Woodward and Crown boundary timeline talk at BOE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

You'd heard wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the summary. I think it does make sense to do one mammoth study. IMO, they should look at all of those clusters for Woodward and Crown together.

Some of the neighborhoods in the Crown cluster are closer to the clusters impacted by Woodward.

There's not going to be enough room at Woodward for RM students too. There's barely enough room for WJ and DCC students.

The whole process of redistributing kids will be interesting. Which students from RM are closest to Woodward? I think it's the southern pieces of Rustin and Twinbrook ESes. The only schools equally close from DCC are the Western portions of Viers Mill and Rock View ESes.

The point is RM's overcrowding will be relieved via the Crown study, likely by rezoning some of the northern or western parts of the cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

[Anonymous]

And all the while top performers in Wootton continue to top perform in an ancient claptrap built when Nixon was in the White House…

Go ahead and underfund the best. But Central Office then can’t use these childrens’ test scores to defend a system that has such failure (in brand new facilities) everywhere else…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And all the while top performers in Wootton continue to top perform in an ancient claptrap built when Nixon was in the White House…

Go ahead and underfund the best. But Central Office then can’t use these childrens’ test scores to defend a system that has such failure (in brand new facilities) everywhere else…

Don't worry, some Wootton students will be rezoned to Crown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And all the while top performers in Wootton continue to top perform in an ancient claptrap built when Nixon was in the White House…

Go ahead and underfund the best. But Central Office then can’t use these childrens’ test scores to defend a system that has such failure (in brand new facilities) everywhere else…

You should be complaining to the county council. They twice delayed the funding for the Wootton capital project.

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP24_Chapter4Wootton.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For current 7th graders in WJ cluster, this sounds like a nightmare. If they choose the Apex program, would they be able to complete it if redistricted to Woodward? I realize no one knows the answer to that.

It is not a nightmare. They will account for these sorts of questions in 2026

That’s useless. The 7th graders have to decide next year. And as rising juniors when Woodward is slated to open, they aren’t entitled to stay at WJ per MCPS policy. So now as 7th grade parents, we’re having to give greater consideration to magnet options (which we don’t want to do) if these questions aren’t answered next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For current 7th graders in WJ cluster, this sounds like a nightmare. If they choose the Apex program, would they be able to complete it if redistricted to Woodward? I realize no one knows the answer to that.

It is not a nightmare. They will account for these sorts of questions in 2026

That’s useless. The 7th graders have to decide next year. And as rising juniors when Woodward is slated to open, they aren’t entitled to stay at WJ per MCPS policy. So now as 7th grade parents, we’re having to give greater consideration to magnet options (which we don’t want to do) if these questions aren’t answered next year.

That's incorrect. The last time HS boundaries were changed, in 2019, they reassigned 9th and 10th graders the following year, then 9th - 11th the year after that, then 9th - 12th the year after that. They also made exceptions for students who were already enrolled in some special programs that wouldn't be available at the new school:

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/SVHS_BOEResolution.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For current 7th graders in WJ cluster, this sounds like a nightmare. If they choose the Apex program, would they be able to complete it if redistricted to Woodward? I realize no one knows the answer to that.

It is not a nightmare. They will account for these sorts of questions in 2026

That’s useless. The 7th graders have to decide next year. And as rising juniors when Woodward is slated to open, they aren’t entitled to stay at WJ per MCPS policy. So now as 7th grade parents, we’re having to give greater consideration to magnet options (which we don’t want to do) if these questions aren’t answered next year.

That's incorrect. The last time HS boundaries were changed, in 2019, they reassigned 9th and 10th graders the following year, then 9th - 11th the year after that, then 9th - 12th the year after that. They also made exceptions for students who were already enrolled in some special programs that wouldn't be available at the new school:

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/SVHS_BOEResolution.pdf

They can do that. But, as stated, it’s not an entitlement per policy like it is for 12th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

You'd heard wrong.

Nope my friend at the central office assured me this is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For current 7th graders in WJ cluster, this sounds like a nightmare. If they choose the Apex program, would they be able to complete it if redistricted to Woodward? I realize no one knows the answer to that.

It is not a nightmare. They will account for these sorts of questions in 2026

That’s useless. The 7th graders have to decide next year. And as rising juniors when Woodward is slated to open, they aren’t entitled to stay at WJ per MCPS policy. So now as 7th grade parents, we’re having to give greater consideration to magnet options (which we don’t want to do) if these questions aren’t answered next year.

That's incorrect. The last time HS boundaries were changed, in 2019, they reassigned 9th and 10th graders the following year, then 9th - 11th the year after that, then 9th - 12th the year after that. They also made exceptions for students who were already enrolled in some special programs that wouldn't be available at the new school:

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/SVHS_BOEResolution.pdf

They can do that. But, as stated, it’s not an entitlement per policy like it is for 12th graders.

Which policy states that it is an entitlement for 12th graders? This isn't mentioned in FAA: https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/faa.pdf