Westland and Pyle geographic zoning seems crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Maybe MCPS could be more flexible about boundary changes if homeowners didn't treat boundary changes like the arrival of the Visigoths at the gates of Rome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Maybe MCPS could be more flexible about boundary changes if homeowners didn't treat boundary changes like the arrival of the Visigoths at the gates of Rome.

It's not like split-articulation or moving a few hundred kids from Pyle to Westland will change anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in one of those neighborhoods that is near Westland but feeds to Pyle. Luckily MCPS provides bus service so you don't need to take your kids to Pyle, or Westland, they can get there via the bus.

I went to Westland (actually Western at the time) and lived on the other side of Little Falls Pkwy and walked to school. So there are certainly walkable neighborhoods.

Huh. Why did they bother changing the name from Western to Westland?

There used to be a middle school called Leland where the Jane Lawton Center is now but in the early 80s it was closed and merged into Western and Western becane Westland. (Then 40 years later Silver Lake was built).

^^^Silver Creek

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Agree it's a strange use of resources but you'd have a big uproar if they did that. Many Pyle families do not want their children to go to Westland. I know that makes no sense because they are both great schools but they paid a premium for the Whitman cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's geographically bizarre and contributes to a lot of bus and car traffic in and around downtown Bethesda. It's stupid. But all in the name of socio-economic diversity, so...

We live closer to Pyle, but have to schlep all the way to Westland. I knew someone who lived right next to Westland and had to schlep all the way to Pyle.

Wait. This isn't true at all. OP is talking about neighborhoods like Kenwood near the Chevy Chase Whole Foods, that are geographically close to Westland but zoned to Pyle/Whitman. If anything, that zoning is about preserving economic segregation, not diversity.

More to the point, it is impossible for every school to be at the exact center of the attendance zone. Schools are built where there is property, and MCPS likes to preserve a clean articulation between ES --> MS --> HS, and sometimes that means that a certain attendance zone feels a little incongruous. So, in this case, a neighborhood like Kenwood is zoned to Pyle (not the closest school) but also Whitman (closest school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's geographically bizarre and contributes to a lot of bus and car traffic in and around downtown Bethesda. It's stupid. But all in the name of socio-economic diversity, so...

We live closer to Pyle, but have to schlep all the way to Westland. I knew someone who lived right next to Westland and had to schlep all the way to Pyle.

Wait. This isn't true at all. OP is talking about neighborhoods like Kenwood near the Chevy Chase Whole Foods, that are geographically close to Westland but zoned to Pyle/Whitman. If anything, that zoning is about preserving economic segregation, not diversity.

More to the point, it is impossible for every school to be at the exact center of the attendance zone. Schools are built where there is property, and MCPS likes to preserve a clean articulation between ES --> MS --> HS, and sometimes that means that a certain attendance zone feels a little incongruous. So, in this case, a neighborhood like Kenwood is zoned to Pyle (not the closest school) but also Whitman (closest school).

Maybe it's time they get over this clean articulation and focus on neighborhood schools instead of creating more busing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's geographically bizarre and contributes to a lot of bus and car traffic in and around downtown Bethesda. It's stupid. But all in the name of socio-economic diversity, so...

We live closer to Pyle, but have to schlep all the way to Westland. I knew someone who lived right next to Westland and had to schlep all the way to Pyle.

Wait. This isn't true at all. OP is talking about neighborhoods like Kenwood near the Chevy Chase Whole Foods, that are geographically close to Westland but zoned to Pyle/Whitman. If anything, that zoning is about preserving economic segregation, not diversity.

More to the point, it is impossible for every school to be at the exact center of the attendance zone. Schools are built where there is property, and MCPS likes to preserve a clean articulation between ES --> MS --> HS, and sometimes that means that a certain attendance zone feels a little incongruous. So, in this case, a neighborhood like Kenwood is zoned to Pyle (not the closest school) but also Whitman (closest school).

Maybe it's time they get over this clean articulation and focus on neighborhood schools instead of creating more busing.

