How will Wootton or RM be affected by new high school in Crown Farm?

[Anonymous]

As per MCPS process, they WILL NOT discuss, plan, comment on redistricting/rezoning until about 18 months prior to the new school opening, with a decision announced at November Board meeting, about 10 months before the new school opens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As per MCPS process, they WILL NOT discuss, plan, comment on redistricting/rezoning until about 18 months prior to the new school opening, with a decision announced at November Board meeting, about 10 months before the new school opens.

Why would they? It would just give more notice to the parents who are going to sue to keep from being switched into what ever higher minority/farms zone they are being moved to. Housing prices something something, bus routes or commute times something something....fairness (for me that is) something something

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As per MCPS process, they WILL NOT discuss, plan, comment on redistricting/rezoning until about 18 months prior to the new school opening, with a decision announced at November Board meeting, about 10 months before the new school opens.

Why would they? It would just give more notice to the parents who are going to sue to keep from being switched into what ever higher minority/farms zone they are being moved to. Housing prices something something, bus routes or commute times something something....fairness (for me that is) something something

In public education, the school system is governed by the local public. Its not a floating bureaucracy with no oversight -despite MCPS best efforts. The entire public ie all citizens eligible to vote including those without children have the right and really should engage in making their voices heard. Also - don't think for a second that developers don't try to influence boundary decisions or that the county council and MCPS are above messing around with the developers. MCPS admins usually want to break boundaries to help their numbers look better externally. Developers want their projects zoned into better school systems to increase profits. Older residents want to stay inside the boundary they bought into years ago. Students don't want to get separated from their friends or sit on a long bus ride. Parents want their kids in the best school. The only one of these concerns that isn't legitimate is MCPS desire to use zoning to change school performance appearances.

The perspective that residents, parents and students should be shut out of the decision making and just let MCPS and the developers do what is best for their interests not the residents, students, or parents is absurd...unless you work for MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In public education, the school system is governed by the local public. Its not a floating bureaucracy with no oversight -despite MCPS best efforts. The entire public ie all citizens eligible to vote including those without children have the right and really should engage in making their voices heard. Also - don't think for a second that developers don't try to influence boundary decisions or that the county council and MCPS are above messing around with the developers. MCPS admins usually want to break boundaries to help their numbers look better externally. Developers want their projects zoned into better school systems to increase profits. Older residents want to stay inside the boundary they bought into years ago. Students don't want to get separated from their friends or sit on a long bus ride. Parents want their kids in the best school. The only one of these concerns that isn't legitimate is MCPS desire to use zoning to change school performance appearances.

The perspective that residents, parents and students should be shut out of the decision making and just let MCPS and the developers do what is best for their interests not the residents, students, or parents is absurd...unless you work for MCPS.

Which concern isn't legitimate?

Nobody is saying that the public should be shut out of the decision-making. In fact, MCPS explicitly includes the public, see here: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/BoundaryProcess_BriefDescriptionFeb2016.pdf

See also the timing of this process:

Most boundary advisory committees meet in the spring. After reviewing the boundary options and
committee input with staff, the superintendent prepares a recommendation to the Board of Education for
boundary changes in mid-October as part of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) process. The Board
of Education conducts a work session in early November during which Board of Education members may
request that alternatives to the superintendent’s recommendation be developed for consideration. To be
officially considered, a Board member requested alternative must receive a majority vote of members of
the Board. The Board work session is followed in mid-November by a public hearing on the
superintendent’s recommendation and any Board of Education requested alternatives. After the public
hearing, the Board of Education takes action on boundary changes in late November. In most cases,
adopted boundary changes are implemented the following school year. If the boundary advisory
committee meets in winter, then the superintendent issues a recommendation in February and the Board
of Education action occurs in March.

If you want to speculate about the boundaries of a school that won't even get PLANNING funds (let alone construction funds) until next July, go right ahead.

[Anonymous]

Just saying, its not only the distance from the Laytonsville area to Gaithersburg, its also importantly the lights and traffic that make the commute for kids terrible, and unnecessary.....2.5 hours round-trip every day! Childrens education and well-being come first right? From the north side of the Laytonsville area, it happens to be a 10 to 15 minute straight shot to Damascus with zero traffic lights and zero stop signs....compare that to driving into Gaithersburg!

