Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Many wealthy school PTSA’s have foundations as well, funded by family contributions. Schools with less wealth certainly don’t have those and barely have PTSA’s. Some high schools have long-standing booster clubs with a lot of support. Others do not.

Yes the PTA variability is wild to me and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it. We were at a Title I elementary school and the PTA was very small, very low budget. We moved and are at a nearby ES (still downcounty) and the PTA is huge with a lot of participation and great fundraising. Relatedly, I'm still sorry this boundary study did not include elementary schools.

Most PTAs in West County do not raise that much money. Yes, volunteerism is high. It’s easy to walk down the street to school and meet your neighbors. Is that what you want to take away? That is evil.

My kid attended the magnet program at Blair. I did not volunteer as it was too far away. At my childrens’ elementary school I was on the board of the PTA for 10 years. It was convenient to go to school events.

It is the volunteering that makes the difference, not just the money. And volunteers raise the money of course. We wouldn’t be able to drive 45 minutes to volunteer. That would all stop.

Our fundraisers take literally hundreds of volunteers. That’s how it happens. Other schools can do the same.

*other schools where parents have the time and flexibility to make that kind of volunteer commitment -- not all schools have hundreds of parents who have that option.

+1 you all are not paying your cleaning and gardening service providers enough and they need to work second & third jobs to make ends meet

Yikes with the stereotypes

It's a "stereotype" that West county families hire out cleaning and gardening? It's a "stereotype" that Latino families living in East county are doing these jobs? It's a "stereotype" that these jobs do not pay well enough to allow people to get by on 40 hours of work a week?

No the stereotype is that all of the people in the poorer school districts are cleaners and gardeners who can’t volunteer.

Three quarters of Wheaton HS students have ever received FARMS. Similar at Northwood and Kennedy. There are really not that many parents there working flexible white collar jobs or with a SAHM that isn't caring for babies/toddlers. And it is not just the parents that are busy. The teens are working after school jobs or caring for younger siblings. That is why they are not organizing clubs. Smh

Wheaton has clubs but no marching band. Other schools have few clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a research overview from the progressive Urban Institute discussing how busing (and reliance on public transportation) has disparate impacts by income:

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-students-transportation-options-or-lack-thereof-affect-educational-and-health-outcomes

This is interesting since it doesn't say not to bus... but just, essentially, to bus better. That might be a good question for BoE as they're making their final decisions. How can transportation be improved?

o

The literature in general says that having a bus (versus no bus) with a shortish (under 45 min) ride can help low income kids attend school, but that longer bus rides (over 45 min) lead to poorer outcomes.

In the context of what’s proposed, it would all seem to increase bus ride length (on average). Obviously some of those rides would be very long, particularly factoring in traffic. I don’t see an option contemplates to descrease bus ride length (on average).

[Anonymous]

Oh here’s a readable overview of some busing research (by which I mean effect of bus ride length on educational outcomes, versus specifically about whether integration impacts school outcomes):

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/can-school-buses-improve-access-for-students-without-driving-down-academic-outcomes/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a research overview from the progressive Urban Institute discussing how busing (and reliance on public transportation) has disparate impacts by income:

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-students-transportation-options-or-lack-thereof-affect-educational-and-health-outcomes

This is interesting since it doesn't say not to bus... but just, essentially, to bus better. That might be a good question for BoE as they're making their final decisions. How can transportation be improved?

o

The literature in general says that having a bus (versus no bus) with a shortish (under 45 min) ride can help low income kids attend school, but that longer bus rides (over 45 min) lead to poorer outcomes.

In the context of what’s proposed, it would all seem to increase bus ride length (on average). Obviously some of those rides would be very long, particularly factoring in traffic. I don’t see an option contemplates to descrease bus ride length (on average).

How long are bus rides currently? I played around with google maps during rush hour and the drive times are not as different as you'd think. For the Farmland ES neighborhood for example it is about 10 minutes longer. And they would be going against traffic. Of course, bus rides are longer than car rides.

[Anonymous]

I think most people can agree that going from a 30 to a 40 minute bus ride is really not the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think most people can agree that going from a 30 to a 40 minute bus ride is really not the end of the world.

But some of these contemplate going from zero bus to 45 min.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a research overview from the progressive Urban Institute discussing how busing (and reliance on public transportation) has disparate impacts by income:

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-students-transportation-options-or-lack-thereof-affect-educational-and-health-outcomes

This is interesting since it doesn't say not to bus... but just, essentially, to bus better. That might be a good question for BoE as they're making their final decisions. How can transportation be improved?

o

The literature in general says that having a bus (versus no bus) with a shortish (under 45 min) ride can help low income kids attend school, but that longer bus rides (over 45 min) lead to poorer outcomes.

