MCPS suggests postponing Crown High School opening for use as holding school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will make Wotton renovation last and by the time they will be “ready” to renovate it, some other glorious amazing project will take priority. Wootton kids will continue going to school with water dripping from the ceiling and doors not closing in the bathrooms.

Or more sensible Wootton moves to Crown and the current Wootton closed to be a new holding school for middle school renovations we don’t need all these high schools!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If they make Crown HS as a holding school, can families living within walking distances attend Crown HS ( does not matter which HS take over)? Using COSA or whatever? Crown HS is supposed to be their neighborhood school.

The answer would most likely be no, since again, if it's a holding school, it's not actually a neighborhood school.

It would be Wootton @ Crown, Damascus @ Crown, etc. That's how they handled Northwood while it's been housed at its holding school, Woodward.

Northwood @ Woodward: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwoodhs/homepage/northwood--woodward/

Not to mention that a student on a COSA to whatever school is @Crown based on PP's idea could wind up being part of multiple schools across their 4 years. I think the renovations or rebuilds often take 2-3 years.

The mayor of Gaithersburg proposed a hybrid model tonight, where Crown could serve as a holding school while also serving as a walkable school for the neighborhood students. I think that would mean those neighborhood students would be considered students of Damascus @Crown, for example.

I am confused as to how this would work. The renovations cant possibly take 4 years so its highly improbable that Damascus for example would be using the Crown building for 4 years. Would those nearby, walking families just essentially attend multiple high schools over 4 years with no say as to who moves into the building? What would their transcripts look like? How would they be expected to have working professional relationships with staff, counseling, and admin? What would athletics look like? Would their walking COSA automatically expire and force the students to finish school at Damascus?

All if that would have to be worked out. This was just something the mayor said during testimony, not a plan from MCPS.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If they make Crown HS as a holding school, can families living within walking distances attend Crown HS ( does not matter which HS take over)? Using COSA or whatever? Crown HS is supposed to be their neighborhood school.

The answer would most likely be no, since again, if it's a holding school, it's not actually a neighborhood school.

It would be Wootton @ Crown, Damascus @ Crown, etc. That's how they handled Northwood while it's been housed at its holding school, Woodward.

Northwood @ Woodward: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwoodhs/homepage/northwood--woodward/

Not to mention that a student on a COSA to whatever school is @Crown based on PP's idea could wind up being part of multiple schools across their 4 years. I think the renovations or rebuilds often take 2-3 years.

What is the point of buying to live within Crown HS neighborhood? Those families with kids must be really regrettable and upset if Crown HS turns into a holding school which they can't even attend at all. Each school takes at least 2-3 years or more to renovated, and you are talking about a minimum 6-9 years or longer depends on renovation budgets for all 3 aging high schools talking about here. Or does Crown HS is decided and built to be completed only to serve Wootton HS as a temporary holding school because it is closer in distances and they are privileged?

They bought in the Gaithersburg High School district, lured by the builder’s sweet promise that a new high school would be built and would take a portion of the Wootton area.

And we know how sweet those promises are. Ask the people at Cabin Branch who thought they were zoned for Clarksburg and then got zoned for the new Seneca Valley

If the people who bought there had common sense they would not have based their purchase decision on the builder's promise. Boundaries change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they make Crown HS as a holding school, can families living within walking distances attend Crown HS ( does not matter which HS take over)? Using COSA or whatever? Crown HS is supposed to be their neighborhood school.

The answer would most likely be no, since again, if it's a holding school, it's not actually a neighborhood school.

It would be Wootton @ Crown, Damascus @ Crown, etc. That's how they handled Northwood while it's been housed at its holding school, Woodward.

Northwood @ Woodward: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwoodhs/homepage/northwood--woodward/

Not to mention that a student on a COSA to whatever school is @Crown based on PP's idea could wind up being part of multiple schools across their 4 years. I think the renovations or rebuilds often take 2-3 years.

