Option B Alternate - Adding extra ES to WJ?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
I mean yes, from the superintendent's POV. But don't expect VMES families to enjoy being known as the literal diversity hires, and integrate another school at the expense of their own community. |
Anonymous
WW is nowhere near WJ. They are the island of diversity in the Woodward boundary. They literally have Wheaton in their name! VM has always been slated for Woodward way before Taylor. Research redlining to find out why there aren’t Title 1 elementary schools near WJ. And don't forget that the ES boundaries will likely change before 2032 which will also change Taylor’s demographics chart. According to Taylor there is a ton of developmentally coming in the WJ area so who knows |
Anonymous
Not as much as Wootton and there is only one meeting with public testimony befofe the vote. |
Anonymous
Yes! And look at all the Tilden threads they’ve started since. |
Anonymous
Good news! You can apply to any of WJ’s interest or criteria based programs! Nobody is keeping your kid from going to WJ, but most CM families don’t want WJ as their default. We don’t want to be anybody’s “diversity hire” as a PP said |
Anonymous
There is no issue for you because you will be in the majority population and live close to the school. There is an issue for VM and WW families for a variety of reasons (transportation being one). We don’t want to not want to be your token diversity population. Half of VM is walking distance from Wheaton AND Einstein (using the Norris entrance). We don’t want WJ!!! |
Anonymous
In those 5-10 years the CES program changed so that the top kids from every school are in a lottery for those spots. When you pull out the top performers in grades 4-5, it changes a school. Despite that, my kid who stayed in the lottery for CES has 90th plus percentile scores on MAP tests and made both MS magnet lotteries (with a spot in one already). The teachers and admin are amazing. Far superior to the MS and HS experiences of our older kids. My kid, who is a native English speaker, has made a ton of growth and loves school due to their efforts. We’ve also seen our neighborhoods gentrify with lots of houses rebuilt or renovated post pandemic. A lot of original owners replaced by DINKs. Yes there are still ADUs and some houses with multiple families, but that’s because MoCo decided where these should be allowed. The huge yards in Potomac apparently are too good for ADUs, but Silver Spring homes that look like a large Lego brick quality. |
Anonymous
My comment was regarding choice of buying in Tilden area vs buying in North Bethesda MS area a few years ago. I will be fine with 20% as well. Fair enough. I am sorry for accusing you. There are some WJ posters here who work 24/7 to run interference on the proposal to modify the recommendation just to trim down FARMS a couple of percentage points, so I am a little jumpy. PP here. Given it was all one school, I don't see why balancing of FARMS can't happen. Even after balancing, WJ will have far less FARMS than Woodward. in all scenarios, future WJ part is not going to have much higher FARMS than current WJ, but Woodward part will have much higher FARMS in all cases. So I don't see why make it worse by assigning 2 high FARMS ES to Woodward. I think Woodward community needs to step up to advocate. Not sure what role PTA played here because I heard that they took no position. |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but we are VM as well. We will prefer to be assinged to WJ as well. Commute is same and it will help entire region by creating two well balanced schools. No need to apply, just have it assinged to WJ. It's not about diversity hire, its about not ceoncentrating poverty in one school when both schools are right next to each other. I don't see any benefit fin Woodward having 20-25% FARMS than WJ. |
Anonymous
No need to put down VMES families by saying they are diversity hires. It's offensive. VMES kids will benefit from attending lower FARMS schools as well. In fact all kids will benefit from that so it make sense to not put all FARMS kids in one school and put all rich kids in another. Both schools are side by side. Two well balanced schools will benefit everyone attending both schools. It;s best for our region. |
Anonymous
We are in WJ in all cases. I have no issue in VM getting assigned to WJ. Yes, many in our street prefer seeing FARMS going down because they are going to sell in a few years but school assingnemnt should be made keeping kids education and nothing else. |
Anonymous
| Anyone pushing to keep both WW and VM in Woodward is not thinking or working for what is best for the KIDS. We are a VM family. We love Wheaton HS. The staff is phenomenal but it is overcrowded. It is an easy lift to alleviate Wheaton’s overcrowding and send WW to Woodward and VM to WJ. It DOES NOT make sense to send both WW and VM to Woodward. The utilization rate at a school with higher FARMS should be lower. The utilization rate at a school with low FARMS should be higher. It’s not rocket science. STOP worrying about your own precious homes and start trying to advocate for what is best for all kids which is to spread out the diversity and needs so one school doesn’t have a larger load to bear. |
Anonymous
Offensive to whom? My family, which attends VMES? I'm sure there are families that would be cool with WJ and I'm not denying their opinion, but far and wide most of the other parents here I've talked to are very aware of the perception that our kids would be the token brown/FARMs students (even the white and not FARMs jaguars) and are not comfortable with it. VMES kids would benefit from a lower FARMs school because too many FARMs is bad? A school is inherently better because its FARMs is lower? That kind of doesn't resonate when you're talking about a high FARMs ES with families who love their school community. "There's fewer people like you at this other school. You understand why that makes it better, don't you?" |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but nothing offensive in it unless you look for offence. Concentrating poverty in one high school is not a good idea. |
Anonymous
|
Viers Mill Parents - I firmly suggest you write a letter to the BOE stating your preferred school choice and reasoning. Stating it on this thread is meaningless. There are various groups trying to reengineer us to Walter Johnson and back to Wheaton. We need to make our voices heard to the BOE as they are the ones that have the final say. Take 5 minutes and write an email.
boe@mcpsmd.org |