Parents of current 7th graders - what do you think about the 6 regional magnets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how millennials idea of parenting is gossiping about how others aren’t doing enough for their kids while throwing in a few disingenuous virtue signals.

The schools will be the same + or - a percent, individual schools will perform and struggle differently based on their unique challenges and life will go on. Your kid will sink or swim depending on how well you parent.

I am one of the critics and I'n not just criticizing from the sidelines, I've actually invested a ton of time and effort into this process. I'm actually pretty furious about how MCPS sucked me into spending dozens of hours of my time on their sham "design team" process in the spring, at significant personal inconvenience, because I believed in the principles behind what they said they were doing and naively trusted that they would eventually get to the big questions and engage with us to come up with strong proposals. Instead they wasted our time week after week on hours and hours of unimportant conversations and then slowed down and stopped meeting with us when they started getting into the real issues and people weren't just saying "your plans are great." If our involvement was just supposed to be a charade anyway, then they at least should have kept it to a handful of short meetings.

Fellow design team member. Do you like how they are now chastising anyone who includes other design team members on emails? They don't want us to work together to oppose their plans. I'm sure we won't be meeting anymore for the same reason. What a sham of a process.

Central office staff are hell bent on scolding, tone policing, and stifling discussion in that group. Jeannie literally lectured me for typing “omfg” in a zoom chat and said I made her feel “a kind of way.”

Yeah, well, her plans to fundamentally alter kids’ school made me feel a kind of way. So I guess we’re even.

[Anonymous]

Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how millennials idea of parenting is gossiping about how others aren’t doing enough for their kids while throwing in a few disingenuous virtue signals.

The schools will be the same + or - a percent, individual schools will perform and struggle differently based on their unique challenges and life will go on. Your kid will sink or swim depending on how well you parent.

I am one of the critics and I'n not just criticizing from the sidelines, I've actually invested a ton of time and effort into this process. I'm actually pretty furious about how MCPS sucked me into spending dozens of hours of my time on their sham "design team" process in the spring, at significant personal inconvenience, because I believed in the principles behind what they said they were doing and naively trusted that they would eventually get to the big questions and engage with us to come up with strong proposals. Instead they wasted our time week after week on hours and hours of unimportant conversations and then slowed down and stopped meeting with us when they started getting into the real issues and people weren't just saying "your plans are great." If our involvement was just supposed to be a charade anyway, then they at least should have kept it to a handful of short meetings.

+1

Last week, a volunteer on the design team emailed the group asking when the next meeting would be, with a list of topics to address about implementation. A central office staffer replied saying no one is supposed to used that email group for substantive discussion, just confirmations of meeting times and zoom links.

DP. This happened once before when someone wrote with a summary of concerns about the process. They are definitely trying to prevent design team members from coordinating. We are more effective when we do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how millennials idea of parenting is gossiping about how others aren’t doing enough for their kids while throwing in a few disingenuous virtue signals.

The schools will be the same + or - a percent, individual schools will perform and struggle differently based on their unique challenges and life will go on. Your kid will sink or swim depending on how well you parent.

I am one of the critics and I'n not just criticizing from the sidelines, I've actually invested a ton of time and effort into this process. I'm actually pretty furious about how MCPS sucked me into spending dozens of hours of my time on their sham "design team" process in the spring, at significant personal inconvenience, because I believed in the principles behind what they said they were doing and naively trusted that they would eventually get to the big questions and engage with us to come up with strong proposals. Instead they wasted our time week after week on hours and hours of unimportant conversations and then slowed down and stopped meeting with us when they started getting into the real issues and people weren't just saying "your plans are great." If our involvement was just supposed to be a charade anyway, then they at least should have kept it to a handful of short meetings.

+1

Last week, a volunteer on the design team emailed the group asking when the next meeting would be, with a list of topics to address about implementation. A central office staffer replied saying no one is supposed to used that email group for substantive discussion, just confirmations of meeting times and zoom links.

DP. This happened once before when someone wrote with a summary of concerns about the process. They are definitely trying to prevent design team members from coordinating. We are more effective when we do so.

