MCPS is an unmanageable behemoth - It's time to break the wheel

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the boundary line posts and discussions, it is clear that there is a better option: Divide MCPS into smaller school districts and give more independent control to the districts.

Montgomery County has over 1,000,000 residents. Public education is generally organized by municipalities (more common in New England) or by counties (more common in the mid-atlantic and southern states).

While the county-administered schools are logical in areas with more disperse or rural populations, Montgomery County has become too big for a single administered school system. Let the people of Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, etc, administer their own school districts and elect their own school board members.

+1 I've been on this soap box for years now. Need to twist the State rules or change them. If folks get together it could happen. Let's do it!

Like the 10 of you on DCUM?
It would be lot easier for you guys to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

No, it’s not easy. It would require massive change at the state level first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

No, it’s not easy. It would require massive change at the state level first.

+1. And the state in general is fine with countywide school districts. It's only an issue for MoCo and maybe a couple others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

No, it’s not easy. It would require massive change at the state level first.

+1. And the state in general is fine with countywide school districts. It's only an issue for MoCo and maybe a couple others.

It would make for many entertaining threads, though. Imagine the boundary issues creating all those cities. And how would the tax rates be determined?

“My block should have been in Kensington, not Wheaton!”

“My street is POTOMAC, not Gaithersburg!”

I grew up in a state with municipal school districts and those come with plenty of challenges, too.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to comment that my school district up north still has only one high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

... that is just about the furthest thing from easy I can imagine. But sure, knock yourself out, try to complete this easy step quickly so we can then move on to splitting up MCPS...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would support that. MCPS is just some behemoth Central Office with a billion dollar budget and no accountability. And it doesn't manage its huge portfolio of schools well.

Split up the district, and we don't need to have snow days when there's an inch that falls 2 hours away out east in the county. And maybe we could have graduations without driving to Baltimore.

Agree completely. Smaller districts would be easier to manage and easier to hold leadership accountable. The current dysfunction is not working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would support that. MCPS is just some behemoth Central Office with a billion dollar budget and no accountability. And it doesn't manage its huge portfolio of schools well.

Split up the district, and we don't need to have snow days when there's an inch that falls 2 hours away out east in the county. And maybe we could have graduations without driving to Baltimore.

Agree completely. Smaller districts would be easier to manage and easier to hold leadership accountable. The current dysfunction is not working.

Not really and you'd need more money to have more admin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

... that is just about the furthest thing from easy I can imagine. But sure, knock yourself out, try to complete this easy step quickly so we can then move on to splitting up MCPS...

I never said it would be easy. I answered their question as to how. Also no one ever said it would be quick. But if you don't ever try to change the shitty status quo then you continue to have a shitty status quo. I'd rather try than moan or just throw up my hands and say "iT cAnT bE DoNe because it's too hard."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With all the boundary line posts and discussions, it is clear that there is a better option: Divide MCPS into smaller school districts and give more independent control to the districts.

Montgomery County has over 1,000,000 residents. Public education is generally organized by municipalities (more common in New England) or by counties (more common in the mid-atlantic and southern states).

While the county-administered schools are logical in areas with more disperse or rural populations, Montgomery County has become too big for a single administered school system. Let the people of Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, etc, administer their own school districts and elect their own school board members.

+1 I've been on this soap box for years now. Need to twist the State rules or change them. If folks get together it could happen. Let's do it!

Like the 10 of you on DCUM?
It would be lot easier for you guys to move.

I really have a strong feeling there are more than ten of us. I grew up in the county and know a lot of people all of whom seem to agree it would be wise to TRY to change something because the current situation SICKS.

Also we didn't move per se but moved to private. And yes, I still care about the public schools in this county and would like to see them success so don't @ me with the but you don't even use the public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

... that is just about the furthest thing from easy I can imagine. But sure, knock yourself out, try to complete this easy step quickly so we can then move on to splitting up MCPS...

I never said it would be easy. I answered their question as to how. Also no one ever said it would be quick. But if you don't ever try to change the shitty status quo then you continue to have a shitty status quo. I'd rather try than moan or just throw up my hands and say "iT cAnT bE DoNe because it's too hard."

OK, start by taking it up with the state. The county has no power to do anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would that work with so many unincorporated areas? It works in other states because they actually have town/city government and taxes.

Easy. Make those areas incorporated and let them represent themselves instead of the county council member who "reps" them into giving developers everything they want.

No, it’s not easy. It would require massive change at the state level first.

+1. And the state in general is fine with countywide school districts. It's only an issue for MoCo and maybe a couple others.

If, in fantasy-land, this could be done, can it be done without each area also needing its own council/mayor, planning, zoning, trash pick-up and services, etc.? Usually towns and cities don’t get all their services from the county and have their own government along with their own BOE.

Also, small-city councils and mayors are typically a nightmare of their own.

[Anonymous]

It's not going to happen but these periodic threads about how rich people want to hoard public funding are fun.

[Anonymous]

I get the frustration with McPS. But I also feel like a lot of these comments about the county having different needs are just veiled class resentments. Basically — east county is poor and has lots of immigrants so their needs are different (greater) than west county. In states that have those small school districts there is a lot of disparity between school districts and more de facto segregation in schools. I mean, look at Newton versus Boston. I think a lot of the “McPS is too big” sentiment is really just “we should ditch the low income areas of MoCo” sentiment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get the frustration with McPS. But I also feel like a lot of these comments about the county having different needs are just veiled class resentments. Basically — east county is poor and has lots of immigrants so their needs are different (greater) than west county. In states that have those small school districts there is a lot of disparity between school districts and more de facto segregation in schools. I mean, look at Newton versus Boston. I think a lot of the “McPS is too big” sentiment is really just “we should ditch the low income areas of MoCo” sentiment.

That's exactly what it means.