Northwood @ Woodward

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

Probably, but what's the alternative?

I think folks on this thread might benefit from some perspective. When Northwood reopens, it will serve the Northwood community through a large, updated, modern building. There's absolutely no way to get to that goal without somebody spending time in holding building. If your child is in the "generation" of kids impacted, that sucks for you, but the benefit to the broader community goes beyond the inconvenience for one group of teachers or students.

If folks have an alternative suggestion that ends with the Northwood community getting an updated building, but does not require anyone to be inconvenienced at any point, they should feel free to run for school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2024/04/11/northwood-high-students-parents-share-frustration-with-proposed-plans-for-pending-move-to-woodward-high/

There was a community meeting yesterday about the move to Woodward. What blew my mind the most about this was there is no one in charge of overseeing the whole construction & move, just little departments (transportation, athletics, etc.) working on their little piece of the puzzle. Explains a lot.

100% BS

SETH ADAMS is in charge. He tells the BOE what will happen.

Everyone working on Woodward knows this.

Well, Seth Adams is incompetent because this move is a shitshow

Is Dana Edwards still working there? She used to be in charge of schools moving to holding facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwood parent of a current Freshman. Happy with the school and administration, we've been completely shafted by MCPS over the past few months: 1) Northwood at Woodward has been moved to 3 years from 2 years, 2) in the fall we were told the auxiliary gym and fields would be completed at the end of the first year at Woodward another year has been added and who knows what they will change next, 3) No auditorium for the full 3 years at Woodward and the icing on the cake, 4) MCPS has moved the school day even earlier with bus pick ups beginning at 6:00 am for arrival at 7:00 am for a school day that runs from 7:25 - 2:00 pm. For much of the school year students will be leaving in the dark to catch the bus and for those that use SSIMS as their pick up that is with all of the issues on Wayne Ave with the Purple Line Construction. MCPS keeps making changes that make a bad situation even worst for students and their families. Shafted, Shafted, Shafted!

You aren’t shafted. You can drive your kid. Or, use the lottery to go to another school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwood parent of a current Freshman. Happy with the school and administration, we've been completely shafted by MCPS over the past few months: 1) Northwood at Woodward has been moved to 3 years from 2 years, 2) in the fall we were told the auxiliary gym and fields would be completed at the end of the first year at Woodward another year has been added and who knows what they will change next, 3) No auditorium for the full 3 years at Woodward and the icing on the cake, 4) MCPS has moved the school day even earlier with bus pick ups beginning at 6:00 am for arrival at 7:00 am for a school day that runs from 7:25 - 2:00 pm. For much of the school year students will be leaving in the dark to catch the bus and for those that use SSIMS as their pick up that is with all of the issues on Wayne Ave with the Purple Line Construction. MCPS keeps making changes that make a bad situation even worst for students and their families. Shafted, Shafted, Shafted!

Thank you for writing this. I agree completely.

[Anonymous]

t

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

Probably, but what's the alternative?

I think folks on this thread might benefit from some perspective. When Northwood reopens, it will serve the Northwood community through a large, updated, modern building. There's absolutely no way to get to that goal without somebody spending time in holding building. If your child is in the "generation" of kids impacted, that sucks for you, but the benefit to the broader community goes beyond the inconvenience for one group of teachers or students.

If folks have an alternative suggestion that ends with the Northwood community getting an updated building, but does not require anyone to be inconvenienced at any point, they should feel free to run for school board.

You are being disingenuous. Folks expected to be inconvenienced but MCPS keeps moving everything around. The original plan said it would be two years at the holding facility and no auditorium for year 1. Northwood community agreed to that.
Now it is a 3 year move and no auditorium for all 3 years and possibly no auditorium for at least a year once Northwood moves back. And only one gym will be built out in time and no sports fields or any outdoor space for gym classes. And by the way, kids will be dropped off at the new school by school buses as early as 6.45 am and lunch will be shorter. And teachers have to pack up all the classrooms. And the sports transportation is completely screwed up. This is a bait and switch and not what the community agreed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: t

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

Probably, but what's the alternative?

I think folks on this thread might benefit from some perspective. When Northwood reopens, it will serve the Northwood community through a large, updated, modern building. There's absolutely no way to get to that goal without somebody spending time in holding building. If your child is in the "generation" of kids impacted, that sucks for you, but the benefit to the broader community goes beyond the inconvenience for one group of teachers or students.

If folks have an alternative suggestion that ends with the Northwood community getting an updated building, but does not require anyone to be inconvenienced at any point, they should feel free to run for school board.

