Carson?

[Anonymous]

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The neighborhood turnover thing doesn’t hold up. The homes are selling across Kentlands and Lakelands, and to many young families. We’re one of them and we’re hardly the only ones.

It's good to know that the homes are selling, vs. sitting vacant? Nonetheless, that doesn't relate to number of school-aged children in Kentlands and Lakelands - or the Governor Square Apartments.

It’s a counterargument to the theory on this thread regarding why enrollment at RCES is down (aka that the original owners are aging, so there are fewer younger families in the neighborhood).

The fact is that there hasn’t been an appreciable decline in the number of families with school-aged kids in this neighborhood.

What are you basing this statement on? If the number of families with school-aged kids in Kentlands and Lakelands is indeed remaining the same, then it's behaving very differently from normal areas, and a person might wonder why.

I’m basing it on having lived in the neighborhood for years and seeing the streets teeming with school-aged kids.

The neighborhood remains very attractive to young families. There are a lot of amenities, it’s walkable, the houses are nice, etc. The fact that RCES enrollment has gone down by 150 kids in the last few years is due to the fact that was so overcrowded, MCPS is having a lot of problems in general, and a good number of Kentlands/Lakelands families can afford private school.

PP, have you heard the statement "the plural of anecdote is not data"? That applies here. If what you say is true, then people disproprortionately leave Kentlands/Lakelands to move elsewhere, once their children are out of school, compared to other neighborhoods. Why would that be? Is Kentlands/Lakelands are bad place to live, once your children are grown? If the neighborhood is so attractive, with amenities, walkable, nice houses, etc., then people ought to disproportionately stay when their children are grown, not disproportionately leave.

It’s a family-oriented neighborhood. It’s attractive for families more than for most retirees. MD is a high-tax state. A lot of people don’t want to be in a high-tax state when they retire.

Is that really that hard to understand?

Yes, it's hard for me to understand that for some reason, older people who live in Kentlands or Lakelands don't want to be in a high-tax state way more than people who live in any other area of Montgomery County.

Actually, it's also hard for me to understand why Kentlands or Lakelands would be an unattractive neighborhood for empty-nesters, who generally have more money than people with young families and are generally considered to favor amenities such as walkability. The only "family-oriented" amenity I can think of that would cause older people to flee would be Chuck E. Cheese, and there isn't one at Kentlands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a family-oriented neighborhood. It’s attractive for families more than for most retirees. MD is a high-tax state. A lot of people don’t want to be in a high-tax state when they retire.

Is that really that hard to understand?

And yet the older population in MoCo is growing! From MoCo, "projections indicate that in the coming decades the growth rate of the senior population will be almost four times as great as that of non-seniors. Consequently, seniors as a fraction of the overall population will increase dramatically. In 1980, seniors comprised 8.7% of the overall county population. In 2000 that had grown to 10.7%, and by 2020 it is projected to be 14.4%."

Apparently they're quite happy retiring here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a family-oriented neighborhood. It’s attractive for families more than for most retirees. MD is a high-tax state. A lot of people don’t want to be in a high-tax state when they retire.

Is that really that hard to understand?

And yet the older population in MoCo is growing! From MoCo, "projections indicate that in the coming decades the growth rate of the senior population will be almost four times as great as that of non-seniors. Consequently, seniors as a fraction of the overall population will increase dramatically. In 1980, seniors comprised 8.7% of the overall county population. In 2000 that had grown to 10.7%, and by 2020 it is projected to be 14.4%."

Apparently they're quite happy retiring here.

We’re really talking about a 150-kid decline in RCES enrollment. Is it really that hard for you to imagine that it’s in part because of more families going private and in part because of retirees staying in their homes after their kids move out? Not everything is black and white.

Not to mention, we have THs and condos as well as SFHs. Retirees can stay in Kentlands/Lakelands and simply move into a smaller space, opening the SFH up for a young family.

[Anonymous]

I don’t put any stock in personal anecdotes, but I can see why the other poster is skeptical. For years now, every new Lakelands family that I’ve met who had never lived in Lakelands or Kentlands before has moved in with elementary school age or younger children. The only families I’ve met who moved into a house in Lakelands after all of their children are older than elementary school age are ones who are moving from Kentlands into Lakelands or changing houses in Lakelands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood turnover thing doesn’t hold up. The homes are selling across Kentlands and Lakelands, and to many young families. We’re one of them and we’re hardly the only ones.

Must be a conspiracy!

Until you run the numbers to show what percentage of homes turn over and between what demographics, you're just confirming your own bias.

MCPS and MoCo Planning are trying to model student yield rates based on how long houses have had the same owners when they're sold. I look forward to them figuring that one out! Outside specific circumstances, most overcrowding doesn't happen from new development but rather from bunched, generational turnover.

Oh yeah, I totally believe you, as opposed to my own lived experience, being part of this neighborhood.

If you have actual numbers to back this up, provide them. Otherwise, stop.