What is the point of buying to live within Crown HS neighborhood? Those families with kids must be really regrettable and upset if Crown HS turns into a holding school which they can't even attend at all. Each school takes at least 2-3 years or more to renovated, and you are talking about a minimum 6-9 years or longer depends on renovation budgets for all 3 aging high schools talking about here. Or does Crown HS is decided and built to be completed only to serve Wootton HS as a temporary holding school because it is closer in distances and they are privileged?

They bought in the Gaithersburg High School district, lured by the builder’s sweet promise that a new high school would be built and would take a portion of the Wootton area.

And we know how sweet those promises are. Ask the people at Cabin Branch who thought they were zoned for Clarksburg and then got zoned for the new Seneca Valley

If the people who bought there had common sense they would not have based their purchase decision on the builder's promise. Boundaries change.

And now are likely rezoned back to Clarksburg.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Can someone in the know tell us if this is a done deal -- that Crown HS will be a holding school for Wootton starting 2027?

And what happens to the new regions? Is that going to be postponed, too?

They are still insisting on being full steam ahead on the regional model, no matter how many people tell them to slow down.

My understanding is that Sup needs a couple weeks to sort out whether Crown being a holding school can actually be feasible, due to some funding restrictions. So we the public get to wait and see what the outcome will be (not nice of them to leave us hanging).

How does Crown (possibly/likely) becoming a holding school affect regional model? It won't overall. MCPS still pushing forward. If Crown does become a holding school, MCPS will simply rework Region 5 program offerings, but won't rework anything else. They said this on one of their info presentations earlier this week.

How does Crown becoming a holding school affect boundary study? I'd love to know. After all, one of the main reasons why a boundary study even started was because... Crown was going to open.

This is the most critical question left unanswered at every BOE and community engagement session MCPS has had.

They have said that if Crown becomes a holding school that they would need to redo the scope and/or timeline of that boundary study.

That answers nothing. Redo what specific parts of the boundaries? Only the boundaries directly related to Crown? Boundaries related to DHS too? They should give more information.

Agree- what does it mean for the regions? Why would those go forward without Crown?

There's a scheduled discussion about this at Thursday evening's board meeting:

Proposed Change in Boundary Study Scope to Determine the Service Area for the new Crown High School and the Expansion of Damascus High School

There's only 10 minutes on the agenda for this and it is paired with "Revised Boundary Study Scope to Determine the Service Area for the Reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School' so I doubt there is any substantive discussion planned.

True, but it would still be helpful to hear about what changes they're planning to make, and if this means there will be another round of options released, and when.

[Anonymous]

I signed the Change petition

https://www.change.org/p/crown-for-gaithersburg-not-a-holding-school .

MCPS is treating Gaithersburg like its toilet. First, all but one school has over 60% poverty rate in its proposed Region 5. If the regional model proposal is to move forward, schools in Regions 4, 5, and 6 need to be reassigned so the poverty (FARMS) rate is more even.

Now it is trying to suddenly change the terms of their agreement, probably due to $$$$ special interest (this time Wootton) once again. Gaithersburg agreed to Crown in order to relieve overcrowding. The agreement cannot be changed unilaterally.

MCPS is supposed to be about equity. It needs to show this through actions. Not by trying to isolate all the poors into one region and trying to break their agreement with the poors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I signed the Change petition

https://www.change.org/p/crown-for-gaithersburg-not-a-holding-school .

MCPS is treating Gaithersburg like its toilet. First, all but one school has over 60% poverty rate in its proposed Region 5. If the regional model proposal is to move forward, schools in Regions 4, 5, and 6 need to be reassigned so the poverty (FARMS) rate is more even.

Now it is trying to suddenly change the terms of their agreement, probably due to $$$$ special interest (this time Wootton) once again. Gaithersburg agreed to Crown in order to relieve overcrowding. The agreement cannot be changed unilaterally.

MCPS is supposed to be about equity. It needs to show this through actions. Not by trying to isolate all the poors into one region and trying to break their agreement with the poors.

To be clear, the agreement is for Crown to be a comprehensive HS opening 2027. To not do so is breaking the agreement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I signed the Change petition

https://www.change.org/p/crown-for-gaithersburg-not-a-holding-school .