If MCPS would work with the county and state, they could reduce busing by a lot, without any boundary changes. A lot of MCPS students live within the walking distances but get bused because the walk isn't safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

which is why MCPS should absolutely be looking at neighboring clusters for capacity planning. So stupid that they haven't been doing this.

They have been doing this, sometimes. A couple years ago when Forest Knolls (Northwood cluster) was overcrowded, the solution was to build additions at Pine Crest and Montgomery Knolls (both in the Blair cluster) and then rezone kids at the ES level only.

[Anonymous]

Westland/Pyle borders are a result of historical horse-trading, like when a new development went up that would be in the district of one school, but that school didn't have capacity, then they moved around the borders. It's why the apartment buildings on River Road (across from 7-11) are in Westland and same with the buildings across from the Giant on Westbard.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford a house near Westland zoned for Pyle you can definitely afford a house nearby zoned for Westland. If you are talking about the Westbard apts then it is what it is. Those are kept with Pyle as they account for just about all the lower income for the entire cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Agree it's a strange use of resources but you'd have a big uproar if they did that. Many Pyle families do not want their children to go to Westland. I know that makes no sense because they are both great schools but they paid a premium for the Whitman cluster.

While others are tired of paying additional transportation costs to bus kids all over the place to make a few rich families happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Agree it's a strange use of resources but you'd have a big uproar if they did that. Many Pyle families do not want their children to go to Westland. I know that makes no sense because they are both great schools but they paid a premium for the Whitman cluster.

While others are tired of paying additional transportation costs to bus kids all over the place to make a few rich families happy.

Why is county-wide redistricting not talked about anymore when it was literally a life or death, existential, you’re a horrible person if you disagree type of question for proponents 5 years ago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, it's geographically bizarre and contributes to a lot of bus and car traffic in and around downtown Bethesda. It's stupid. But all in the name of socio-economic diversity, so...

We live closer to Pyle, but have to schlep all the way to Westland. I knew someone who lived right next to Westland and had to schlep all the way to Pyle.

Wait. This isn't true at all. OP is talking about neighborhoods like Kenwood near the Chevy Chase Whole Foods, that are geographically close to Westland but zoned to Pyle/Whitman. If anything, that zoning is about preserving economic segregation, not diversity.

More to the point, it is impossible for every school to be at the exact center of the attendance zone. Schools are built where there is property, and MCPS likes to preserve a clean articulation between ES --> MS --> HS, and sometimes that means that a certain attendance zone feels a little incongruous. So, in this case, a neighborhood like Kenwood is zoned to Pyle (not the closest school) but also Whitman (closest school).

Kenwood is zoned for Westland. It was switched from Somerset ES to Westbrook ES recently, but both Somerset and Westbrook feed into Westland then BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Agree it's a strange use of resources but you'd have a big uproar if they did that. Many Pyle families do not want their children to go to Westland. I know that makes no sense because they are both great schools but they paid a premium for the Whitman cluster.

While others are tired of paying additional transportation costs to bus kids all over the place to make a few rich families happy.

Why is county-wide redistricting not talked about anymore when it was literally a life or death, existential, you’re a horrible person if you disagree type of question for proponents 5 years ago?

My guess is it's politically an issue with some vocal parents who falsely believe that this will destroy their good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's MCPS's cluster system. Pyle serves the Whitman cluster and Westland serves the BCC cluster. What makes it even more ridiculous is that Westland has more than 200 empty seats, and rather than rezone some nearby Pyle students there, MCPS recently opened an addition at Pyle to address overcrowding.

Agree it's a strange use of resources but you'd have a big uproar if they did that. Many Pyle families do not want their children to go to Westland. I know that makes no sense because they are both great schools but they paid a premium for the Whitman cluster.

While others are tired of paying additional transportation costs to bus kids all over the place to make a few rich families happy.

Why is county-wide redistricting not talked about anymore when it was literally a life or death, existential, you’re a horrible person if you disagree type of question for proponents 5 years ago?

We've moved on to covid and gender culture wars