Anyone giving public comment at BOE tomorrow or know someone who is?

[Anonymous]

And if so, do other folks here have suggestions on what they should cover?

I personally would love to see at least one of the speakers really hammer MCPS (in ways they can't lie or fudge their way out of) on the fact that there have been zero opportunities for community feedback/input on the regional model or efforts to find what the community wants out of regional programs, just an entirely top-down process. Like sharing a screenshot of the main/last page on their latest survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform), which once again has no space for any suggestions or criticism, just clarifying.questiojs and compliments. And flagging that all of their "engagement" opportunities to date have been described as "information sessions" and treated as such, with everything presented as a done deal, little time allotted for questions, and no effort whatsoever from MCPS to ask "What are your reactions to this? Do you have any suggestions on ways we could strengthen it? Is there anything we're not thinking about?". And reminding the Board that the so-called Design Team, the only community feedback opportunity MCPS did create, feels like they have no influence or input on the outcomes and it has stopped meeting.

Thoughts? Anything else on your wishlist to tell the Board tomorrow?

[Anonymous]

Seems like it will mostly be people from Garrett Park and Dufief.

[Anonymous]

I thought both public hearing sessions are designated to boundary study comments? There’s no BOE organized public hearing that I’m aware of to collect public comments on regional model analysis.

[Anonymous]

Actually there has been lots of community feedback and engagement. It’s just that MCPS willfully ignores that feedback and engagement and does what it wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually there has been lots of community feedback and engagement. It’s just that MCPS willfully ignores that feedback and engagement and does what it wants.

MCPS has made no effort to collect feedback and has in fact discouraged it. The fact that some people in the community have been finding ways to shoehorn feedback in and beg them to consider it doesn't change that. It is absolutely unacceptable for MCPS to not even go through the motions of finding out what people want and pretending they want to hear and consider suggestions for how to improve their plans, even if they plan to ignore it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought both public hearing sessions are designated to boundary study comments? There’s no BOE organized public hearing that I’m aware of to collect public comments on regional model analysis.

These last two hearings were for CIP hearing only. The MCPS website incorrectly identified 10/23 and 10/28 sessions as including boundary study comments. This was pointed out in writing to MCPS and they refused to change it. They are documenting public comment opportunities that did not occur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought both public hearing sessions are designated to boundary study comments? There’s no BOE organized public hearing that I’m aware of to collect public comments on regional model analysis.

Tomorrow is the regular Board of Ed meeting and people can say whatever they want in the public comments, on any topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And if so, do other folks here have suggestions on what they should cover?

I personally would love to see at least one of the speakers really hammer MCPS (in ways they can't lie or fudge their way out of) on the fact that there have been zero opportunities for community feedback/input on the regional model or efforts to find what the community wants out of regional programs, just an entirely top-down process. Like sharing a screenshot of the main/last page on their latest survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform), which once again has no space for any suggestions or criticism, just clarifying.questiojs and compliments. And flagging that all of their "engagement" opportunities to date have been described as "information sessions" and treated as such, with everything presented as a done deal, little time allotted for questions, and no effort whatsoever from MCPS to ask "What are your reactions to this? Do you have any suggestions on ways we could strengthen it? Is there anything we're not thinking about?". And reminding the Board that the so-called Design Team, the only community feedback opportunity MCPS did create, feels like they have no influence or input on the outcomes and it has stopped meeting.

Thoughts? Anything else on your wishlist to tell the Board tomorrow?

I wonder if Thomas Taylor has the capacity to absorb what he is hearing. From last night's hearing, I heard a great deal of emphatic dissatisfaction with the way that he is running the boundary/programs study. I always admire Walter Johnson cluster for its highly disciplined, well-organized cluster operations. If a MCCPTA representative from that area of the county tells Thomas Taylor, that MCPS' program analysis isn't even half-baked, it's not even defrosted yet, Taylor better really listen.

When the Wootton Cluster Coordinator points out that people from the Wootton Cluster are planning to move out of Montgomery County because of the regional program plans and the inability of MCPS to rebuild their decrepit school after YEARS, Taylor better really listen. Those families represent some of our highest performing students and they contribute to MCPS' overall performance in a positive way. Did Thomas Taylor hear this?

How about the mayor of Gaithersburg, a city that brokered the deal to get developers to donate the land for Crown HS, which is a lot of property that otherwise might have brought substantial property tax revenue to the City of Gaithersburg, testifying that he got the news about turning Crown HS into a holding school NOT from Thomas Taylor, but from secondary reports? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like it will mostly be people from Garrett Park and Dufief.

