PTA Effectiveness in Boundary Study Outcomes

[Anonymous]

I have been impressed with how some schools strategically organized and rallied to get to certain outcomes with the recent boundary studies whereas mine didn’t fare well. How much of this is PTA effectiveness and savviness? Or was it something else?

[Anonymous]

Which PTAs were successful in getting the BOE to change their boundary decisions?

[Anonymous]

Wayside: Churchill>Wootton
Cold Spring: Churchill>Crown.

[Anonymous]

I'd say the Damascus PTSA cluster was also very successful with all of their CIP advocacy. I don't know their opinions on the boundary decisions though.

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily a PTA thing. Some of the success stories are not mentioned here.

It has to do with where politicians live, who has political clout, and who creates the most compelling stories. And who listens and why.

[Anonymous]

It’s about money.

[Anonymous]

I think it also matters that what the community wanted was consistent with Taylor's priorities regarding pretty maps and consistency with the regional model.

I'm curious what advocacy happened to pretend Wheaton HS has space for 500 more students than it actually does in order to keep more communities zoned for the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wayside: Churchill>Wootton
Cold Spring: Churchill>Crown.

Maybe, but my money is on Cold Spring being closed with the ES boundary study coming up, so I think it was just easier to say "yes" to them now, knowing what's coming down the pike, so it won't really matter

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard that some BOE members said the most effective advocacy were those who proposed alternative solutions. So rather than just complaining and throwing insults, they pointed to a pathway to help solve their issue. The Save Wootton crowd is a master class in How To Never Get Change and Never Influence people. Maligning motives and peddling wild conspiracy theories. Spamming a survey - including a cyber breach - and then not understanding surveys aren’t votes. Refusing to consider any alternative including using Crown as holding school until their backs were against the wall. Rampant disinformation. Next time just do the opposite of save woooton and you’ll be effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that some BOE members said the most effective advocacy were those who proposed alternative solutions. So rather than just complaining and throwing insults, they pointed to a pathway to help solve their issue. The Save Wootton crowd is a master class in How To Never Get Change and Never Influence people. Maligning motives and peddling wild conspiracy theories. Spamming a survey - including a cyber breach - and then not understanding surveys aren’t votes. Refusing to consider any alternative including using Crown as holding school until their backs were against the wall. Rampant disinformation. Next time just do the opposite of save woooton and you’ll be effective.

I mean, they could have learned that lesson from the Seneca valley boundary study… but clearly they didn’t.

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting question. Well-done advocacy can work but it doesn't mean the end result wasn't going to be the same anyways. It's worth doing and trying for it but the advocacy shouldn't get all the credit. Just like when it doesn't work, it doesn't mean that those you were advocating to didn't listen. And it was still worth trying.

Unfortunately, this process relies on people being able to show up and not everyone can (which was actually a big topic of convo at many BOE testimonies, that are often within standard working hours). There is just so much nuance, plus a high level of unfairness and inequity in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that some BOE members said the most effective advocacy were those who proposed alternative solutions. So rather than just complaining and throwing insults, they pointed to a pathway to help solve their issue. The Save Wootton crowd is a master class in How To Never Get Change and Never Influence people. Maligning motives and peddling wild conspiracy theories. Spamming a survey - including a cyber breach - and then not understanding surveys aren’t votes. Refusing to consider any alternative including using Crown as holding school until their backs were against the wall. Rampant disinformation. Next time just do the opposite of save woooton and you’ll be effective.

Perfect summary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard that some BOE members said the most effective advocacy were those who proposed alternative solutions. So rather than just complaining and throwing insults, they pointed to a pathway to help solve their issue. The Save Wootton crowd is a master class in How To Never Get Change and Never Influence people. Maligning motives and peddling wild conspiracy theories. Spamming a survey - including a cyber breach - and then not understanding surveys aren’t votes. Refusing to consider any alternative including using Crown as holding school until their backs were against the wall. Rampant disinformation. Next time just do the opposite of save woooton and you’ll be effective.

Perfect summary

Right because you knew everything that happened before closed doors?

Hate to break it to you, none of it matters when MCPS has made up its mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. Well-done advocacy can work but it doesn't mean the end result wasn't going to be the same anyways. It's worth doing and trying for it but the advocacy shouldn't get all the credit. Just like when it doesn't work, it doesn't mean that those you were advocating to didn't listen. And it was still worth trying.

Unfortunately, this process relies on people being able to show up and not everyone can (which was actually a big topic of convo at many BOE testimonies, that are often within standard working hours). There is just so much nuance, plus a high level of unfairness and inequity in the process.

+1

Advocacy to the BOE has proved to be more often fruitless than impactful IMO. I think the examples cited are merely examples where the PTA's advocacy aligned with what the board wanted to do already. Or reflect a change that was marginal and low-risk for the board, so they did just to say that they are responsive to community feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. Well-done advocacy can work but it doesn't mean the end result wasn't going to be the same anyways. It's worth doing and trying for it but the advocacy shouldn't get all the credit. Just like when it doesn't work, it doesn't mean that those you were advocating to didn't listen. And it was still worth trying.

Unfortunately, this process relies on people being able to show up and not everyone can (which was actually a big topic of convo at many BOE testimonies, that are often within standard working hours). There is just so much nuance, plus a high level of unfairness and inequity in the process.

+1

Advocacy to the BOE has proved to be more often fruitless than impactful IMO. I think the examples cited are merely examples where the PTA's advocacy aligned with what the board wanted to do already. Or reflect a change that was marginal and low-risk for the board, so they did just to say that they are responsive to community feedback.

+1

Not about PTA being effective per se vs. happens to align with what MCPS/BOE already want. They blew off PTA (and MCEA) on regional programs, so there's that.