[Anonymous]

Just saying, its not only the distance from the Laytonsville area to Gaithersburg, its also importantly the lights and traffic that make the commute for kids terrible, and unnecessary.....2.5 hours round-trip every day! Childrens education and well-being come first right? From the north side of the Laytonsville area, it happens to be a 10 to 15 minute straight shot to Damascus with zero traffic lights and zero stop signs....compare that to driving into Gaithersburg!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just saying, its not only the distance from the Laytonsville area to Gaithersburg, its also importantly the lights and traffic that make the commute for kids terrible, and unnecessary.....2.5 hours round-trip every day! Childrens education and well-being come first right? From the north side of the Laytonsville area, it happens to be a 10 to 15 minute straight shot to Damascus with zero traffic lights and zero stop signs....compare that to driving into Gaithersburg!

"The north side of the Laytonsville area" is already zoned for Baker MS and Damascus HS.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/BakerMS.pdf
http://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/DamascusHS.pdf

[Anonymous]

No, I'm afraid that is incorrect, as indeed can be seen from the links you yourself posted.

All the properties up to, and including Griffith Road (both sides of Griffith Road), north of Laytonsville itself, are in the GHS district.

Thank you for the lively debate!

[Anonymous]

From the eastern end of Griffith Road, which is in the GHS district, you can pull out onto Damascus Road and be in Damascus, without encountering any stop signs or traffic lights, in 15 minutes! Pretty quick to Olney too.

Gaithersurg is altogether a different daily commute, and in my opinion not in the childrens best interest for learning, development, and well-being.

All the best!

[Anonymous]

Google maps says 11 minutes drive time to Damascus (and 13 minutes to Olney) from intersection of Griffith Road and Damascus Road.

Education says 1.25 hours for the kids each way to GHS and GMS....does not make sense for the kids, does it?

Enough said for now I think, thank you all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Google maps says 11 minutes drive time to Damascus (and 13 minutes to Olney) from intersection of Griffith Road and Damascus Road.

Education says 1.25 hours for the kids each way to GHS and GMS....does not make sense for the kids, does it?

Enough said for now I think, thank you all!

I get 14 minutes from that intersection to Damascus HS and 26 minutes to Gaithersburg HS. You can't compare a car ride with a bus route that is making stops in a rural area to pick up students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to be catty or belabor a point, but there are lots of actual country farm kids going to G'burg with insane commutes bc the school board thinks its okay to send kids to a school 10-15 miles from home.

Not really. There are only 540 farms in the whole county. But yes, a small part of the Agricultural Reserve around Sundown Road is zoned for Gaithersburg HS, and yes, that's far. The first bus stop for Gaithersburg HS students in that area is 6:21 am: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04551bus.pdf

Although compared to the rest of the Agricultural Reserve: the first bus stop for Poolesville-zoned Poolesville HS students is 6:22 am, and the first bus stop for Damascus HS students is 6:31 am.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04152bus.pdf
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04701bus.pdf

Poolesville's is later because the high school buses are combined with the middle school buses so they can leave later since they aren't in a rush to pick up the middle schoolers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to be catty or belabor a point, but there are lots of actual country farm kids going to G'burg with insane commutes bc the school board thinks its okay to send kids to a school 10-15 miles from home.

Not really. There are only 540 farms in the whole county. But yes, a small part of the Agricultural Reserve around Sundown Road is zoned for Gaithersburg HS, and yes, that's far. The first bus stop for Gaithersburg HS students in that area is 6:21 am: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04551bus.pdf

Although compared to the rest of the Agricultural Reserve: the first bus stop for Poolesville-zoned Poolesville HS students is 6:22 am, and the first bus stop for Damascus HS students is 6:31 am.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04152bus.pdf
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/busroutes/04701bus.pdf

Poolesville's is later because the high school buses are combined with the middle school buses so they can leave later since they aren't in a rush to pick up the middle schoolers.

Never mind talking about a certain bus.

[Anonymous]

People keep claiming that they won't move an elementary from a W... but they weren't afraid to then and they aren't afraid to now! Anything for diversity am I right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People keep claiming that they won't move an elementary from a W... but they weren't afraid to then and they aren't afraid to now! Anything for diversity am I right?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1987/05/25/school-shift-stirs-rockville-dispute/a460e6bd-9d22-4b6d-a490-c8aef025f231/?utm_term=.7b022127287b