If you are anti bussing for boundaries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The whole idea of bussing for racial balance is silly. Just like it made no sense to try to break up the 10% black population and spread them all over the county back in 1970, it now makes no sense to take the 24% of white kids and disperse them all over the county, thinking that somehow others will benefit from their presence. Especially when this percentage will likely go down even further if kids are bussed.

No one is "segregated" in 2024 Montgomery County. They live where they can afford. Design your school services and classes to meet the needs of your school's population and move on.

No -- that group approach reinforces economic privilege instead of focusing on addressing academic need. Design the system to address the needs of each student on a reasonably equitable basis and move on. I don't think bussing of the kind feared by some on DCUM is necessary to accomplish that, but regular, thoughtfully planned boundary shifts and differential funding to ensure reasonably equivalent experiences (facility condition/capacity utilization, access to programs, etc.) are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The magnet is there to boost test scores of the school.

First off, no. That was the original purpose, or more accurately to boost the white population but at the time that was essentially the same thing. It is however, not the purpose anymore. If you adjust for the Blair Magnet's 400 students by using the data put out by the magnet program, which is fairly easy since you just assume all 400 have the same average SAT and subtract, Blair has an average SAT of 1159, fairly high for a school of its wealth (approximately half FARMS, FARMS being the best measure of wealth available). I am working on a publication so you can see how I did this adjustment but for now take me at my word.

The W schools all have lots of AP and other classes the DCC doesn't have. Those slots should be for kids in DCC who don't have equal access.

You have pointed out the solution to the problem in your own complaint, just advanced classes at those schools. I haven't seen anyone, even here, argue against doing that. Besides, Blair itself does offer those classes and a DCC student can, in theory, go to Blair without going to magnet. I understand that that is problematic since Blair is immensely overcrowded and it seems silly to move students instead of just moving the classes.

You proved my point exactly. I just wasn't using race. You can try to lottery into Blair, but it is not guaranteed, and the transportation/commute. And, the commute time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But support kids being bussed to magnet programs please explain why?

I feel like the anti bussing crowd that say little Larla shouldnt have to be on a bus for that long are the same people who would happily bus their kid to a magnet program.

People who are anti bussing are also anti magnet school being put in silver spring only. They need to put have more magnet schools in other locations.

It's incredibly stupid that the STEM magnet is in a corner of the county in the largest high school in the state, which has something like 24 portables. If you moved the STEM magnet from Blair to any other school you'd improve utilization and maybe more kids who can walk to Blair but get bused to Northwood could go to their neighborhood school.

If a magnet contributes to overutilization of a school it should be moved.

LOL, where would that be? to Woodward?

The new Northwood building?

You can wait a couple of years, overprivileged one. The overcrowded DCC has been waiting for another high school far longer than parents from Walter Johnson waited. And bonus points for you: Taylor just threw another $20 mil at you to "complete" Woodward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The magnet is there to boost test scores of the school.

First off, no. That was the original purpose, or more accurately to boost the white population but at the time that was essentially the same thing. It is however, not the purpose anymore. If you adjust for the Blair Magnet's 400 students by using the data put out by the magnet program, which is fairly easy since you just assume all 400 have the same average SAT and subtract, Blair has an average SAT of 1159, fairly high for a school of its wealth (approximately half FARMS, FARMS being the best measure of wealth available). I am working on a publication so you can see how I did this adjustment but for now take me at my word.

The W schools all have lots of AP and other classes the DCC doesn't have. Those slots should be for kids in DCC who don't have equal access.

You have pointed out the solution to the problem in your own complaint, just advanced classes at those schools. I haven't seen anyone, even here, argue against doing that. Besides, Blair itself does offer those classes and a DCC student can, in theory, go to Blair without going to magnet. I understand that that is problematic since Blair is immensely overcrowded and it seems silly to move students instead of just moving the classes.

So...a DCC student doesn't have reliable access to those classes, as the other DCC schools to which they would be relegated under the choice paradigm have fewer advanced courses than either Blair or the high schools to the west -- a much greater problem than that faced by those in the Ws not having been selected for the magnet.

I don't dispute your other thoughts.

We cannot just go to Blair. You have to COSA in and Blair is overcrowded. They should not allow non-DCC students into DCC schools given they are overcrowded adn the limited resources. W schools have the advanced classes so there is not as much of a need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This concern now feels a bit out of touch with current economic realities of MCPS. They simply do not have the funds to bus kids longer than required nor to turn potential walkers into bus riders. I do not see them in this economic climate placing diversity creation through busing over concerns such as eliminating overcrowding and geographic proximity. Yes, I think there will be odd pockets where kids could go almost the same distance to one school or the other where the to parents ‘less desirable’ school is chosen but I do not see walking distance kids to the middle or high school being zoned so they then must bus. The issue likely will be the families that live reasonably near more than one school via bus but are not close enough to either to be walkers. If the change in bus ride time is 5 or 10 minutes more or less to go to one school versus another then I would think this would be where diversity as well as eliminating overcrowding will play out.

