RM Cluster Overcrowding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:400 kids in IB. RM iwill be over crowded by similar number.

Shift IB to some other HS. IB doesn't need to be in RM.

Else shift Twinbrook ES to Woodward.

IB isn't a separate program from the school. You can't just shift it out. All students are in the MYP in 9th and 10th grades, and students not in the magnet cohort join the IB Diploma in 11th and 12th grades. In addition to the 100 kids per grade from out of area, there are about 60-80 per grade of home school students completing the IB diploma. Sure, you could move the magnet students elsewhere - maybe to another existing IB school, but they all have overcrowding too. Perhaps Magruder? It's underenrolled. But creating an IB program from scratch is no easy task, and it isn't like Magrduer is central to the county like RM is. Moving the magnet is a non-starter.

Then only other viable option is to shift Twinbrook to Woodward.

Why would MCPS shift Twinbrook to Woodward HS (intended to address capacity in the Walter Johnson and DCC clusters), when plans for Crown HS (intended to address capacity in the Rirchard Montgomery, Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, and Wootton clusters) are under way?

Woodward will be there in 5 years. Crown will be there in 10 years.

So if we can't use Woodward to help RM then RM is not going to get any help for the next 10 years. In meanwhile let's build more condos to make TC dense and let's make RM more over crowded. That's the direction city council is going here.

Well, go to the city council meeting on the 17th, tell them you live in Bethesda and don’t want Rockville town center to be successful.

Why will I tell them that I live in Bethesda? I have kids in Elementary school in RM cluster and very worried about hearing science in cart situation in RM. MD report card puts RM at 56 percentile. That horrible. I can't afford to sell and move so I don't want RM to drop down even more.

It was a half joke. I can’t tell where people live but it seems clear that some people posting here are not in the city.

My question to you is, do you think having a “failed mall” environment at the town square will be helpful for the schools?

I believe it will lower property values and drive some of the higher income families away. That will almost certainlyy lower test scores. A couple thousand residents will add maybe 50 students to the high school over 10-15 years and likely save the town center. It will push property values up and make the whole place more desirable. The local ES (Beall) has the capacity for ES students thanks to the new school.

Failed mall is not going to impact kids education, but having science in cart is robbing them a chance to get a decent education. Right now we have cart in science crap in RM due to over crowding. RM is at 56 percentile so pretty much an average school and nothing to be proud here. It will be highly unfair to kids if we push for more development in already over crowded school. First there should be a solution with a fixed time line. If solution brings capacity from 120% utilization to 80-90% then we should go for development.




Putting 20 condos in town center will be net negative for overcrowded schools than positive. It will be net positive only if overcrowding situation is addressed.

[Anonymous]

Why will I tell them that I live in Bethesda? I have kids in Elementary school in RM cluster and very worried about hearing science in cart situation in RM. MD report card puts RM at 56 percentile. That horrible. I can't afford to sell and move so I don't want RM to drop down even more.

RM is not teaching science from a cart. RM's science rooms are maxed out and it is a scheduling challenge. One room was converted from a tech room to a science room and will get a full science lab upgrade next summer. Some science classes that are not lab lased are being taught in a regular classroom. The overcrowding is an issue, and the school is addressing it to still meet the needs of all students with appropriate science education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:400 kids in IB. RM iwill be over crowded by similar number.

Shift IB to some other HS. IB doesn't need to be in RM.

Else shift Twinbrook ES to Woodward.

IB isn't a separate program from the school. You can't just shift it out. All students are in the MYP in 9th and 10th grades, and students not in the magnet cohort join the IB Diploma in 11th and 12th grades. In addition to the 100 kids per grade from out of area, there are about 60-80 per grade of home school students completing the IB diploma. Sure, you could move the magnet students elsewhere - maybe to another existing IB school, but they all have overcrowding too. Perhaps Magruder? It's underenrolled. But creating an IB program from scratch is no easy task, and it isn't like Magrduer is central to the county like RM is. Moving the magnet is a non-starter.

Then only other viable option is to shift Twinbrook to Woodward.

Why would MCPS shift Twinbrook to Woodward HS (intended to address capacity in the Walter Johnson and DCC clusters), when plans for Crown HS (intended to address capacity in the Rirchard Montgomery, Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, and Wootton clusters) are under way?

Woodward will be there in 5 years. Crown will be there in 10 years.

So if we can't use Woodward to help RM then RM is not going to get any help for the next 10 years. In meanwhile let's build more condos to make TC dense and let's make RM more over crowded. That's the direction city council is going here.