In the context of what’s proposed, it would all seem to increase bus ride length (on average). Obviously some of those rides would be very long, particularly factoring in traffic. I don’t see an option contemplates to descrease bus ride length (on average).

How long are bus rides currently? I played around with google maps during rush hour and the drive times are not as different as you'd think. For the Farmland ES neighborhood for example it is about 10 minutes longer. And they would be going against traffic. Of course, bus rides are longer than car rides.

Are you comparing the bus ride to Kennedy versus the walk to Woodward? That’s the comparison to make. Most of Farmland is WALK ZONE to WOODWARD!

[Anonymous]

So if longer bus rides = worse educational outcomes (on average) why do you want generally increased bus ride length? On average that’s going to hurt kids in the district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a research overview from the progressive Urban Institute discussing how busing (and reliance on public transportation) has disparate impacts by income:

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-students-transportation-options-or-lack-thereof-affect-educational-and-health-outcomes

This is interesting since it doesn't say not to bus... but just, essentially, to bus better. That might be a good question for BoE as they're making their final decisions. How can transportation be improved?

o

The literature in general says that having a bus (versus no bus) with a shortish (under 45 min) ride can help low income kids attend school, but that longer bus rides (over 45 min) lead to poorer outcomes.

In the context of what’s proposed, it would all seem to increase bus ride length (on average). Obviously some of those rides would be very long, particularly factoring in traffic. I don’t see an option contemplates to descrease bus ride length (on average).

How long are bus rides currently? I played around with google maps during rush hour and the drive times are not as different as you'd think. For the Farmland ES neighborhood for example it is about 10 minutes longer. And they would be going against traffic. Of course, bus rides are longer than car rides.

Are you comparing the bus ride to Kennedy versus the walk to Woodward? That’s the comparison to make. Most of Farmland is WALK ZONE to WOODWARD!

Stop shouting. I was comparing the current drive time to WJ.

Pull yourself together, woman.

[Anonymous]

DD has 10 minute bus ride to WJ. It would be 45 to Kennedy or walk to Woodward, depending on the option MCPS selects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think most people can agree that going from a 30 to a 40 minute bus ride is really not the end of the world.

But some of these contemplate going from zero bus to 45 min.

It has already been explained numerous times to you that high schools are not perfectly located across the county. Currently, many students are bussed to schools even though they could walk to another school nearby. That is not a crime. It is life. Life is hard sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if longer bus rides = worse educational outcomes (on average) why do you want generally increased bus ride length? On average that’s going to hurt kids in the district.

Not sure who you’re talking to. I personally don’t necessarily want that. But I also recognize bus rides are only one factor in educational outcomes. Ignoring all of the other factors and only concentrating on bus rides doesn’t make any sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if longer bus rides = worse educational outcomes (on average) why do you want generally increased bus ride length? On average that’s going to hurt kids in the district.

Not sure who you’re talking to. I personally don’t necessarily want that. But I also recognize bus rides are only one factor in educational outcomes. Ignoring all of the other factors and only concentrating on bus rides doesn’t make any sense.

Also, there’s no data to show that any options increase bus rides ON AVERAGE. You’re just worried that they might increase your kid’s bus ride. Which is fair. But might not contemplate the greater good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD has 10 minute bus ride to WJ. It would be 45 to Kennedy or walk to Woodward, depending on the option MCPS selects.

So you are saying going to Kennedy adds 35 minutes? How do you figure that? It is a straight shot on Randolph against traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a research overview from the progressive Urban Institute discussing how busing (and reliance on public transportation) has disparate impacts by income:

https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/how-students-transportation-options-or-lack-thereof-affect-educational-and-health-outcomes

This is interesting since it doesn't say not to bus... but just, essentially, to bus better. That might be a good question for BoE as they're making their final decisions. How can transportation be improved?

o

The literature in general says that having a bus (versus no bus) with a shortish (under 45 min) ride can help low income kids attend school, but that longer bus rides (over 45 min) lead to poorer outcomes.

In the context of what’s proposed, it would all seem to increase bus ride length (on average). Obviously some of those rides would be very long, particularly factoring in traffic. I don’t see an option contemplates to descrease bus ride length (on average).

How long are bus rides currently? I played around with google maps during rush hour and the drive times are not as different as you'd think. For the Farmland ES neighborhood for example it is about 10 minutes longer. And they would be going against traffic. Of course, bus rides are longer than car rides.

On google maps you can choose the bus option. While that’s the public transportation option, it’s probably more indicative of time. And it would be accurate for a parent without private transportation having to go to the school for whatever reason.