Any insights or feedback from Paint Branch and Clarksburg Program Engagement Sessions?

[Anonymous]

The Paint Branch one was supposed to happen yesterday and the Clarksburg one today: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/news/mcps-news/2025/10/upcoming-boundary--programs-analysis-sessions/

MCPS TV has not been uploading them to their YouTube channel since the Kennedy one went horribly.

[Anonymous]

No one went??

[Anonymous]

Why didn't they upload to the channel?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't they upload to the channel?

I think after Kennedy's session went South, they decided they didn't want that embarrassment on camera.

[Anonymous]

Probably not as many DCUM posters in those areas, compared to Kennedy/Blair/Churchill, where a few people shared very interesting info from those sessions.

Bad look to only share video from 1 out of the 6 sessions. I'd certainly be asking about that if I were on the Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably not as many DCUM posters in those areas, compared to Kennedy/Blair/Churchill, where a few people shared very interesting info from those sessions.

Bad look to only share video from 1 out of the 6 sessions. I'd certainly be asking about that if I were on the Board.

For PB, I get that. But we've certainly had a lot of active threads on here before for Clarksburg at least, so I'm surprised no one from there has chimed in.

[Anonymous]

Going out on a limb here, but region 6 has Poolesville HS, and the proposed region 6 includes schools already currently feeding into PHS. So not sure they have as much to complain about as the rest of MCPS.

The real losers from current Poolesville attachment area are QO and Wootton, who are NOT in region 6. They make up 20% of the current countywide magnet (Global Ecology). QO also will lose out on acess to SMCS and Humanities at PHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going out on a limb here, but region 6 has Poolesville HS, and the proposed region 6 includes schools already currently feeding into PHS. So not sure they have as much to complain about as the rest of MCPS.

The real losers from current Poolesville attachment area are QO and Wootton, who are NOT in region 6. They make up 20% of the current countywide magnet (Global Ecology). QO also will lose out on acess to SMCS and Humanities at PHS.

To the contrary, the current Poolesville magnet bus will be replaced by busses traveling between the high schools. (Unless they change this county-wide, exploding the costs.)

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

What information did you receive that made you shift your position?

Were there a lot of people at the Clarksburg session? Did parents seem generally in support or against the proposal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

What information did you receive that made you shift your position?

Were there a lot of people at the Clarksburg session? Did parents seem generally in support or against the proposal?

My kids got completely shut out of the current model because they aren’t in the 99th percentile. They don’t deserve to be cut out of programs they are fully capable of, just because of MAP scores. Also, Einstein isn’t accessible to all kids because of the transportation barrier. I’m fully on board with them replicating that program.

I was concerned when the initial plans came out, but I feel they’ve done a good job in their iterations. I think they could reduce the number of programs still because I think there may be a problem with oversaturation, but I feel they’ve done are in a good track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

What information did you receive that made you shift your position?

Were there a lot of people at the Clarksburg session? Did parents seem generally in support or against the proposal?

My kids got completely shut out of the current model because they aren’t in the 99th percentile. They don’t deserve to be cut out of programs they are fully capable of, just because of MAP scores. Also, Einstein isn’t accessible to all kids because of the transportation barrier. I’m fully on board with them replicating that program.

I was concerned when the initial plans came out, but I feel they’ve done a good job in their iterations. I think they could reduce the number of programs still because I think there may be a problem with oversaturation, but I feel they’ve done are in a good track.

I agree with this. There are more kids that need and want programs than there are currently seats available and seats accessible. This is a good faith effort to solve this problem even if it is not perfect. MCPS seems to be trying. They have time to implement if they start now and work before students apply a year from now and begin almost two years from now. And it will be phased in by grade for the first few years.

Most of the opposition I hear is coming from wealthy and white people in DCC claiming to speak for black, brown, and poor students. Meanwhile the Black and Brown Coalition favors the plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

What information did you receive that made you shift your position?

Were there a lot of people at the Clarksburg session? Did parents seem generally in support or against the proposal?

My kids got completely shut out of the current model because they aren’t in the 99th percentile. They don’t deserve to be cut out of programs they are fully capable of, just because of MAP scores. Also, Einstein isn’t accessible to all kids because of the transportation barrier. I’m fully on board with them replicating that program.

I was concerned when the initial plans came out, but I feel they’ve done a good job in their iterations. I think they could reduce the number of programs still because I think there may be a problem with oversaturation, but I feel they’ve done are in a good track.

I agree with this. There are more kids that need and want programs than there are currently seats available and seats accessible. This is a good faith effort to solve this problem even if it is not perfect. MCPS seems to be trying. They have time to implement if they start now and work before students apply a year from now and begin almost two years from now. And it will be phased in by grade for the first few years.

Most of the opposition I hear is coming from wealthy and white people in DCC claiming to speak for black, brown, and poor students. Meanwhile the Black and Brown Coalition favors the plan.

This is not true and I can tell that you are part of the pro-program campaign that is trying to seed that narrative Taylor and the BOE wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the one at CHS. I didn’t go to the information sessions, because I’ve kept up with the plan, and I don’t like that they are on a script now. I’m also pro programs now.

I did point out to MCPS that they didn’t consider if Seneca Valley is your home school, you don’t have to apply to their programs (you don’t have to start taking program courses in 9th grade, you can start in 11th, and you can’t start the IB pathway until 11th grade). So a bunch of kids who maybe wanted to stay at SV, but will now get redistricted to CHS in the 10th grade got screwed over in this 8th grade process.

What information did you receive that made you shift your position?

Were there a lot of people at the Clarksburg session? Did parents seem generally in support or against the proposal?

My kids got completely shut out of the current model because they aren’t in the 99th percentile. They don’t deserve to be cut out of programs they are fully capable of, just because of MAP scores. Also, Einstein isn’t accessible to all kids because of the transportation barrier. I’m fully on board with them replicating that program.

I was concerned when the initial plans came out, but I feel they’ve done a good job in their iterations. I think they could reduce the number of programs still because I think there may be a problem with oversaturation, but I feel they’ve done are in a good track.

I agree with this. There are more kids that need and want programs than there are currently seats available and seats accessible. This is a good faith effort to solve this problem even if it is not perfect. MCPS seems to be trying. They have time to implement if they start now and work before students apply a year from now and begin almost two years from now. And it will be phased in by grade for the first few years.

Most of the opposition I hear is coming from wealthy and white people in DCC claiming to speak for black, brown, and poor students. Meanwhile the Black and Brown Coalition favors the plan.

This is not true and I can tell that you are part of the pro-program campaign that is trying to seed that narrative Taylor and the BOE wants.

lol nope just a normal parent who was initially skeptical and now supports the program plan