What’s going on at Travilah ES?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yea the positive story is a symbol of all that is right and a huge sign of support but the bad stories don’t mean anything more and are just the experiences of some crazy outliers right??? It’s ridiculous!!! The voices of all deserve to be heard. Most of the complaints are very valid! And the PTA are not MCPS representatives that have to fight anti racism battles and enlighten humanity, they are freaking volunteers who want to help make the science fair nice and buy an extra water cooler for the teachers and staff this woman is scaring off!!!

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal came out looking like a champ - the parents not so much. They really embarrassed themselves, especially that one lady.

The parents criticizing he principal came across as unhinged. It was really strange. I had a friend who tagged along just to see because she was eyeing the neighborhood but is no longer interested given the vibe of the parents.

Yes do not come!!! Stay away. We don’t need any more creeps. This school was the crown jewel of MCPS and should be compared to others within its cluster not dragged into the swamp of MCPS. And our school is getting more crowded every year and This Principal has proven she cannot handle it, don’t come!!! Our property values are too high and there’s already no parking at our local Trader Joe’s, who needs you.

It was such a great school! It is heartbreaking to see how far the school has fallen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal came out looking like a champ - the parents not so much. They really embarrassed themselves, especially that one lady.

The parents criticizing he principal came across as unhinged. It was really strange. I had a friend who tagged along just to see because she was eyeing the neighborhood but is no longer interested given the vibe of the parents.

Yes do not come!!! Stay away. We don’t need any more creeps. This school was the crown jewel of MCPS and should be compared to others within its cluster not dragged into the swamp of MCPS. And our school is getting more crowded every year and This Principal has proven she cannot handle it, don’t come!!! Our property values are too high and there’s already no parking at our local Trader Joe’s, who needs you.

It was such a great school! It is heartbreaking to see how far the school has fallen

The decline of Travilah is the decline of MCPS. Though I agree the principal may have sadly had a hand in alienating so many staff and making them seek new positions elsewhere, it’s MCPS itself that has led to the decline in value of the MCPS education and bloated, too big to fail administration. The saving grace of this school are its amazing parents. And I don’t mean the chorus of harpies! All voices deserve to be heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal came out looking like a champ - the parents not so much. They really embarrassed themselves, especially that one lady.

The parents criticizing he principal came across as unhinged. It was really strange. I had a friend who tagged along just to see because she was eyeing the neighborhood but is no longer interested given the vibe of the parents.

Yes do not come!!! Stay away. We don’t need any more creeps. This school was the crown jewel of MCPS and should be compared to others within its cluster not dragged into the swamp of MCPS. And our school is getting more crowded every year and This Principal has proven she cannot handle it, don’t come!!! Our property values are too high and there’s already no parking at our local Trader Joe’s, who needs you.

It was such a great school! It is heartbreaking to see how far the school has fallen

The decline of Travilah is the decline of MCPS. Though I agree the principal may have sadly had a hand in alienating so many staff and making them seek new positions elsewhere, it’s MCPS itself that has led to the decline in value of the MCPS education and bloated, too big to fail administration. The saving grace of this school are its amazing parents. And I don’t mean the chorus of harpies! All voices deserve to be heard.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal came out looking like a champ - the parents not so much. They really embarrassed themselves, especially that one lady.

The parents criticizing he principal came across as unhinged. It was really strange. I had a friend who tagged along just to see because she was eyeing the neighborhood but is no longer interested given the vibe of the parents.

Yes do not come!!! Stay away. We don’t need any more creeps. This school was the crown jewel of MCPS and should be compared to others within its cluster not dragged into the swamp of MCPS. And our school is getting more crowded every year and This Principal has proven she cannot handle it, don’t come!!! Our property values are too high and there’s already no parking at our local Trader Joe’s, who needs you.

It was such a great school! It is heartbreaking to see how far the school has fallen

The decline of Travilah is the decline of MCPS. Though I agree the principal may have sadly had a hand in alienating so many staff and making them seek new positions elsewhere, it’s MCPS itself that has led to the decline in value of the MCPS education and bloated, too big to fail administration. The saving grace of this school are its amazing parents. And I don’t mean the chorus of harpies! All voices deserve to be heard.

The term "harpy" isn't necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why some people still think our school is doing fine!

The teacher turnover rate at our school is very high. Since the principal joined, only three teachers have remained. The principal claimed the turnover rate is 18%, but this is not accurate. Even if it were true, the turnover rate for MCPS over the past four years is 4.85% (excluding retirement based on the principal), according to page 101 of this report (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/REPORTS/2024/MCPS-2024.pdf)

Despite the principal's year-end message stating that only 50% of 5th graders met the benchmark, our school's MCAP math test scores have dropped from nearly 90 in 2018 to 62.5 in 2023. We went from being one of the highest-achieving schools in the cluster to the lowest-achieving. It's important to note that neither our cluster schools, MCPS, nor the state of Maryland have experienced this decline.

