Is it time to break into smaller school districts in MoCo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, pandemic killing close to 200K, raging wildfires, economic downturn, forced sterilization allegations---but let's use all of our limited energey on this!!!!!

Yes, PP, life must go on. Should we just give up on everything else? I mean the BOE is also moving on. They don't only talk about the pandemic in their meetings. They are looking towards the future, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That’s OPs point: huge county level public school districts are highly ineffective and worse. Township model is better.

500 sq miles
220 schools
160,000 students
600-800 students per MS and HS grade
Biggest employer in the county
5 weather zones
Takes 90 minutes to drive across in rush hour

DCPS is the real turnaround story since 2004. charter school success, NW DC schools kicking @$$ academically and athletically, free PK for all for decades, everyone walks to school, strong Pk-8 curriculum, great ECs in ES. Only downside is the $2k per kid pta fees for non title 1 schools since DC doesn’t give those schools much of the kitty.

"Everyone walks to school."

https://ggwash.org/view/67015/school-choice-means-some-students-wale-early-for-a-trek-across-the-city

No bussing so walk or car pool. Same thing if you do charter school. Or subway for age 12+, School without Walls, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

That’s OPs point: huge county level public school districts are highly ineffective and worse. Township model is better.

500 sq miles
220 schools
160,000 students
600-800 students per MS and HS grade
Biggest employer in the county
5 weather zones
Takes 90 minutes to drive across in rush hour

DCPS is the real turnaround story since 2004. charter school success, NW DC schools kicking @$$ academically and athletically, free PK for all for decades, everyone walks to school, strong Pk-8 curriculum, great ECs in ES. Only downside is the $2k per kid pta fees for non title 1 schools since DC doesn’t give those schools much of the kitty.

"Everyone walks to school."

https://ggwash.org/view/67015/school-choice-means-some-students-wale-early-for-a-trek-across-the-city

No bussing so walk or car pool. Same thing if you do charter school. Or subway for age 12+, School without Walls, etc.

The point is that it's a major transportation burden for students who live in the "bad" parts of DC and go to the "good schools" WOTP. But the top PP likely doesn't know about that, and/or doesn't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nothing happened in MKE.

Someone is conflating the City of Milwaukee public schools district with the town districts throughout Milwaukee county. Property tax rates per $100 of home value are indeed high in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Many many states do not do the asinine huge 500k-5 million+ population county thing for the school district level. That doesn’t serve anyone well and results in $$$$ billion mismanaged budgets and one size fits all curriculum fails. Too many students, too many admins, too many teachers, too many zip codes, too many cities/villages, too many square miles, to many dollars flying around.

OK, but Maryland does, and MCPS is in Maryland.

That’s OPs point: huge county level public school districts are highly ineffective and worse. Township model is better.

500 sq miles
220 schools
160,000 students
600-800 students per MS and HS grade
Biggest employer in the county
5 weather zones
Takes 90 minutes to drive across in rush hour

DCPS is the real turnaround story since 2004. charter school success, NW DC schools kicking @$$ academically and athletically, free PK for all for decades, everyone walks to school, strong Pk-8 curriculum, great ECs in ES. Only downside is the $2k per kid pta fees for non title 1 schools since DC doesn’t give those schools much of the kitty.

LOL
What DCPS turnaround you're talking about?

DCPS is a turnaround story. Michelle Rhee successfully broke the Teacher’s union, awarded more pay for better teacher performance, fired poor performing principals, lotteried off the extra seats in schools that we’re not at full capacity in places like Cleveland Park (because those kids attend privates). After she left, her lieutenant, Kaya Henderson continued with these reforms for many, many years. DC also allowed charter schools which gave parents a choice.

+1000

Meanwhile MCPS 2011 onward:
Paid itself to make the failed k-8 Curriculum 2.0
Ramped up MAP and Pearson annual testing
Got rid of finals in HS
Rounded grades for MS and HS
New cohort driver to go to Center for Excellence (fka Gifted centers)
50% of students test below grade level in math and reading
Scrapped discipline for restorative justice conversations
30 mins a week gym class (national minimum, DCPS has 3 PE/week for ES)
Made 90 min blocks of reading and math by getting rid art, PE, music frequency
Severely overcrowded schools with trailer classrooms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

You can’t bus anyone anywhere in an urban area with rush hour. That’s asinine. 60-90 minutes one way in traffic!? Dream on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

You can’t bus anyone anywhere in an urban area with rush hour. That’s asinine. 60-90 minutes one way in traffic!? Dream on.

