particular). I suspect she'd vote in favor of this study to ID how to better utilize the free seats in the elementary schools in that cluster.

Because the classrooms have no interior walls. It's a 1970s open concept design, which is no longer desirable.

It's also one of the smallest schools, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was the rationale for combining them? Seems odd to add 6 additional HS to the study given that several of the others are not close to the former.

If anything they should just do a district wide boundary study and stop the games. Everyone knows it needs to be done. And the actually have a whole year or two to complete it and the boundary analysis to use as a starting basis.

Because the Crown site is situated in the Gaithersburg cluster, and that cluster borders Damascus as well. And then the others like Watkins Mill and Seneca Valley are in between them, so it would be weird not to include them.

DP. That makes sense, but I think I hope they hire a consultant to support it. I don't think the MCPS Planning Department is up to the task.

[Anonymous]

I hope they don’t close Cold Spring. It’s a fabulous little school. My kids attended it. It’s always been underenrolled but it would be pretty easy to pull an adjacent neighborhood in to fill those seats. It is definitely a rundown and outdated building decades overdue to be renovated or rebuilt. They’ve had it on the list at least since my oldest was in K and now she’s graduating college. They just kept pushing construction back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was the rationale for combining them? Seems odd to add 6 additional HS to the study given that several of the others are not close to the former.

If anything they should just do a district wide boundary study and stop the games. Everyone knows it needs to be done. And the actually have a whole year or two to complete it and the boundary analysis to use as a starting basis.

Because the Crown site is situated in the Gaithersburg cluster, and that cluster borders Damascus as well. And then the others like Watkins Mill and Seneca Valley are in between them, so it would be weird not to include them.

DP. That makes sense, but I think I hope they hire a consultant to support it. I don't think the MCPS Planning Department is up to the task.

Yes, hiring a consultant is on the timeline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope they don’t close Cold Spring. It’s a fabulous little school. My kids attended it. It’s always been underenrolled but it would be pretty easy to pull an adjacent neighborhood in to fill those seats. It is definitely a rundown and outdated building decades overdue to be renovated or rebuilt. They’ve had it on the list at least since my oldest was in K and now she’s graduating college. They just kept pushing construction back.

I think Harris makes a good point, though: with a tight budget, is it fiscally responsible to invest in rebuilding Cold Spring when there is already more than enough capacity available within the other Wootton cluster elementary schools?

[Anonymous]

It is time to move Ritchie Park back into the Wootton Cluster. They never should have been moved out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope they don’t close Cold Spring. It’s a fabulous little school. My kids attended it. It’s always been underenrolled but it would be pretty easy to pull an adjacent neighborhood in to fill those seats. It is definitely a rundown and outdated building decades overdue to be renovated or rebuilt. They’ve had it on the list at least since my oldest was in K and now she’s graduating college. They just kept pushing construction back.

I think Harris makes a good point, though: with a tight budget, is it fiscally responsible to invest in rebuilding Cold Spring when there is already more than enough capacity available within the other Wootton cluster elementary schools?

+1

If Fallsgrove kids can take the bus ride to RP, then CSES kids can take the bus to the Wootton ES that are under capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is time to move Ritchie Park back into the Wootton Cluster. They never should have been moved out of it.

The old timers in my neighborhood still complain about this