You are being disingenuous. Folks expected to be inconvenienced but MCPS keeps moving everything around. The original plan said it would be two years at the holding facility and no auditorium for year 1. Northwood community agreed to that.
Now it is a 3 year move and no auditorium for all 3 years and possibly no auditorium for at least a year once Northwood moves back. And only one gym will be built out in time and no sports fields or any outdoor space for gym classes. And by the way, kids will be dropped off at the new school by school buses as early as 6.45 am and lunch will be shorter. And teachers have to pack up all the classrooms. And the sports transportation is completely screwed up. This is a bait and switch and not what the community agreed to.

One issue is that these plans were set in place in 2019, when the students who'll now be affected were mostly in elementary school, and before the pandemic changed everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwood parent of a current Freshman. Happy with the school and administration, we've been completely shafted by MCPS over the past few months: 1) Northwood at Woodward has been moved to 3 years from 2 years, 2) in the fall we were told the auxiliary gym and fields would be completed at the end of the first year at Woodward another year has been added and who knows what they will change next, 3) No auditorium for the full 3 years at Woodward and the icing on the cake, 4) MCPS has moved the school day even earlier with bus pick ups beginning at 6:00 am for arrival at 7:00 am for a school day that runs from 7:25 - 2:00 pm. For much of the school year students will be leaving in the dark to catch the bus and for those that use SSIMS as their pick up that is with all of the issues on Wayne Ave with the Purple Line Construction. MCPS keeps making changes that make a bad situation even worst for students and their families. Shafted, Shafted, Shafted!

You aren’t shafted. You can drive your kid. Or, use the lottery to go to another school.

Fantastic. Since they'd have to drive to make things work anyway, they should be allowed to COSA into a school that is less overcrowded. Whitman comes to mind -- similar distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2024/04/11/northwood-high-students-parents-share-frustration-with-proposed-plans-for-pending-move-to-woodward-high/

There was a community meeting yesterday about the move to Woodward. What blew my mind the most about this was there is no one in charge of overseeing the whole construction & move, just little departments (transportation, athletics, etc.) working on their little piece of the puzzle. Explains a lot.

100% BS

SETH ADAMS is in charge. He tells the BOE what will happen.

Everyone working on Woodward knows this.

Well, Seth Adams is incompetent because this move is a shitshow

Seth Adams is very competent, and that is why these short-changed projects move forward. His interests, reflecting those of MCPS leadership (and county council funding priorities), and those of the stakeholders, families, teachers, etc., they are supposed to serve are simply misaligned, which is why these short-changed projects are considered in the first place.

Like most of those in highly compensated positions with considerable exposure to politics, he's willing to color his communication to facilitate certain objectives (e.g., leaving out key, foreseeable items when speaking with until it is too late for others to advocate for anything different). This is true of many in upper MCPS leadership.

Where better aligned, there are benefits to that capability. Just look at his takedown of the charter school application. Applicants for those not only would undercut system funding for others, but typically rely on known shaky and outright false assumptions that would under-deliver to the students they putatively would serve. MCPS was forced by the state to reconsider, and did so, but stomped all over it with the help of Adams' excellent critique of their incomparably low expectations for cost and resulting financing. It was clear from both the thrust of their own presentation and their reactions to Adams' counter that MCPS had kept him in their back pocket until the last minute, when it would be most damaging and offer the least opportunity for the applicants to recover.

Just because he's good at his job doesn't mean he's good with it. Northwood isn't the only community that has been on the short end of that stick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2024/04/11/northwood-high-students-parents-share-frustration-with-proposed-plans-for-pending-move-to-woodward-high/

There was a community meeting yesterday about the move to Woodward. What blew my mind the most about this was there is no one in charge of overseeing the whole construction & move, just little departments (transportation, athletics, etc.) working on their little piece of the puzzle. Explains a lot.

100% BS

SETH ADAMS is in charge. He tells the BOE what will happen.

Everyone working on Woodward knows this.

Well, Seth Adams is incompetent because this move is a shitshow

Seth Adams is very competent, and that is why these short-changed projects move forward. His interests, reflecting those of MCPS leadership (and county council funding priorities), and those of the stakeholders, families, teachers, etc., they are supposed to serve are simply misaligned, which is why these short-changed projects are considered in the first place.

Like most of those in highly compensated positions with considerable exposure to politics, he's willing to color his communication to facilitate certain objectives (e.g., leaving out key, foreseeable items when speaking with until it is too late for others to advocate for anything different). This is true of many in upper MCPS leadership.

Where better aligned, there are benefits to that capability. Just look at his takedown of the charter school application. Applicants for those not only would undercut system funding for others, but typically rely on known shaky and outright false assumptions that would under-deliver to the students they putatively would serve. MCPS was forced by the state to reconsider, and did so, but stomped all over it with the help of Adams' excellent critique of their incomparably low expectations for cost and resulting financing. It was clear from both the thrust of their own presentation and their reactions to Adams' counter that MCPS had kept him in their back pocket until the last minute, when it would be most damaging and offer the least opportunity for the applicants to recover.