MCPS buses over 100,000 kids twice a day, every school day (except during pandemics). They operate Montgomery County's biggest public-transportation system, by far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

I am not even rich and can obviously see this happening. Changing boundaries will never work. Rich families always have the ability to move, send to private, and decide their kid's fates.

Does MOCo city council really have to wonder why the same land plot and age house costs 1.4x more in Arlington or Fairfax than anywhere in MoCo?

Does MoCo city council really not know why Arlington, Fairfax and London counties have constant business company inflows and MoCo Net loses businesses Annually?

MoCo is a half sink ship, MCPS will just be the accelerator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

You can’t bus anyone anywhere in an urban area with rush hour. That’s asinine. 60-90 minutes one way in traffic!? Dream on.

MCPS buses over 100,000 kids twice a day, every school day (except during pandemics). They operate Montgomery County's biggest public-transportation system, by far.

Yeah, by doing the same small loop at 7, 8 and 9 am each day. Or by doing the 5-10 mile diversity bus on 495 and 270 at 15 mph once.

Pls tell em you don’t have an actual day job with any planning or logistics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gotta get the poors their own district.

This is absolutely, 100% what this is about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

You can’t bus anyone anywhere in an urban area with rush hour. That’s asinine. 60-90 minutes one way in traffic!? Dream on.

MCPS buses over 100,000 kids twice a day, every school day (except during pandemics). They operate Montgomery County's biggest public-transportation system, by far.

Are you volunteering to drive a bus from silver spring to Potomac 3x in the morning and 3x at 3 Pm?!?

Hahah! Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gotta get the poors their own district.

This is absolutely, 100% what this is about.

How does a north/south divide keep the poors in their own district when the southern district would include Bethesda and Potomac?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fully support this provided 90% of the FARMS recipients end up being bussed to Potomac.

That's a cruel thing to wish on children who receive free/reduced meals.

Then us Potomac kids to them.

You can't bus rich kids against their will. Their parents would tear down the system or leave.

You can’t bus anyone anywhere in an urban area with rush hour. That’s asinine. 60-90 minutes one way in traffic!? Dream on.

MCPS buses over 100,000 kids twice a day, every school day (except during pandemics). They operate Montgomery County's biggest public-transportation system, by far.

Are you volunteering to drive a bus from silver spring to Potomac 3x in the morning and 3x at 3 Pm?!?

Hahah! Good luck.

It's busing, even if it isn't transporting kids between White Oak and Potomac (which people are oddly obsessed with, I don't know why).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First break up public school teacher unions.

This has gotten much more traction nationally and locally. Time is now.

Amen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, by doing the same small loop at 7, 8 and 9 am each day. Or by doing the 5-10 mile diversity bus on 495 and 270 at 15 mph once.

Pls tell em you don’t have an actual day job with any planning or logistics.

Have you ever looked at the bus routes? You can't now, because they took down the 2019-20 bus routes and haven't put up the 2020-21 bus routes yet, but when they do put them up, I suggest you take a look. It's eye-opening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nothing happened in MKE.

Someone is conflating the City of Milwaukee public schools district with the town districts throughout Milwaukee county. Property tax rates per $100 of home value are indeed high in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Many many states do not do the asinine huge 500k-5 million+ population county thing for the school district level. That doesn’t serve anyone well and results in $$$$ billion mismanaged budgets and one size fits all curriculum fails. Too many students, too many admins, too many teachers, too many zip codes, too many cities/villages, too many square miles, to many dollars flying around.

OK, but Maryland does, and MCPS is in Maryland.

That’s OPs point: huge county level public school districts are highly ineffective and worse. Township model is better.

500 sq miles
220 schools
160,000 students
600-800 students per MS and HS grade
Biggest employer in the county
5 weather zones
Takes 90 minutes to drive across in rush hour

Agree, great summary.