Are you saying people move out after their children graduate elementary school? You do realize that there are 11 years between elementary school and a 4 year degree. I don't see many people .owing before their kids graduate college.

[Anonymous]

Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

I have a 7th grader at LPMS who has a 504. Last year, the counselor, Ms. Lisker, was an absolute treasure. I was really impressed with the staff and Asst Principal at Outdoor Ed. Those are loooong days and the teachers never lost their patience, even when there were trying circumstances (rainy, incredibly dense fog, temperature dropped 20 degrees, tornado warning). Distance learning has been a real mixed bag, but several times, teachers have made themselves available outside the normal check-in times to help my dc and one teacher in particular is going above and beyond to keep up communication with my husband and me so we know when dc hasn’t completed work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

I have a 7th grader at LPMS who has a 504. Last year, the counselor, Ms. Lisker, was an absolute treasure. I was really impressed with the staff and Asst Principal at Outdoor Ed. Those are loooong days and the teachers never lost their patience, even when there were trying circumstances (rainy, incredibly dense fog, temperature dropped 20 degrees, tornado warning). Distance learning has been a real mixed bag, but several times, teachers have made themselves available outside the normal check-in times to help my dc and one teacher in particular is going above and beyond to keep up communication with my husband and me so we know when dc hasn’t completed work.

Wow. You are impressed with a school because teachers "didn't lose their patience" at outdoor ed and ONE teacher has gone above and beyond? That bar seems set pretty low to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a 7th grader at LPMS who has a 504. Last year, the counselor, Ms. Lisker, was an absolute treasure. I was really impressed with the staff and Asst Principal at Outdoor Ed. Those are loooong days and the teachers never lost their patience, even when there were trying circumstances (rainy, incredibly dense fog, temperature dropped 20 degrees, tornado warning). Distance learning has been a real mixed bag, but several times, teachers have made themselves available outside the normal check-in times to help my dc and one teacher in particular is going above and beyond to keep up communication with my husband and me so we know when dc hasn’t completed work.

Wow. You are impressed with a school because teachers "didn't lose their patience" at outdoor ed and ONE teacher has gone above and beyond? That bar seems set pretty low to me.

Holy mischaracterizing, Batman!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

I have a 7th grader at LPMS who has a 504. Last year, the counselor, Ms. Lisker, was an absolute treasure. I was really impressed with the staff and Asst Principal at Outdoor Ed. Those are loooong days and the teachers never lost their patience, even when there were trying circumstances (rainy, incredibly dense fog, temperature dropped 20 degrees, tornado warning). Distance learning has been a real mixed bag, but several times, teachers have made themselves available outside the normal check-in times to help my dc and one teacher in particular is going above and beyond to keep up communication with my husband and me so we know when dc hasn’t completed work.

Wow. You are impressed with a school because teachers "didn't lose their patience" at outdoor ed and ONE teacher has gone above and beyond? That bar seems set pretty low to me.

You’re a combative complainer who only notices negative things. I have a sunny disposition, appreciate the positives, and get along well with others across many settings. I’m sure we’re not using the same bar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up for LPMS. I haven't seen a single ounce of oversight of academics this year. Not one administrator dropping in and observing classes. Half of teachers are busting their tails while the other half haven't taught a single piece of information. The inmates are running the asylum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Healthy debate here, and clearly some unhappy RCES parents.

All that said, we are also overlooking the middle school - Lakelands Middle. Absolute and total train wreck. I've had 3 kids go through there and it progressively got worse. Awful (former) principal, terrible support staff and teachers that didn't give a crap about the kids (which I am hoping was a top down thing).

The former principal "retired" last year and the new one seems to be more on the ball. Just changing the sign out front was a good first step for those that know the school Time will tell and I know many local parents have their fingers crossed that she can turn the ship around - which may have to start with cleaning house on the old guard teachers.

The one saving grace in the district? QOHS is awesome, and the principal there is gangbusters. She is one of the best in the entire county, if not state.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up for LPMS. I haven't seen a single ounce of oversight of academics this year. Not one administrator dropping in and observing classes. Half of teachers are busting their tails while the other half haven't taught a single piece of information. The inmates are running the asylum.

I’m the PP who talked about how we’re sending our kid to private school starting in K. We will keep tabs on how things are going at RCES and LPMS, but aren’t anticipating returning to MCPS until high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who talked about how we’re sending our kid to private school starting in K. We will keep tabs on how things are going at RCES and LPMS, but aren’t anticipating returning to MCPS until high school.

Why come back for HS? Your kids will be miserable having been coddled in privates all that time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who talked about how we’re sending our kid to private school starting in K. We will keep tabs on how things are going at RCES and LPMS, but aren’t anticipating returning to MCPS until high school.

Why come back for HS? Your kids will be miserable having been coddled in privates all that time!

Says the person who can't afford private school

[Anonymous]

Working parents that have kids zoned to Carson, please share where do you send your kids to do DL now? HR has contacted me for planning employees to come into office to work, and I will not be able to supervise my kindergartener doing DL at home anymore.