They also didn’t say there would be future meetings. In the last presentation to the BoE they teased big changes to middle schools. The design team has never discussed middle school and it doesn’t look like they plan to bring us back for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No, we were all volunteers. There were over 70 members at the beginning, a combination of parents and teachers. Lots of people with great perspectives and experience within MCPS. Participation dropped off over time. Meetings became all about central office telling us what they planned to do and accepting very little input.

At the last meeting there were maybe 25 volunteers, most of whom were parents (I assume staff prioritized work over a futile volunteer effort, which is entirely appropriate and understandable). There were more than a dozen central office staff on that call, and they did most of the talking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No, we were all volunteers. There were over 70 members at the beginning, a combination of parents and teachers. Lots of people with great perspectives and experience within MCPS. Participation dropped off over time. Meetings became all about central office telling us what they planned to do and accepting very little input.

At the last meeting there were maybe 25 volunteers, most of whom were parents (I assume staff prioritized work over a futile volunteer effort, which is entirely appropriate and understandable). There were more than a dozen central office staff on that call, and they did most of the talking.

What was the process for assembling the design team? Was the membership ever made public?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No, we were all volunteers. There were over 70 members at the beginning, a combination of parents and teachers. Lots of people with great perspectives and experience within MCPS. Participation dropped off over time. Meetings became all about central office telling us what they planned to do and accepting very little input.

At the last meeting there were maybe 25 volunteers, most of whom were parents (I assume staff prioritized work over a futile volunteer effort, which is entirely appropriate and understandable). There were more than a dozen central office staff on that call, and they did most of the talking.

What was the process for assembling the design team? Was the membership ever made public?

I heard about it through MCCPTA and volunteered. I don’t know what other recruitment efforts MCPS engaged in. I don’t think they have ever shared the participant list with the public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No. And they will never get their time back, that MCPS has wasted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No, we were all volunteers. There were over 70 members at the beginning, a combination of parents and teachers. Lots of people with great perspectives and experience within MCPS. Participation dropped off over time. Meetings became all about central office telling us what they planned to do and accepting very little input.

At the last meeting there were maybe 25 volunteers, most of whom were parents (I assume staff prioritized work over a futile volunteer effort, which is entirely appropriate and understandable). There were more than a dozen central office staff on that call, and they did most of the talking.

What was the process for assembling the design team? Was the membership ever made public?

I heard about it through MCCPTA and volunteered. I don’t know what other recruitment efforts MCPS engaged in. I don’t think they have ever shared the participant list with the public.

And were either of the two members of the Black and Brown Coalition involved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did MCPS provide any compensation to the design team members?

No, we were all volunteers. There were over 70 members at the beginning, a combination of parents and teachers. Lots of people with great perspectives and experience within MCPS. Participation dropped off over time. Meetings became all about central office telling us what they planned to do and accepting very little input.

At the last meeting there were maybe 25 volunteers, most of whom were parents (I assume staff prioritized work over a futile volunteer effort, which is entirely appropriate and understandable). There were more than a dozen central office staff on that call, and they did most of the talking.

And this approach of too many central office staff bulldozing their way through any "community engagement" is per the orders of Thomas Taylor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how millennials idea of parenting is gossiping about how others aren’t doing enough for their kids while throwing in a few disingenuous virtue signals.

The schools will be the same + or - a percent, individual schools will perform and struggle differently based on their unique challenges and life will go on. Your kid will sink or swim depending on how well you parent.

I am one of the critics and I'n not just criticizing from the sidelines, I've actually invested a ton of time and effort into this process. I'm actually pretty furious about how MCPS sucked me into spending dozens of hours of my time on their sham "design team" process in the spring, at significant personal inconvenience, because I believed in the principles behind what they said they were doing and naively trusted that they would eventually get to the big questions and engage with us to come up with strong proposals. Instead they wasted our time week after week on hours and hours of unimportant conversations and then slowed down and stopped meeting with us when they started getting into the real issues and people weren't just saying "your plans are great." If our involvement was just supposed to be a charade anyway, then they at least should have kept it to a handful of short meetings.