Ugh, seriously?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if so, do other folks here have suggestions on what they should cover?

I personally would love to see at least one of the speakers really hammer MCPS (in ways they can't lie or fudge their way out of) on the fact that there have been zero opportunities for community feedback/input on the regional model or efforts to find what the community wants out of regional programs, just an entirely top-down process. Like sharing a screenshot of the main/last page on their latest survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform), which once again has no space for any suggestions or criticism, just clarifying.questiojs and compliments. And flagging that all of their "engagement" opportunities to date have been described as "information sessions" and treated as such, with everything presented as a done deal, little time allotted for questions, and no effort whatsoever from MCPS to ask "What are your reactions to this? Do you have any suggestions on ways we could strengthen it? Is there anything we're not thinking about?". And reminding the Board that the so-called Design Team, the only community feedback opportunity MCPS did create, feels like they have no influence or input on the outcomes and it has stopped meeting.

Thoughts? Anything else on your wishlist to tell the Board tomorrow?

I wonder if Thomas Taylor has the capacity to absorb what he is hearing. From last night's hearing, I heard a great deal of emphatic dissatisfaction with the way that he is running the boundary/programs study. I always admire Walter Johnson cluster for its highly disciplined, well-organized cluster operations. If a MCCPTA representative from that area of the county tells Thomas Taylor, that MCPS' program analysis isn't even half-baked, it's not even defrosted yet, Taylor better really listen.

When the Wootton Cluster Coordinator points out that people from the Wootton Cluster are planning to move out of Montgomery County because of the regional program plans and the inability of MCPS to rebuild their decrepit school after YEARS, Taylor better really listen. Those families represent some of our highest performing students and they contribute to MCPS' overall performance in a positive way. Did Thomas Taylor hear this?

How about the mayor of Gaithersburg, a city that brokered the deal to get developers to donate the land for Crown HS, which is a lot of property that otherwise might have brought substantial property tax revenue to the City of Gaithersburg, testifying that he got the news about turning Crown HS into a holding school NOT from Thomas Taylor, but from secondary reports? Wow.

He is busy making his TikTok clips and thinking about how to pleasing his Alma mater when he has time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if so, do other folks here have suggestions on what they should cover?

I personally would love to see at least one of the speakers really hammer MCPS (in ways they can't lie or fudge their way out of) on the fact that there have been zero opportunities for community feedback/input on the regional model or efforts to find what the community wants out of regional programs, just an entirely top-down process. Like sharing a screenshot of the main/last page on their latest survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1E6bFxQNo8F4_OdQiE3t7kn47l28lG0IxXZtbF7xbFnZF1Q/viewform), which once again has no space for any suggestions or criticism, just clarifying.questiojs and compliments. And flagging that all of their "engagement" opportunities to date have been described as "information sessions" and treated as such, with everything presented as a done deal, little time allotted for questions, and no effort whatsoever from MCPS to ask "What are your reactions to this? Do you have any suggestions on ways we could strengthen it? Is there anything we're not thinking about?". And reminding the Board that the so-called Design Team, the only community feedback opportunity MCPS did create, feels like they have no influence or input on the outcomes and it has stopped meeting.

Thoughts? Anything else on your wishlist to tell the Board tomorrow?

I wonder if Thomas Taylor has the capacity to absorb what he is hearing. From last night's hearing, I heard a great deal of emphatic dissatisfaction with the way that he is running the boundary/programs study. I always admire Walter Johnson cluster for its highly disciplined, well-organized cluster operations. If a MCCPTA representative from that area of the county tells Thomas Taylor, that MCPS' program analysis isn't even half-baked, it's not even defrosted yet, Taylor better really listen.

When the Wootton Cluster Coordinator points out that people from the Wootton Cluster are planning to move out of Montgomery County because of the regional program plans and the inability of MCPS to rebuild their decrepit school after YEARS, Taylor better really listen. Those families represent some of our highest performing students and they contribute to MCPS' overall performance in a positive way. Did Thomas Taylor hear this?

How about the mayor of Gaithersburg, a city that brokered the deal to get developers to donate the land for Crown HS, which is a lot of property that otherwise might have brought substantial property tax revenue to the City of Gaithersburg, testifying that he got the news about turning Crown HS into a holding school NOT from Thomas Taylor, but from secondary reports? Wow.

He is busy making his TikTok clips and thinking about how to pleasing his Alma mater when he has time.

.

Gaithersburg should just take the land back.