That's why bussed kids to WJ or BCC who live near Einstein, or the boundaries like Wootton's, where most families live closer to another high-school, need to change.

The WJ cluster coordinator testified at the CIP hearing this week: "we ask that the ensuing boundary study for the new high school be conducted so as to ensure that all current WJHS neighborhoods be assigned to either WJHS or the new Woodward." Meaning they're against Kensington WJ neighborhoods within walking distance to Einstein being assigned to Einstein.

I've lived in Kensington for nearly 30 years. I am appalled that kids who live a 10-15 minute walk to Einstein are bussed to WJ. WTF??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But support kids being bussed to magnet programs please explain why?

I feel like the anti bussing crowd that say little Larla shouldnt have to be on a bus for that long are the same people who would happily bus their kid to a magnet program.

I am against all the busing from some areas like Kensington to places like BCC or WJ. Why can't people use their neighborhood schools?

There is a .5 mile difference between my house and Einstein vs WJ.

A home in the center of the Kensington-Parkwood ES catchment area (excluding the Tuckerman island) is 1.5 miles from Einstein and 3 miles from Walter Johnson. It's really unfair those kids have to travel so far when they have another high school that is so close by.

Yes, those poor children don't go to their neighborhood school. It's shocking.

They are children of richer families so they don't want to slum it at Einstein.

I was reliably told families want to attend their neighborhood schools and don't care about demographics. There was a definitive survey about this.

Wealthier families are generally woke dems. Aren't they fighting to get their kids into black and brown schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring magnet functions and quantum physics to my W school and I’ll stay home.

Rather than bussing anyone all over the county, they need to offer the same courses at all the HS.

This. But you know they will never do that because if they do, then like you said the rich schools will have kids will stay in their home schools and the poor schools will not be able to fill these classes, not to mention the school rating will not go up and need I say anything about their state level test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring magnet functions and quantum physics to my W school and I’ll stay home.

Rather than bussing anyone all over the county, they need to offer the same courses at all the HS.

This. But you know they will never do that because if they do, then like you said the rich schools will have kids will stay in their home schools and the poor schools will not be able to fill these classes, not to mention the school rating will not go up and need I say anything about their state level test scores.

With the constrained budget I think there is less MCPS interest in bussing. They simply can’t afford it. My guess is the boundary study prioritizes limiting busing and keeping kids close to home unless capacity is an issue. And, I suspect more of the upper level classes end up being at Montgomery college as dual enrollment or early college. This saves MCPS money since they are not on the hook for health insurance or pension for these teachers. Basically it is a much cheaper way to offer kids these classes especially at schools that could not fill a full class in one of these subjects. But, it would be tricky to get rid of the really accelerated magnets like SMACS since those do tend to pull up test scores at lower performing schools,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring magnet functions and quantum physics to my W school and I’ll stay home.

Rather than bussing anyone all over the county, they need to offer the same courses at all the HS.

This. But you know they will never do that because if they do, then like you said the rich schools will have kids will stay in their home schools and the poor schools will not be able to fill these classes, not to mention the school rating will not go up and need I say anything about their state level test scores.

With the constrained budget I think there is less MCPS interest in bussing. They simply can’t afford it. My guess is the boundary study prioritizes limiting busing and keeping kids close to home unless capacity is an issue. And, I suspect more of the upper level classes end up being at Montgomery college as dual enrollment or early college. This saves MCPS money since they are not on the hook for health insurance or pension for these teachers. Basically it is a much cheaper way to offer kids these classes especially at schools that could not fill a full class in one of these subjects. But, it would be tricky to get rid of the really accelerated magnets like SMACS since those do tend to pull up test scores at lower performing schools,

There are many overcrowded schools and schools that are under capacity. The biggest cost savings will be from maximizing capacity at existing schools, and that means redrawing boundaries in order to do that (obviously in addition to the new high schools).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring magnet functions and quantum physics to my W school and I’ll stay home.

Rather than bussing anyone all over the county, they need to offer the same courses at all the HS.

This. But you know they will never do that because if they do, then like you said the rich schools will have kids will stay in their home schools and the poor schools will not be able to fill these classes, not to mention the school rating will not go up and need I say anything about their state level test scores.

With the constrained budget I think there is less MCPS interest in bussing. They simply can’t afford it. My guess is the boundary study prioritizes limiting busing and keeping kids close to home unless capacity is an issue. And, I suspect more of the upper level classes end up being at Montgomery college as dual enrollment or early college. This saves MCPS money since they are not on the hook for health insurance or pension for these teachers. Basically it is a much cheaper way to offer kids these classes especially at schools that could not fill a full class in one of these subjects. But, it would be tricky to get rid of the really accelerated magnets like SMACS since those do tend to pull up test scores at lower performing schools,

There are many overcrowded schools and schools that are under capacity. The biggest cost savings will be from maximizing capacity at existing schools, and that means redrawing boundaries in order to do that (obviously in addition to the new high schools).

With the result that students who currently get bus service to School A will instead get bus service to School B.

Posters on DCUM who don't like the boundary change will refer to this as "busing".