+1

Last week, a volunteer on the design team emailed the group asking when the next meeting would be, with a list of topics to address about implementation. A central office staffer replied saying no one is supposed to used that email group for substantive discussion, just confirmations of meeting times and zoom links.

DP. This happened once before when someone wrote with a summary of concerns about the process. They are definitely trying to prevent design team members from coordinating. We are more effective when we do so.

They also didn’t say there would be future meetings. In the last presentation to the BoE they teased big changes to middle schools. The design team has never discussed middle school and it doesn’t look like they plan to bring us back for that.

At our last meeting (a couple of months ago), they provided a pretty high-level overview of middle school changes. I presumed we would start meeting regularly about it, but given that we haven't met since then and they are chastising people for trying to participate in the process, I assume the design team is effectively disbanded.

[Anonymous]

So … every time a poster does not use quote feature or disagrees and/or provides evidence that they have been sharing false information on this platform, someone on here just claims that they are a “staffer” and dismisses what is stated instead of engaging in dialogue?

Then, the response to all of that is a “song” reiterating information we all now know to be false with someone offering coffee? That is not productive conversation.

Looks like if these folks were on the design team, MCPS would never be able to have any dialogue. If folks on the design team felt that they were silenced, why not share what you were trying to convey here?

[Anonymous]

Most current data: https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/DNLRYN704ACA/$file/WORKING%20DRAFT%20Sample%20Regional%20Programs%20Pathways%20251120.pdf

There is a break down school by school and examples of what typical pathways might look like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how millennials idea of parenting is gossiping about how others aren’t doing enough for their kids while throwing in a few disingenuous virtue signals.

The schools will be the same + or - a percent, individual schools will perform and struggle differently based on their unique challenges and life will go on. Your kid will sink or swim depending on how well you parent.

I am one of the critics and I'n not just criticizing from the sidelines, I've actually invested a ton of time and effort into this process. I'm actually pretty furious about how MCPS sucked me into spending dozens of hours of my time on their sham "design team" process in the spring, at significant personal inconvenience, because I believed in the principles behind what they said they were doing and naively trusted that they would eventually get to the big questions and engage with us to come up with strong proposals. Instead they wasted our time week after week on hours and hours of unimportant conversations and then slowed down and stopped meeting with us when they started getting into the real issues and people weren't just saying "your plans are great." If our involvement was just supposed to be a charade anyway, then they at least should have kept it to a handful of short meetings.

I have a BFF in the design team who shared the same experience and frustration with you. They were contributing numerous hours and efforts during high career instability (federal employee RIF etc), but felt a completely waste of time and extreme anxiety in seeing MCPS using their names as the scapegoats for “designing” the regions models. They were also on Taylor’s hiring committee, and regretted so much now. He seemed to be the best candidate back then and he promised a lot.

I’d like to hear more about what you mean by “big questions” and “real issues”? If you meant what I think you mean - transportation, staffing, curriculum, program quality and/or student academic preparation - they are starting to share the transportation plan and annual program evaluation metrics as of the last meeting on November 20th. Would love to hear your thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So … every time a poster does not use quote feature or disagrees and/or provides evidence that they have been sharing false information on this platform, someone on here just claims that they are a “staffer” and dismisses what is stated instead of engaging in dialogue?

Then, the response to all of that is a “song” reiterating information we all now know to be false with someone offering coffee? That is not productive conversation.

Looks like if these folks were on the design team, MCPS would never be able to have any dialogue. If folks on the design team felt that they were silenced, why not share what you were trying to convey here?

The concerns that the design team brought up have been well-covered on DCUM. We know no more than anyone else at this point. That creating greater access to high-quality programming sounds good, but that central office isn't putting in the work to ensure that the programming is actually high quality -- they are using a slipshod approach without doing the meaningful analysis needed to create strong programs. Lots of members of the design team brought up these concerns early and rather than trying to address them, central office moved it forward without changes. Now, central office is facing blowback from many community members--blowback that could have been mitigated if they had actually worked with the design team to make changes to the plan to address the concerns, which would have taken time and effort to create a solid plan.