These are valid questions and concerns. The principal doesn't seem to have an answer. She mentioned having improvement plans, but what are they? Where are they? Based on the MCPS Leadership Standards, Criteria, and Descriptive Examples, she is very ineffective.

Sadly, this isn’t going to turn around quickly. As the principal drove away basically the entire teaching and support staff in a few years and has revolving door for new hires, it will be very hard to attract good teachers. If luck strikes and a qualified teacher does choose Travilah they won’t stay. This plays out in mismanaged classrooms, increased bullying and lower academic performance.

Best options for parents. 1. Go private if you can afford it for K-5. Frost is still good so plan to enter Frost in middle school.
2. Stay but become very involved. Document and send a complaint to the BOE whenever you experience the principal screaming at someone, too high a % of instructional time being delivered by a substitute, safety issues from lack of supervision at drop off, pick up , lunch and recess, bullying, and non responsive in a timely manner behavior. Despite MCPS appearing to circle the wagons, they are aware. The hope is that parents will just slink away. If you stick with it, a sustained volume of actionable offenses will require action. 3. Do not trust the school to educate your child. Focus at home on providing adequate math and language arts instruction, use outside tutors, on line programs and whatever it takes. View Travilah as a daycare where your child gets socialization and is watched by babysitters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why some people still think our school is doing fine!

The teacher turnover rate at our school is very high. Since the principal joined, only three teachers have remained. The principal claimed the turnover rate is 18%, but this is not accurate. Even if it were true, the turnover rate for MCPS over the past four years is 4.85% (excluding retirement based on the principal), according to page 101 of this report (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/REPORTS/2024/MCPS-2024.pdf)

Despite the principal's year-end message stating that only 50% of 5th graders met the benchmark, our school's MCAP math test scores have dropped from nearly 90 in 2018 to 62.5 in 2023. We went from being one of the highest-achieving schools in the cluster to the lowest-achieving. It's important to note that neither our cluster schools, MCPS, nor the state of Maryland have experienced this decline.

These are valid questions and concerns. The principal doesn't seem to have an answer. She mentioned having improvement plans, but what are they? Where are they? Based on the MCPS Leadership Standards, Criteria, and Descriptive Examples, she is very ineffective.

Sadly, this isn’t going to turn around quickly. As the principal drove away basically the entire teaching and support staff in a few years and has revolving door for new hires, it will be very hard to attract good teachers. If luck strikes and a qualified teacher does choose Travilah they won’t stay. This plays out in mismanaged classrooms, increased bullying and lower academic performance.

Best options for parents. 1. Go private if you can afford it for K-5. Frost is still good so plan to enter Frost in middle school.
2. Stay but become very involved. Document and send a complaint to the BOE whenever you experience the principal screaming at someone, too high a % of instructional time being delivered by a substitute, safety issues from lack of supervision at drop off, pick up , lunch and recess, bullying, and non responsive in a timely manner behavior. Despite MCPS appearing to circle the wagons, they are aware. The hope is that parents will just slink away. If you stick with it, a sustained volume of actionable offenses will require action. 3. Do not trust the school to educate your child. Focus at home on providing adequate math and language arts instruction, use outside tutors, on line programs and whatever it takes. View Travilah as a daycare where your child gets socialization and is watched by babysitters.

100%!!

[Anonymous]

The only way to get any recourse is to continue asking questions of the principal, central office, and the Board of Education. As parents, we have legitimate concerns and deserve, legitimate, honest answers.
I hope that the PTA continues to require accountability of this administration.
Test scores and staff departures do not tell a good story at this school. Would it really be difficult for MCPS to move some admin around and make some changes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way to get any recourse is to continue asking questions of the principal, central office, and the Board of Education. As parents, we have legitimate concerns and deserve, legitimate, honest answers.
I hope that the PTA continues to require accountability of this administration.
Test scores and staff departures do not tell a good story at this school. Would it really be difficult for MCPS to move some admin around and make some changes?

100%! This exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The principal came out looking like a champ - the parents not so much. They really embarrassed themselves, especially that one lady.

The parents criticizing he principal came across as unhinged. It was really strange. I had a friend who tagged along just to see because she was eyeing the neighborhood but is no longer interested given the vibe of the parents.

Yes do not come!!! Stay away. We don’t need any more creeps. This school was the crown jewel of MCPS and should be compared to others within its cluster not dragged into the swamp of MCPS. And our school is getting more crowded every year and This Principal has proven she cannot handle it, don’t come!!! Our property values are too high and there’s already no parking at our local Trader Joe’s, who needs you.

