MCPS Redisricting - offshoot from open enrollment/busing thread

[Anonymous]

Capacity refers to how many students a building can hold. If some schools have rooms that are being dedicated to programs that keep the numbers in those rooms at under 10, then that makes it look like it has extra room when it does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capacity refers to how many students a building can hold. If some schools have rooms that are being dedicated to programs that keep the numbers in those rooms at under 10, then that makes it look like it has extra room when it does not.

I can tell you for a fact that at CS, this is not the case. There are a couple of rooms sitting empty, and at least one teacher was let go because of the declining enrollment. From what I understand, one of the grades has only 17 students per class, while most ES schools have 23+/class.

So *maybe* some schools do have special programs that *may* reflect the capacity for the programs, but clearly, not all. And I wonder how many more are like CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm glad you posted this information. There are more schools that are under capacity throughout the county. Some are even slated to get new schools even though the need is greater elsewhere. A couple of years ago in The Washington Post, the head of the MCPS Division of Long-Range Planning said that dealing with overcrowded schools was like triage--taking care of the worst problems first. BULL. I'm truly shocked that no one is talking or writing about this is the press. Thank you for raising it.

Somebody -- you? -- keeps saying this on DCUM. Could you provide an example of a school that should not be on the capital improvement plan schedule, or should be bumped down?

I ask because being over capacity is not the only problem a school building can have.

Very true, there are other factors to consider with school building. Like is there a flooding issue like what was recently reported at Wheaton Woods. Or the persistent mold problem at Rolling Terrace in Silver Spring that was in the news recently. Those are immediate issues that needed to be dealt with. But the county isn't going to for a few years. Were these or similar issues at Beverly Farms, Wayside or Candlewood (not sure the name of that third one is right)? These are three that I've see that are under enrolled but getting new buildings. I've seen someone on DCUM saying Herbert Hoover Middle School did not need it but got it. These are just a few examples that I've heard of. If there were infrastructure problems at these schools then it's understandable but no one has said that's the case (not that I've seen anyway). I don't think this is a conspiracy and don't totally buy into the idea that some of proffered that the wealthy areas are getting what they want and others are languishing. But I don't think MoCo is dedicating resources where they are truly needed. And it's not all MCPS's fault. The Council is responsible for this as well. They encouraged growth in the county, which is a good thing. But they didn't plan to accommodate that growth and now many schools are paying the price with playground space that's being overrun with trailers.

I like the idea the OP had of redrawing districts. Would it be difficult? Yes. Would people complain? Definitely. But it's an idea that should at least be explored.

[Anonymous]

18:25, you are useless. Correcting spelling on a forum? Get a life.

[Anonymous]

I think Howard County does constant redistricting in order to keep the numbers even in their schools. I could be wrong, but this is what a Columbia area mom told me when we were house hunting. Maybe MCPS could adopt a similar policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Howard County does constant redistricting in order to keep the numbers even in their schools. I could be wrong, but this is what a Columbia area mom told me when we were house hunting. Maybe MCPS could adopt a similar policy?

And Howard County has a pretty good school district, right? I like this idea. Isn't this cheaper than building new schools or new adding new classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1. Starr doesn't care about anything other than Churchill and Wootten.

Nah, he also cares about Whitman.

To OP: Beverly Farms just got renovated. It WAS over-capacity. Things just don't change that fast.

[Anonymous]

His kids are in the Whitman cluster...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. Starr doesn't care about anything other than Churchill and Wootten.

Nah, he also cares about Whitman.

To OP: Beverly Farms just got renovated. It WAS over-capacity. Things just don't change that fast.

OK, so exclude BF. But that still leaves Fallsmead and CS, both of which have not been renovated, but both at under capacity. Also, another local school Lakewood ES was renovated in 2003 (over 10 yrs ago), and under capacity. So in the past 10 yrs, could they not have redistricted a bit to relieve over crowding from neighboring schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. Starr doesn't care about anything other than Churchill and Wootten.

Nah, he also cares about Whitman.

To OP: Beverly Farms just got renovated. It WAS over-capacity. Things just don't change that fast.

Beverly Farms was not overcapacity. The following was to a realtor website with a fact sheet from MCPS Division of Long-Range Planning prior to the new school opening.

http://www.reallynicehomes.com/media/uploads/reallynicehomes/winstonchurchill.pdf

[Anonymous]

Also, Wayside ES. Never been renovated. Capacity is 670, enrollment is 538.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02235.pdf

Travilah ES, renovated 1992 - capacity 517, enrolled 396

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02216.pdf


I see a pattern here. I haven't checked out all the ESs in the clusters, but all of the ones mentioned that are under capacity fall into the Wootton or Churchill cluster. Why would that be? Past the time to redistrict?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1. Starr doesn't care about anything other than Churchill and Wootten.

Nah, he also cares about Whitman.

To OP: Beverly Farms just got renovated. It WAS over-capacity. Things just don't change that fast.

Beverly Farms was not overcapacity. The following was to a realtor website with a fact sheet from MCPS Division of Long-Range Planning prior to the new school opening.

http://www.reallynicehomes.com/media/uploads/reallynicehomes/winstonchurchill.pdf

Wow.. this is very telling. The assessment was done in 2011, and only one ES had over capacity of 100, while the rest were already under capacity. Another school had under capacity of 100. If they had redistricted one neighborhood from the over capacity area to the under capacity area, the whole cluster would still have all the ESs under capacity.

I believe *all* of the ESs in the RM cluster are at over capacity. And I'm sure that's the same story across MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Howard County does constant redistricting in order to keep the numbers even in their schools. I could be wrong, but this is what a Columbia area mom told me when we were house hunting. Maybe MCPS could adopt a similar policy?

And Howard County has a pretty good school district, right? I like this idea. Isn't this cheaper than building new schools or new adding new classrooms?

Yes, it is...I think they outrank us. Not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I see a pattern here. I haven't checked out all the ESs in the clusters, but all of the ones mentioned that are under capacity fall into the Wootton or Churchill cluster. Why would that be? Past the time to redistrict?

Monocacy ES is under capacity -- Poolesville cluster. (Of course, Weast tried to close Monocacy ES...) Damascus ES is under capacity -- Damascus cluster. Darnestown ES is under capacity - Northwest cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see a pattern here. I haven't checked out all the ESs in the clusters, but all of the ones mentioned that are under capacity fall into the Wootton or Churchill cluster. Why would that be? Past the time to redistrict?

Monocacy ES is under capacity -- Poolesville cluster. (Of course, Weast tried to close Monocacy ES...) Damascus ES is under capacity -- Damascus cluster. Darnestown ES is under capacity - Northwest cluster.

And Gaithersburg is over capacity. So why not redistrict and send some from Gaithersburg to Darnestown ESs? Again, I don't understand how the District just doesn't redistrict already. It's so clear that there is a problem here.