Challenging redistricting successfully?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone successfully advocated against your kid changing schools in redistricting? We are in the absurd situation of being one block from the edge of the current boundary, and therefore likely to be moved...but the elementary school is one block in the other direction, and the middle and high schools are two and three blocks away. The new schools would be half a mile (elementary) and busing distance across major highways (middle and high).

There isn't a quality difference between schools, they are closely comparable within our area, this is literally only about losing access to VERY CLOSE walking distance schools. If you've managed to successfully advocate for a change to boundary recommendations or know people who have, please share how!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone successfully advocated against your kid changing schools in redistricting? We are in the absurd situation of being one block from the edge of the current boundary, and therefore likely to be moved...but the elementary school is one block in the other direction, and the middle and high schools are two and three blocks away. The new schools would be half a mile (elementary) and busing distance across major highways (middle and high).

There isn't a quality difference between schools, they are closely comparable within our area, this is literally only about losing access to VERY CLOSE walking distance schools. If you've managed to successfully advocate for a change to boundary recommendations or know people who have, please share how!

Is this in PGPCS? You can look at the proposed boundary map and see if you will be moved. If you are in that zone, you are going to have a hard fight to get zoned back over. (This sounds like Bowie).
Contact your school board rep and see if they can help you.

[Anonymous]

There will always be oddities like this-- it's basically impossible to draw district lines without it happening. If your kids are in school maybe they can get permission to stay for a year or two?

[Anonymous]

Can you afford lawyers? If so then you can sue if they don't follow their own plans. If you can't afford lawyers, get your neighborhood association to start putting pressure on your local politicians.

[Anonymous]

We were on the wrong side of our street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There will always be oddities like this-- it's basically impossible to draw district lines without it happening. If your kids are in school maybe they can get permission to stay for a year or two?[/q]

In PGCPS one option is to do a administrative transfer, which only works if the school is under enrolled. You could also try to get an appointment with the principal and plead your case. One strategy is to get yourself on the PTA board and then go talk to them. Most PGCPS schools struggle to find parents willing to be officers and parents of rising K students can get on the Board.

[Anonymous]

We are in Charles County and were redistricted several years ago. It's basically impossible to do anything about it. Our HOA tried to get involved, the neighbors did a petition etc. It's absurd. Our elem kids now drive past three elemn schools to get to the one they go to. It's all very political and about equity. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

So what is the whole public engagement part about if there is no opportunity for feedback to be considered? I'm also in a wrong side of the street situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in Charles County and were redistricted several years ago. It's basically impossible to do anything about it. Our HOA tried to get involved, the neighbors did a petition etc. It's absurd. Our elem kids now drive past three elemn schools to get to the one they go to. It's all very political and about equity. Good luck.

Ugh I'm sorry. We bought a tiny home based on location because wallabies so important to us. Our yard is so tiny that the school field is the closest place to kick a ball or throw a Frisbee, so it would be hard to swallow being zoned out while kids from further away drive and bus in. But home prices have gone so crazy we can't move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone successfully advocated against your kid changing schools in redistricting? We are in the absurd situation of being one block from the edge of the current boundary, and therefore likely to be moved...but the elementary school is one block in the other direction, and the middle and high schools are two and three blocks away. The new schools would be half a mile (elementary) and busing distance across major highways (middle and high).

There isn't a quality difference between schools, they are closely comparable within our area, this is literally only about losing access to VERY CLOSE walking distance schools. If you've managed to successfully advocate for a change to boundary recommendations or know people who have, please share how!

Yes but the time to advocate was probably back before November.

https://www.pgcps.org/globalassets/featured-pages/boundary/docs---boundary/pgcps-comprehensive-school-boundary-initiative-recommendations-october-2022.pdf

Increasing walkers to school is supposed to be one of the priorities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what is the whole public engagement part about if there is no opportunity for feedback to be considered? I'm also in a wrong side of the street situation.

If this is PGCPS, there were literally months (if not years) of public engagement where you could provide feedback. Multiple town hall time zoom meetings, email addresses to provide written comment and an entire open meeting of the school board where they allowed community comments.
I was on several of the calls and provided written comment. The responded to my comments so it just wasn't a black hole of an inbox.
I think they started community engagement in the fall of 2020 and put the initial boundary situations out in early 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what is the whole public engagement part about if there is no opportunity for feedback to be considered? I'm also in a wrong side of the street situation.

While I totally understand that these situations are terrible. There was extensive public engagement, including three proposed redistricting, townhalls and opportunities to testify and submit comments. Again, I agree it sucks, but there was quite a bit of engagement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what is the whole public engagement part about if there is no opportunity for feedback to be considered? I'm also in a wrong side of the street situation.

You're also on the wrong side of the issue. The purpose of redistricting in most cases is to produce a more equitable distribution of students across schools. I think most people who go in public and make an issue out of it because of their housing values or their kid has to take a bus to school show their true colors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what is the whole public engagement part about if there is no opportunity for feedback to be considered? I'm also in a wrong side of the street situation.

You're also on the wrong side of the issue. The purpose of redistricting in most cases is to produce a more equitable distribution of students across schools. I think most people who go in public and make an issue out of it because of their housing values or their kid has to take a bus to school show their true colors.

What are the true colors that you're implying? Ultimately, we all want our kids to go to good schools and we all know that school quality is a factor when making house-purchasing decisions. We ALL care about our kids. Period. I don't want mine going to schools that are bad. You don't either.

[Anonymous]

The true colors are supporting de facto segregation so your kids don't have to go to school with black and brown schools.