It was such a great school! It is heartbreaking to see how far the school has fallen

The decline of Travilah is the decline of MCPS. Though I agree the principal may have sadly had a hand in alienating so many staff and making them seek new positions elsewhere, it’s MCPS itself that has led to the decline in value of the MCPS education and bloated, too big to fail administration. The saving grace of this school are its amazing parents. And I don’t mean the chorus of harpies! All voices deserve to be heard.

+1

If all voices deserve to be heard, why do you denigrate some by labeling them harpies?

[Anonymous]

The amount of sock puppeting and disgruntled former staff determined to push a particular narrative in this thread is comical. Okay, you felt uncomfy, so you left and now you keep looking in the rearview mirror wanting everyone to follow you and feel the same way. Accept that this is your little poorly planned Jerry McGuire moment and go commiserate with your lone goldfish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why some people still think our school is doing fine!

The teacher turnover rate at our school is very high. Since the principal joined, only three teachers have remained. The principal claimed the turnover rate is 18%, but this is not accurate. Even if it were true, the turnover rate for MCPS over the past four years is 4.85% (excluding retirement based on the principal), according to page 101 of this report (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/REPORTS/2024/MCPS-2024.pdf)

Despite the principal's year-end message stating that only 50% of 5th graders met the benchmark, our school's MCAP math test scores have dropped from nearly 90 in 2018 to 62.5 in 2023. We went from being one of the highest-achieving schools in the cluster to the lowest-achieving. It's important to note that neither our cluster schools, MCPS, nor the state of Maryland have experienced this decline.

These are valid questions and concerns. The principal doesn't seem to have an answer. She mentioned having improvement plans, but what are they? Where are they? Based on the MCPS Leadership Standards, Criteria, and Descriptive Examples, she is very ineffective.

Sadly, this isn’t going to turn around quickly. As the principal drove away basically the entire teaching and support staff in a few years and has revolving door for new hires, it will be very hard to attract good teachers. If luck strikes and a qualified teacher does choose Travilah they won’t stay. This plays out in mismanaged classrooms, increased bullying and lower academic performance.

Best options for parents. 1. Go private if you can afford it for K-5. Frost is still good so plan to enter Frost in middle school.
2. Stay but become very involved. Document and send a complaint to the BOE whenever you experience the principal screaming at someone, too high a % of instructional time being delivered by a substitute, safety issues from lack of supervision at drop off, pick up , lunch and recess, bullying, and non responsive in a timely manner behavior. Despite MCPS appearing to circle the wagons, they are aware. The hope is that parents will just slink away. If you stick with it, a sustained volume of actionable offenses will require action. 3. Do not trust the school to educate your child. Focus at home on providing adequate math and language arts instruction, use outside tutors, on line programs and whatever it takes. View Travilah as a daycare where your child gets socialization and is watched by babysitters.

Face it, most of you are too poor for private, despite your haughty attitudes (and aging homes and middling bank accounts). So you will stay and life will go on. The truly wealthy will continue to go private because they can afford to pay for a good education. You, not so much. When will you accept that public school is like eating at the buffet - limited options but every now and then you find something you like. You just have to accept that.You can scream until you're red in the face, sending emails every hour but at the end of the day, you're just another poor customer in line at the buffet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why some people still think our school is doing fine!

The teacher turnover rate at our school is very high. Since the principal joined, only three teachers have remained. The principal claimed the turnover rate is 18%, but this is not accurate. Even if it were true, the turnover rate for MCPS over the past four years is 4.85% (excluding retirement based on the principal), according to page 101 of this report (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/REPORTS/2024/MCPS-2024.pdf)

Despite the principal's year-end message stating that only 50% of 5th graders met the benchmark, our school's MCAP math test scores have dropped from nearly 90 in 2018 to 62.5 in 2023. We went from being one of the highest-achieving schools in the cluster to the lowest-achieving. It's important to note that neither our cluster schools, MCPS, nor the state of Maryland have experienced this decline.

These are valid questions and concerns. The principal doesn't seem to have an answer. She mentioned having improvement plans, but what are they? Where are they? Based on the MCPS Leadership Standards, Criteria, and Descriptive Examples, she is very ineffective.

Sadly, this isn’t going to turn around quickly. As the principal drove away basically the entire teaching and support staff in a few years and has revolving door for new hires, it will be very hard to attract good teachers. If luck strikes and a qualified teacher does choose Travilah they won’t stay. This plays out in mismanaged classrooms, increased bullying and lower academic performance.

