how many trailers are acceptable?

[Anonymous]

I am pretty mad that the entire 6th grade of my kids elementary school is happening in a a trailer. Kent Gardens is over crowded! How do we resolve
this? I realize this won’t get solved in a year, but who solves it? What is the plan when these trailers have mold
issues? Let alone an active shooter? God forbid. Help me be pro public school!

[Anonymous]

Our elem school is over capacity and we also have several trailers (quads).
They take up blacktop / playground space, they have no running water and I am also concerned about the things you describe.
On the plus side: the kids out there feel special being in their own space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our elem school is over capacity and we also have several trailers (quads).
They take up blacktop / playground space, they have no running water and I am also concerned about the things you describe.
On the plus side: the kids out there feel special being in their own space.

DP
Same. They take up a whole basketball court. All of 6th grade plus at least two specialists are house there.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean "acceptable" and who is "we?" Are you an administrator or a school board member?

[Anonymous]

“We” is our community! Our school district. Everyone who lives in FCPS bounds is responsible to providing our kids a public school education. As per a recent PTA meeting, we have 168 kids in the grade plus specials teachers. I sat and listened to how the kids essentially only go into their school building for the cafeteria, bathrooms or gym. AND while I’m certain the principal and school staff are doing everything they can to make the best of the situation, it is these kids community that owe them, yes OWE them a properly functioning school. My youngest hasn’t even started elementary yet (oldest is already there). None of this will be solved on the current time line prior to either finishing high school!

[Anonymous]

I have the same concerns about crowding and trailers. I do think it's preferable that the whole grade be in one kind of classroom, and that if someone has to be in trailers it's older kids. So for me the question is not "how many trailers" it's "let's solve crowding."

I'm in favor of building more schools, and yes I know it costs money. This is a very wealthy county, we can revise the budget to prioritize schools. I think expanding middle school to 6th might be more efficient than multiple new elementary schools but either way, new classrooms.

If you have not already, read the FCPS capital improvement plan to understand how many trailers and school remodels there are.

[Anonymous]

Billions and billions of dollars. That’s how you solve it.

[Anonymous]

FCPS needs to redraw its school boundaries to redistribute the student population.

[Anonymous]

They're called "portables" and they can be perfectly capable of housing a classroom. I work in an elementary school where the entire 5th grade is in portables. It's fine. Nobody is upset about it. It's climate controlled and they have water bubblers in there (and this is not a wealthy school). The kids have passes to go inside for the bathroom and they love doing the long walk.

There's no problem here, you're making a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're called "portables" and they can be perfectly capable of housing a classroom. I work in an elementary school where the entire 5th grade is in portables. It's fine. Nobody is upset about it. It's climate controlled and they have water bubblers in there (and this is not a wealthy school). The kids have passes to go inside for the bathroom and they love doing the long walk.

There's no problem here, you're making a problem.

Most definitely not written by a real teacher. I taught in fcps for almost 10 years, and teacher despise the trailers more than anyone. We dread being put out there, and the bathroom thing is the worst. We have to worry about kids walking outside on their own and just hope they go into the building, and of course we can't send a kid without a partner, so now there's two kids walking around outside, sometimes not far from a busy road. And every time there are high winds or a tornado warning, we have to run into the building so we don't get carried away like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, plus we all know that trailers are a massive fire hazard. Just not safe, and not secure. Also really fun to constantly walk outside when it's freezing or pouring out, we love that too. Big FU to the troll who posted that nonsense above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're called "portables" and they can be perfectly capable of housing a classroom. I work in an elementary school where the entire 5th grade is in portables. It's fine. Nobody is upset about it. It's climate controlled and they have water bubblers in there (and this is not a wealthy school). The kids have passes to go inside for the bathroom and they love doing the long walk.

There's no problem here, you're making a problem.

Most definitely not written by a real teacher. I taught in fcps for almost 10 years, and teacher despise the trailers more than anyone. We dread being put out there, and the bathroom thing is the worst. We have to worry about kids walking outside on their own and just hope they go into the building, and of course we can't send a kid without a partner, so now there's two kids walking around outside, sometimes not far from a busy road. And every time there are high winds or a tornado warning, we have to run into the building so we don't get carried away like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, plus we all know that trailers are a massive fire hazard. Just not safe, and not secure. Also really fun to constantly walk outside when it's freezing or pouring out, we love that too. Big FU to the troll who posted that nonsense above.

As a parent, these were the things I worried about. My son didn’t hate the trailer because his ES was kept at a ridiculously hot temperature and the trailer was cooler. But, when it rained they had to wear raincoats or carry umbrellas and walk not a short distance outside to even get to the building to go to the bathroom, lunch, daily specials… In the cold, they had to put on coats to then go into a building that was near 80 degrees. Think of how many times students transition during the day. It’s a pain. And, the trailers were near the playground which any person could easily access, not locked down and safe like the interior of the school. He is very glad to attend an MS with no trailers.

In my own MS our gym and one set of electives were only accessible via outdoor covered walkways. Trust me, everyone hated it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean "acceptable" and who is "we?" Are you an administrator or a school board member?

+1, another post where parents think they have power- but in reality, they do not.

[Anonymous]

Would you be okay with getting rid of the immersion program at Kent Gardens? Because I think that would get rid of your overcrowding. If that’s not enough, get rid of local level IV and have kids who want to have a Level Iv program go to a center.

I am guessing OP wouldn’t be okay with either of these options or with changing boundaries. But complaining on DCUM is a good idea, too, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“We” is our community! Our school district. Everyone who lives in FCPS bounds is responsible to providing our kids a public school education. As per a recent PTA meeting, we have 168 kids in the grade plus specials teachers. I sat and listened to how the kids essentially only go into their school building for the cafeteria, bathrooms or gym. AND while I’m certain the principal and school staff are doing everything they can to make the best of the situation, it is these kids community that owe them, yes OWE them a properly functioning school. My youngest hasn’t even started elementary yet (oldest is already there). None of this will be solved on the current time line prior to either finishing high school!

So what made you think FCPS will do anything about Kent Gardens? FCPS has prioritized FLI for over 20 years and only did constructive adjustment on 2 FLI sites. Adjacent schools, Fox Mill and Floris, each had JIP. So those programs went in with no regard for equitable location distribution across FCPS.

If the data shows the volume of trailers or class size is caused by FLI or any out of boundary program then one has to decide how quickly or if at all FCPS will rectify the problem. Long term is when those kids are now old enough to have kids and buy houses.

You're stuck if at Kent Gardens and Mclean. Longfellow is a break of 2 years in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS needs to redraw its school boundaries to redistribute the student population.

This! There are so many ES under capacity. They need to do a Full County Boundary adjustment to level out the playing field. When they just do a boundary study within a community it does not fix the problem. It just makes another school overcrowded a few years down the line. Parents should be furious there are ES at 40 percent capacity to 120 percent capacity. It is ridiculous.