Well, go to the city council meeting on the 17th, tell them you live in Bethesda and don’t want Rockville town center to be successful.

Why will I tell them that I live in Bethesda? I have kids in Elementary school in RM cluster and very worried about hearing science in cart situation in RM. MD report card puts RM at 56 percentile. That horrible. I can't afford to sell and move so I don't want RM to drop down even more.

It was a half joke. I can’t tell where people live but it seems clear that some people posting here are not in the city.

My question to you is, do you think having a “failed mall” environment at the town square will be helpful for the schools?

I believe it will lower property values and drive some of the higher income families away. That will almost certainlyy lower test scores. A couple thousand residents will add maybe 50 students to the high school over 10-15 years and likely save the town center. It will push property values up and make the whole place more desirable. The local ES (Beall) has the capacity for ES students thanks to the new school.

Failed mall is not going to impact kids education, but having science in cart is robbing them a chance to get a decent education. Right now we have cart in science crap in RM due to over crowding. RM is at 56 percentile so pretty much an average school and nothing to be proud here. It will be highly unfair to kids if we push for more development in already over crowded school. First there should be a solution with a fixed time line. If solution brings capacity from 120% utilization to 80-90% then we should go for development.




Putting 20 condos in town center will be net negative for overcrowded schools than positive. It will be net positive only if overcrowding situation is addressed.

It’s interesting that you don’t believe lowered property values will correlate to lower test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:400 kids in IB. RM iwill be over crowded by similar number.

Shift IB to some other HS. IB doesn't need to be in RM.

Else shift Twinbrook ES to Woodward.

IB isn't a separate program from the school. You can't just shift it out. All students are in the MYP in 9th and 10th grades, and students not in the magnet cohort join the IB Diploma in 11th and 12th grades. In addition to the 100 kids per grade from out of area, there are about 60-80 per grade of home school students completing the IB diploma. Sure, you could move the magnet students elsewhere - maybe to another existing IB school, but they all have overcrowding too. Perhaps Magruder? It's underenrolled. But creating an IB program from scratch is no easy task, and it isn't like Magrduer is central to the county like RM is. Moving the magnet is a non-starter.

Then only other viable option is to shift Twinbrook to Woodward.

Why would MCPS shift Twinbrook to Woodward HS (intended to address capacity in the Walter Johnson and DCC clusters), when plans for Crown HS (intended to address capacity in the Rirchard Montgomery, Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, and Wootton clusters) are under way?

Woodward will be there in 5 years. Crown will be there in 10 years.

So if we can't use Woodward to help RM then RM is not going to get any help for the next 10 years. In meanwhile let's build more condos to make TC dense and let's make RM more over crowded. That's the direction city council is going here.

Well, go to the city council meeting on the 17th, tell them you live in Bethesda and don’t want Rockville town center to be successful.

Why will I tell them that I live in Bethesda? I have kids in Elementary school in RM cluster and very worried about hearing science in cart situation in RM. MD report card puts RM at 56 percentile. That horrible. I can't afford to sell and move so I don't want RM to drop down even more.

It was a half joke. I can’t tell where people live but it seems clear that some people posting here are not in the city.

My question to you is, do you think having a “failed mall” environment at the town square will be helpful for the schools?

I believe it will lower property values and drive some of the higher income families away. That will almost certainlyy lower test scores. A couple thousand residents will add maybe 50 students to the high school over 10-15 years and likely save the town center. It will push property values up and make the whole place more desirable. The local ES (Beall) has the capacity for ES students thanks to the new school.

Failed mall is not going to impact kids education, but having science in cart is robbing them a chance to get a decent education. Right now we have cart in science crap in RM due to over crowding. RM is at 56 percentile so pretty much an average school and nothing to be proud here. It will be highly unfair to kids if we push for more development in already over crowded school. First there should be a solution with a fixed time line. If solution brings capacity from 120% utilization to 80-90% then we should go for development.




Putting 20 condos in town center will be net negative for overcrowded schools than positive. It will be net positive only if overcrowding situation is addressed.

It’s interesting that you don’t believe lowered property values will correlate to lower test scores.

Low test score due to low property value is simply an outcome of less well off parents not having enough time to focus on kids.

MCPS teaches the same thing and provides the same opportunities to all students. But if we are talking about 120-130% overcrowding then we are simply providing the same kids less opportunity.

You are focused on property value. I am focused on quality of education. Science on cart is about quality of education.

[Anonymous]

there were options that send TB to other schools (RP and CG) to achieve more evenly FARM rate but no one wanted that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: there were options that send TB to other schools (RP and CG) to achieve more evenly FARM rate but no one wanted that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

Those options would have put walking students to bus and that's why no one wanted.