Just because he's good at his job doesn't mean he's good with it. Northwood isn't the only community that has been on the short end of that stick.

Is the charter school fully dead? Last I saw it was moving forward because it won appeal from the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2024/04/11/northwood-high-students-parents-share-frustration-with-proposed-plans-for-pending-move-to-woodward-high/

There was a community meeting yesterday about the move to Woodward. What blew my mind the most about this was there is no one in charge of overseeing the whole construction & move, just little departments (transportation, athletics, etc.) working on their little piece of the puzzle. Explains a lot.

100% BS

SETH ADAMS is in charge. He tells the BOE what will happen.

Everyone working on Woodward knows this.

Well, Seth Adams is incompetent because this move is a shitshow

Seth Adams is very competent, and that is why these short-changed projects move forward. His interests, reflecting those of MCPS leadership (and county council funding priorities), and those of the stakeholders, families, teachers, etc., they are supposed to serve are simply misaligned, which is why these short-changed projects are considered in the first place.

Like most of those in highly compensated positions with considerable exposure to politics, he's willing to color his communication to facilitate certain objectives (e.g., leaving out key, foreseeable items when speaking with until it is too late for others to advocate for anything different). This is true of many in upper MCPS leadership.

Where better aligned, there are benefits to that capability. Just look at his takedown of the charter school application. Applicants for those not only would undercut system funding for others, but typically rely on known shaky and outright false assumptions that would under-deliver to the students they putatively would serve. MCPS was forced by the state to reconsider, and did so, but stomped all over it with the help of Adams' excellent critique of their incomparably low expectations for cost and resulting financing. It was clear from both the thrust of their own presentation and their reactions to Adams' counter that MCPS had kept him in their back pocket until the last minute, when it would be most damaging and offer the least opportunity for the applicants to recover.

Just because he's good at his job doesn't mean he's good with it. Northwood isn't the only community that has been on the short end of that stick.

I don’t know Seth Adams. Maybe he does have a bigger agenda. He is a jerk though for screwing the Northwood community. People working in education should not treat actual students like chess pieces. MCPS is f’d up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

Probably, but what's the alternative?

I think folks on this thread might benefit from some perspective. When Northwood reopens, it will serve the Northwood community through a large, updated, modern building. There's absolutely no way to get to that goal without somebody spending time in holding building. If your child is in the "generation" of kids impacted, that sucks for you, but the benefit to the broader community goes beyond the inconvenience for one group of teachers or students.

If folks have an alternative suggestion that ends with the Northwood community getting an updated building, but does not require anyone to be inconvenienced at any point, they should feel free to run for school board.

The issue isn’t the holding school distance, it’s the last minute change to the start time of the school day. Why are Northwood students and teachers getting impacted twice? Why not adjust the start time of another school that doesn’t have the additional impact of an 8 mile increased commute?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And MCPS expects free labor from teachers and staff. Teachers and staff are expected to pack up the entire school and unpack at the other end with no compensation or extra time given. We were told to use planning periods or stay after school or come in on weekends because MCPS is too cheap to hire packers.

Wonder how the earlier start time and the additional 8 miles will affect teacher commutes and child care arrangement. Are we making the staffing shortage even worse by doing this?

Probably, but what's the alternative?

I think folks on this thread might benefit from some perspective. When Northwood reopens, it will serve the Northwood community through a large, updated, modern building. There's absolutely no way to get to that goal without somebody spending time in holding building. If your child is in the "generation" of kids impacted, that sucks for you, but the benefit to the broader community goes beyond the inconvenience for one group of teachers or students.

If folks have an alternative suggestion that ends with the Northwood community getting an updated building, but does not require anyone to be inconvenienced at any point, they should feel free to run for school board.

The issue isn’t the holding school distance, it’s the last minute change to the start time of the school day. Why are Northwood students and teachers getting impacted twice? Why not adjust the start time of another school that doesn’t have the additional impact of an 8 mile increased commute?

I suspect the buses don't go 1 to 1 to a different set of schools. Rather, they get purposed to a number of different schools' routes.

I suppose they could have every school in the county start later so Northwood could start on time. Then keep the late start time and we could end the start time petition stuff.

[Anonymous]

The sports practice schedule is also crazy. Kids will get bused all over the county for practices. Then they will be brought back to Woodward after practice. Then a different bus will take them back to their neighborhood. With rush hour traffic, kids will spend a lot of time on various buses. Seth Adams and his crew just dropped this bombshell last week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The sports practice schedule is also crazy. Kids will get bused all over the county for practices. Then they will be brought back to Woodward after practice. Then a different bus will take them back to their neighborhood. With rush hour traffic, kids will spend a lot of time on various buses. Seth Adams and his crew just dropped this bombshell last week

That's Jeff Sullivan you'll want to direct your anger toward.