Upcoming in-person boundary study & regional model "engagement session": how to engage?
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Anonymous
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Just saw the in-person "engagement session" information being released today. As expected, MCPS strives to bundle them together and just give you 1-hour so you won't have any opportunity for "engagement". Wondering if we could start brainstorming ways to make louder noise? Holding signs? Inviting news writers?
"In the next few weeks, MCPS is inviting the community to participate in a series of Q&A engagement sessions on the boundary studies and academic programs analysis efforts. They are scheduled to be in-person sessions from 7-8 p.m. on: Oct. 30, John F. Kennedy High School, 1901 Randolph Road, Silver Spring Nov. 6, Watkins Mill High School, 10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg Nov. 10, Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring Nov. 12, Rockville High School, 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville Nov. 13, Winston Churchill High School, 11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac Nov. 17, Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville" |
Anonymous
| Engagement for MCPS means, you will approve and support a huge tax increase to pay for this as we don't want to be fiscially responsible, accountable or transparent as promised. |
Anonymous
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https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/news/mcps-news/2025/10/upcoming-boundary--programs-analysis-sessions/
Link for reference. It says they’ll be recorded and posted online. 1 hour is so short for these 2 complex topics. |
Anonymous
If your count there are 6 1-hour sessions. |
Anonymous
Right, but members of the public will each only go to one. And each one will have the same amount of time eaten up by a presentation before getting to questions from the public. |
Anonymous
Parents have jobs, students have homeworks and ECs. No one can attend every session except the MCPS staffs who are paid to attend. Yet I bet they will spend the first 45 mins of every hour presenting the same material over and over again. 15 mins * 6 = 90 mins On average every MCPS student gets 2 sec. |
Anonymous
Sorry, morning coffee is needed. Math went wrong. Every student gets 0.034 second. |
Anonymous
Right. It's analogous to what they're trying to do with the regions themselves; trying to create 6 versions of 15 different programs mean that most of them are going to be watered down and not worth it. It wouldn't be adequate, but it would be better to have 3 2-hour engagement sessions, even if some people had to drive a little further. Sometimes you can slice the bacon too thin. |
Anonymous
I think these f&ers know exactly what they are doing. Most of the time I blame incompetence but I would bet a lot of the lack of time to engage the community as 110% intentional. |
Anonymous
| People need to show up with signs at the next BOE discussion on the boundary study scheduled.for October 30 at 6pm |
Anonymous
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It looks to me that we were all so loud from the last BOE meeting that BOE listened and urged MCPS to have more engagement, and these six hour-long sessions is what MCPS came up with.
I would say continue being loud to BOE, council, MCPS, and your communities against this money pit program that will worsen inequity. A more fiscally responsible solution is for MCPS to add more programs in high-demand areas. |
Anonymous
Folks should also sign up to testify and include in their testimony an image of their "feedback" form to show that they are not allowing anyone to express opinions (other than "what do you like about this?") or make suggestions. Sign up is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScH5gYFeOPOonGBr2DZdaMrYVd2OE1HuTYpgpXtzbv3-sXnJw/viewform |
Anonymous
Looks like the Oct 30 BOE meeting (not the public hearing) only allocate 10 minutes to boundary study updates? I hope I can see testimonies during the public hearing regarding program analysis. |
Anonymous
| I hope they don’t waste time at the Paint Branch session going over the boundary study — the NEC schools and Sherwood aren’t included in them. Would be better to focus on the program analysis only, which does affect the NEC and changes the school choice consortium program. |
Anonymous
My guess is they will do like PP surmises: MCPS will do a 45 minute presentation and allow any speaker up to a minute for "feedback." |