Best options for parents. 1. Go private if you can afford it for K-5. Frost is still good so plan to enter Frost in middle school.
2. Stay but become very involved. Document and send a complaint to the BOE whenever you experience the principal screaming at someone, too high a % of instructional time being delivered by a substitute, safety issues from lack of supervision at drop off, pick up , lunch and recess, bullying, and non responsive in a timely manner behavior. Despite MCPS appearing to circle the wagons, they are aware. The hope is that parents will just slink away. If you stick with it, a sustained volume of actionable offenses will require action. 3. Do not trust the school to educate your child. Focus at home on providing adequate math and language arts instruction, use outside tutors, on line programs and whatever it takes. View Travilah as a daycare where your child gets socialization and is watched by babysitters.

Face it, most of you are too poor for private, despite your haughty attitudes (and aging homes and middling bank accounts). So you will stay and life will go on. The truly wealthy will continue to go private because they can afford to pay for a good education. You, not so much. When will you accept that public school is like eating at the buffet - limited options but every now and then you find something you like. You just have to accept that.You can scream until you're red in the face, sending emails every hour but at the end of the day, you're just another poor customer in line at the buffet.

I understand the frustration, but dismissing efforts to improve our school as futile isn't helpful. Many of us are committed to making Travilah better for our kids, whether we can afford private school or not. Documenting issues and persistently advocating for change is essential. Travilah can and should provide a quality education just like 5-6 years ago, and it's up to us to demand it. There is nothing wrong to hold the administration accountable and support each other in this effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only way to get any recourse is to continue asking questions of the principal, central office, and the Board of Education. As parents, we have legitimate concerns and deserve, legitimate, honest answers.
I hope that the PTA continues to require accountability of this administration.
Test scores and staff departures do not tell a good story at this school. Would it really be difficult for MCPS to move some admin around and make some changes?

There is one PTA said she doesn’t represent parents!🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why some people still think our school is doing fine!

The teacher turnover rate at our school is very high. Since the principal joined, only three teachers have remained. The principal claimed the turnover rate is 18%, but this is not accurate. Even if it were true, the turnover rate for MCPS over the past four years is 4.85% (excluding retirement based on the principal), according to page 101 of this report (chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/REPORTS/2024/MCPS-2024.pdf)

Despite the principal's year-end message stating that only 50% of 5th graders met the benchmark, our school's MCAP math test scores have dropped from nearly 90 in 2018 to 62.5 in 2023. We went from being one of the highest-achieving schools in the cluster to the lowest-achieving. It's important to note that neither our cluster schools, MCPS, nor the state of Maryland have experienced this decline.

These are valid questions and concerns. The principal doesn't seem to have an answer. She mentioned having improvement plans, but what are they? Where are they? Based on the MCPS Leadership Standards, Criteria, and Descriptive Examples, she is very ineffective.

Sadly, this isn’t going to turn around quickly. As the principal drove away basically the entire teaching and support staff in a few years and has revolving door for new hires, it will be very hard to attract good teachers. If luck strikes and a qualified teacher does choose Travilah they won’t stay. This plays out in mismanaged classrooms, increased bullying and lower academic performance.

Best options for parents. 1. Go private if you can afford it for K-5. Frost is still good so plan to enter Frost in middle school.
2. Stay but become very involved. Document and send a complaint to the BOE whenever you experience the principal screaming at someone, too high a % of instructional time being delivered by a substitute, safety issues from lack of supervision at drop off, pick up , lunch and recess, bullying, and non responsive in a timely manner behavior. Despite MCPS appearing to circle the wagons, they are aware. The hope is that parents will just slink away. If you stick with it, a sustained volume of actionable offenses will require action. 3. Do not trust the school to educate your child. Focus at home on providing adequate math and language arts instruction, use outside tutors, on line programs and whatever it takes. View Travilah as a daycare where your child gets socialization and is watched by babysitters.

Face it, most of you are too poor for private, despite your haughty attitudes (and aging homes and middling bank accounts). So you will stay and life will go on. The truly wealthy will continue to go private because they can afford to pay for a good education. You, not so much. When will you accept that public school is like eating at the buffet - limited options but every now and then you find something you like. You just have to accept that.You can scream until you're red in the face, sending emails every hour but at the end of the day, you're just another poor customer in line at the buffet.

I understand the frustration, but dismissing efforts to improve our school as futile isn't helpful. Many of us are committed to making Travilah better for our kids, whether we can afford private school or not. Documenting issues and persistently advocating for change is essential. Travilah can and should provide a quality education just like 5-6 years ago, and it's up to us to demand it. There is nothing wrong to hold the administration accountable and support each other in this effort.

So you're one of the lucky families who spent nearly $2 million to buy into the lowest-scoring school in the cluster?😅