Schools splitting from large ineffective school systems - could the 4 Ws split from MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Oh no OP. It's you AGAIN, with yet another thread on how your oh so special, supremely super duper talents, 99.9% didn't get into the Magnet.
I get it, you are disappointed. But you are really stirring yourself up. Not healthy. Not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting study from the Center for American Progress that suggests the ideal school district size--from the standpoint of efficient spending--is 2,000-4,000 students. I've only read the summary findings, so far, but some of the arguments are that small school districts (defined in the paper as fewer than 1,000 students) do have higher costs, but large school districts suffer from bureaucratic issues and a one size fits all administrative mentality.

Like a lot of things, the solution seems to be to find a happy medium.

https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SchoolDistrictSize.pdf

But efficient spending is not the purpose of a public school district. Education is. Which is why, for example, school districts can't save lots of money by kicking out all of the kids who have expensive special needs.

Sure, but it's one factor. They argue that there's a ton of lost capacity, in terms of dollars that could be used for educational purposes going instead to administration.

[Anonymous]

I wasn't the one who floated the idea, but since I am a product of private schools and send my kids to public school in Bethesda... I wouldn't be against it.

Please realize that the wall you speak of is already there, in real estate value. Creating a different public school system in Bethesda won't change anything.

School ratings affect property values. A ranch in W district is worth more than an MCM house in SS with decent lot due to schools.

The DCC could change to become county wide and that would level property values.

Granted, it will never happen because of the type of residents of W schools would never let it.

Just like they don’t want tax rates rates raised on their country clubs
http://www.theseventhstate.com/?p=9503

[Anonymous]

It's sad people can't have a open discussion. No matter what you discuss they will lead to race and SES. If a person has a bias in the inner heart, s/he sees everything through a len of discrimination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's sad people can't have a open discussion. No matter what you discuss they will lead to race and SES. If a person has a bias in the inner heart, s/he sees everything through a len of discrimination.

Tell it to the OP, PP. Here's the OP.

This is going on now in Malibu and Salt Lake City. Areas with higher performing students are working to split off from large ineffective, bureaucratic systems. The Malibu - Santa Monica split is being complicated by the amount of money Santa Monica wants from Malibu but it looks like this will eventually happen. CA actually makes it harder for systems to do this so it might be easier here in MD.

There is a tipping point in frustration when a school system only takes from one area to benefit another even if the need in the other area is greater. If students in the W clusters are no eligible for county-wide magnet programs, building renovations are constantly delayed, parents can't fund raise for things like teacher aides or facility improvements then perhaps its time to split.

[Anonymous]

OP- please realize that just because you bought into a rich, all white school and paid good money for it, doesn't make you immune to the problems of the county. #2 If you want real effective solutions and an open discussion with others outside of the W schools, then you need to not propose solutions that are going to further perpetuate the segregation that already exists in this county. You are promoting a W vs. Non-W mentality that I think is very unhealthy for this county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- please realize that just because you bought into a rich, all white school and paid good money for it, doesn't make you immune to the problems of the county. #2 If you want real effective solutions and an open discussion with others outside of the W schools, then you need to not propose solutions that are going to further perpetuate the segregation that already exists in this county. You are promoting a W vs. Non-W mentality that I think is very unhealthy for this county.

DP. In the interests of accuracy -- there are no actually all-white schools in the county. Even the whitest schools in MCPS are only about 75% white, which means that 1 in 4 kids is not white.

[Anonymous]

WJ may not remain same once Woodward opens.

There will be 2K extra seats in combined Woodward and WJ. All this talk about W school is not applicable for WJ in future. WJ and Woodward will be getting 2K students from clusters which is not looked highly by many.

Woodward and WJ may actually be below RM in future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: so the magnet program is basically moot and just lip service for anyone on the west side of the county?

No, there are a number of children from "W" schools who were accepted to the magnet programs this year.

so what the f is the problem?

Some parents broke the first rule of "W Club". They brought up how dissatisfied they were with the W schools when their child didn't get into the magnet.

Well, shit...now they gotta find a different way to make sure they are differentiated from us "regular" folks in the rest of the county.