Also, BOE job is not to make popular decision. Their job is to make the right decisions even if it't not popular. Not getting reelected is always in their mind so that makes it hard for them to make a right decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: there were options that send TB to other schools (RP and CG) to achieve more evenly FARM rate but no one wanted that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

Those options would have put walking students to bus and that's why no one wanted.

Also, BOE job is not to make popular decision. Their job is to make the right decisions even if it't not popular. Not getting reelected is always in their mind so that makes it hard for them to make a right decision.

They would still go to TB and be bussed to HS just as they are now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: there were options that send TB to other schools (RP and CG) to achieve more evenly FARM rate but no one wanted that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

Those options would have put walking students to bus and that's why no one wanted.

Also, BOE job is not to make popular decision. Their job is to make the right decisions even if it't not popular. Not getting reelected is always in their mind so that makes it hard for them to make a right decision.

They would still go to TB and be bussed to HS just as they are now.

It will also take care of new resolution to give diversity more weight. Wootton lacks SES diversity big time right now.

[Anonymous]

part of TB is walking distance to RM

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: there were options that send TB to other schools (RP and CG) to achieve more evenly FARM rate but no one wanted that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:except the TB community already explicitly said in RMES#5 zoning process, they love their community and they don't wanted to be bused far away..

Yes, they walk to TB ES and no one is talking about putting them in different ES.

Those options would have put walking students to bus and that's why no one wanted.

Also, BOE job is not to make popular decision. Their job is to make the right decisions even if it't not popular. Not getting reelected is always in their mind so that makes it hard for them to make a right decision.

They would still go to TB and be bussed to HS just as they are now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:part of TB is walking distance to RM

Does MCPS provides bus to those parts or MCPS doesn't provide bus?

[Anonymous]

not sure, according to MCPS, high school students living more than 2.0 miles of walking distance from school will get bus service, but most part of TB is within 2 miles from RM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:part of TB is walking distance to RM

Does MCPS provides bus to those parts or MCPS doesn't provide bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:part of TB is walking distance to RM

Does MCPS provides bus to those parts or MCPS doesn't provide bus?

BOE will put more weight on diversity over walking distance.

And agree with PP -- Wootton is not that far TB.

15min 4.2 miles from TBES to Wootton
9 min 2 miles from TBES to RM

BOE passed a resolution to put more weight on diversity than distance when looking at rezoning to a neighboring cluster.

Look at some of the zoning now. Some of it makes no sense in terms of proximity, and there are a few "islands" where one neighborhood is zoned for one school, while the surrounding neighborhoods are zoned for another school. IMO, if BOE really wants to even out FARMs in this area, this move would be a no-brainer.

TB parents didn't want their neighborhood split in the RMES#5 rezoning debate where a portion of the area would have been zoned for another ES. That's not what we are talking about here, which is zone the entire TBES to Wootton. They could still attend JWMS but have split articulation after MS. They currently have split articulation all over MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:not sure, according to MCPS, high school students living more than 2.0 miles of walking distance from school will get bus service, but most part of TB is within 2 miles from RM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:part of TB is walking distance to RM

Does MCPS provides bus to those parts or MCPS doesn't provide bus?

yes, TB has bus service to RM HS, at least portions of it.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/rmhs/RICHARD%20MONTGOMERY%20HS%20-%20201%20-%20REG%20ARR.pdf

[Anonymous]

high schools in this area are pretty close to each other, students could end up to any one of nearby schools if busing to <5 miles radius if not consider walkability, wonder what MCPS will do...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:part of TB is walking distance to RM

Does MCPS provides bus to those parts or MCPS doesn't provide bus?

BOE will put more weight on diversity over walking distance.

And agree with PP -- Wootton is not that far TB.

15min 4.2 miles from TBES to Wootton
9 min 2 miles from TBES to RM

BOE passed a resolution to put more weight on diversity than distance when looking at rezoning to a neighboring cluster.

Look at some of the zoning now. Some of it makes no sense in terms of proximity, and there are a few "islands" where one neighborhood is zoned for one school, while the surrounding neighborhoods are zoned for another school. IMO, if BOE really wants to even out FARMs in this area, this move would be a no-brainer.

TB parents didn't want their neighborhood split in the RMES#5 rezoning debate where a portion of the area would have been zoned for another ES. That's not what we are talking about here, which is zone the entire TBES to Wootton. They could still attend JWMS but have split articulation after MS. They currently have split articulation all over MCPS.