MCPS is treating Gaithersburg like its toilet. First, all but one school has over 60% poverty rate in its proposed Region 5. If the regional model proposal is to move forward, schools in Regions 4, 5, and 6 need to be reassigned so the poverty (FARMS) rate is more even.

Now it is trying to suddenly change the terms of their agreement, probably due to $$$$ special interest (this time Wootton) once again. Gaithersburg agreed to Crown in order to relieve overcrowding. The agreement cannot be changed unilaterally.

MCPS is supposed to be about equity. It needs to show this through actions. Not by trying to isolate all the poors into one region and trying to break their agreement with the poors.

Plus 1000

Mcps pulling a classic white privilege move. Take land gifted for a lower income neighborhood and steal it for upper class rich kids with literally no warning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I signed the Change petition

https://www.change.org/p/crown-for-gaithersburg-not-a-holding-school .

MCPS is treating Gaithersburg like its toilet. First, all but one school has over 60% poverty rate in its proposed Region 5. If the regional model proposal is to move forward, schools in Regions 4, 5, and 6 need to be reassigned so the poverty (FARMS) rate is more even.

Now it is trying to suddenly change the terms of their agreement, probably due to $$$$ special interest (this time Wootton) once again. Gaithersburg agreed to Crown in order to relieve overcrowding. The agreement cannot be changed unilaterally.

MCPS is supposed to be about equity. It needs to show this through actions. Not by trying to isolate all the poors into one region and trying to break their agreement with the poors.

Plus 1000

Mcps pulling a classic white privilege move. Take land gifted for a lower income neighborhood and steal it for upper class rich kids with literally no warning

+1 I never know that gaithersburg is considered a "poor" area in Montgomery county until after the proposed Region 5 lists the poverty rates. We have kentlands and downtown crown , and the housing there is not cheap at all.

[Anonymous]

How do people suggest remodeling or replacing schools without a holding school? It makes sense to use the schools not aready with students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do people suggest remodeling or replacing schools without a holding school? It makes sense to use the schools not aready with students.

Our school was renovated with students in it, and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I signed the Change petition

https://www.change.org/p/crown-for-gaithersburg-not-a-holding-school .

MCPS is treating Gaithersburg like its toilet. First, all but one school has over 60% poverty rate in its proposed Region 5. If the regional model proposal is to move forward, schools in Regions 4, 5, and 6 need to be reassigned so the poverty (FARMS) rate is more even.

Now it is trying to suddenly change the terms of their agreement, probably due to $$$$ special interest (this time Wootton) once again. Gaithersburg agreed to Crown in order to relieve overcrowding. The agreement cannot be changed unilaterally.

MCPS is supposed to be about equity. It needs to show this through actions. Not by trying to isolate all the poors into one region and trying to break their agreement with the poors.

Plus 1000

Mcps pulling a classic white privilege move. Take land gifted for a lower income neighborhood and steal it for upper class rich kids with literally no warning

+1 I never know that gaithersburg is considered a "poor" area in Montgomery county until after the proposed Region 5 lists the poverty rates. We have kentlands and downtown crown , and the housing there is not cheap at all.

Gaithersburg has housing that is not cheap, but well over 60% of the students who attend all but one of the “Region 5” schools are from impoverished households, from lack of a better word for FARMS.

Why is MCPS trying to force all the impoverished students into one area and claim this is helping them access more opportunity??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do people suggest remodeling or replacing schools without a holding school? It makes sense to use the schools not aready with students.

They don't want to answer that question because they know answer will make them look foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people suggest remodeling or replacing schools without a holding school? It makes sense to use the schools not aready with students.

Our school was renovated with students in it, and it was fine.

They tried to do building improvements with students in it at Poolesville and caught absolute hell over it: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2023/04/03/overpowering-roof-tarring-fumes-cause-symptoms-concern-at-poolesville-high-families-say/

It is not safe or realistic to do renovations and rebuilds while students are in the buildings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people suggest remodeling or replacing schools without a holding school? It makes sense to use the schools not aready with students.

Our school was renovated with students in it, and it was fine.

That awful. With all the construction noises, how are you able to focus?