In our case, each of us got a massive promotion and now can consider private schools. We went on a few private school Fall tours and open houses, loved the curricula, teachers, schools and peer groups. We applied and will find out soon where each kid goes for 6th grade and 4th grade next year.

Otherwise, we were just making the best of it, since that was what we could fiscally afford to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: so the magnet program is basically moot and just lip service for anyone on the west side of the county?

No, there are a number of children from "W" schools who were accepted to the magnet programs this year.

so what the f is the problem?

Some parents broke the first rule of "W Club". They brought up how dissatisfied they were with the W schools when their child didn't get into the magnet.

Well, shit...now they gotta find a different way to make sure they are differentiated from us "regular" folks in the rest of the county.

In our case, each of us got a massive promotion and now can consider private schools. We went on a few private school Fall tours and open houses, loved the curricula, teachers, schools and peer groups. We applied and will find out soon where each kid goes for 6th grade and 4th grade next year.

Otherwise, we were just making the best of it, since that was what we could fiscally afford to do.

Frankly, this will be our backup option as well. We love our neighborhood and would probably stay here, even if we end up in private school. It's *not* what we want to do, but if we have to, we will.

Oh, and this is one of the reasons we like MD; as others have said, there are more private schools on this side of the river.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: so the magnet program is basically moot and just lip service for anyone on the west side of the county?

No, there are a number of children from "W" schools who were accepted to the magnet programs this year.

so what the f is the problem?

Some parents broke the first rule of "W Club". They brought up how dissatisfied they were with the W schools when their child didn't get into the magnet.

Well, shit...now they gotta find a different way to make sure they are differentiated from us "regular" folks in the rest of the county.

the only ppl we see throwing curse words and F bombs are you two. class act I see.

anyone can look at a map and drive the beltway at 7am and, better yet, 5pm and see that the magnet locations are not meant to serve the whole county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm all for breaking up MCPS, in the name of bureaucratic ease. It's much too big, from an administrative standpoint.

However, what you all are proposing is essentially, "let's split off from the poor parts of the county because we don't want to deal with them."

1. That's horrific, from an ethical standpoint.
2. It's just wrong. The "W" schools aren't the only strong ones in MCPS.

What's happened the last 15 years is that the poor parts of the county are all that MCPS deals with.

Half of bethesda with kids already is in private or parochial. and it's not because they're trust fund families, it's because they had an open mind about MCPS and were excited at some point, but no longer are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

the only ppl we see throwing curse words and F bombs are you two. class act I see.

anyone can look at a map and drive the beltway at 7am and, better yet, 5pm and see that the magnet locations are not meant to serve the whole county.

They don't serve the whole county. Well, except for the Visual Arts program at Einstein and the Global Ecology program at Poolesville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Folks advocating this idea should really look at the recent 11th Circuit case to see how federal courts look at wealthy white areas trying to break off into majority white school districts.

Spoiler Alert: They don't like it. They actually don't allow it.

Cuz they need their free moooonnney!!

Pay up folks: Work hard, follow the rules, stay out of trouble, pay your taxes.... so you can support those who don't! Tell your kids to do the same!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m trying to wrap my mind around being this self-centered and entitled but it’s hard to grapple with

+1000

They'll try to justify it til the cows come home, but these people are just pure entitled a$$holes.

You want to take moral high ground, why you go and ensure parents of each student will spend 30 min with their kids, and talk to their kids what they do at school. Once again, this is not about SES, not about race. It is about the responsibility of parents.

If this isn't about race and isn't about class, then what is it about the western part of the county that makes the parents there so much better?

Oh, and by the way, given the suicide rates and self-harm rates over there, I'd be a little less smug if I were you about how much attention the parents are paying to their kids.

I did not say the west part of the count does not have problems. They have some serious problems too, but these are completely different ones. Just like you mentioned too much pressure. That's why to separate them and let them deal with their own issues.

I mean, you DID say that "those people" just need to spend 30 minutes a day with their kids, which is advice you might want to apply closer to home. If all the W parents got home from the firm before 11 pm, they might notice that little Bentley is a cutter.

in most cases the kid is raised by grandma so she needs to do it. her single daughter mothered the kids, father not around. So stop saying parents as plural. Just say Grandma or Auntie or Cousin.