Sign Petition Asking for Boundaries Now, Programs Later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should leave the DCC and NEC alone and make consortia in the rest of the county.

we all get that school choice = self-segregation, right?

What else do we do when offerings are not the same?

dual enrollment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bullshit letter. We see right through this hey keep all the rich white school is the same and don’t rush anything else. GTFO

Huh? How'd you get that from the petition? It's not about favoring rich white schools at all. Did you read it?

NP- As an upcounty resident who read the petition and the comments about 50 MCCPTA delegates, I won’t be signing this petition despite agreeing with some of its points. Why? Because it seems to overwhelming focus on certain areas and not take into account the needs of many others parts of the county. This is evident by calling out Silver Spring and the DCC without even a bit of acknowledgement that others in the boundary studies experience split articulations. Further, 50 MCCPTA delegates when there is more than 200 schools, mean there vote represents less than 1/4 of the districts schools.

Folks are constantly talking about MCPS needing to reach out and communicate more and better. Seems the same can be said for this effort against MCPS.

You seem really triggered by other people advocating for their communities. We're not going to stop just because you want us to stfu.

DP. But pot…kettle…African American.

Huh? I have no problem with up county advocating for itself. PP doesn't seem to want to do that, just attack DCC parents.

Funny how so many people are so angry the DCC doesn't want to lose its programs but nobody has a problem with all the special classes at wealthy schools that most other schools don't have.

What makes you believe that people don’t have problems with the wealthy schools have classes that others can’t access? Once again ya’ll seem to be making statements that are false in nature without doing any research to understand the other parts of the district? Oh and no one said you had to stop advocating for your community. What they said was they wouldn’t be joining you since you’ve made it crystal clear in you and the DCC against everyone else.

That's not what's in the letter. That is a narrative you have created in your head. Sorry you won't be joining us but it sounds like you are not aligned with us and frankly just have animus towards the DCC. Maybe you work for CO since they clearly do too.

Is it a created narrative when the letter specifically calls out Silver Spring, the DCC, or SSIMS without mentioning any place else? If you wanted it to be neutral either don’t call out any school/area and make generalized comments OR include a more wide ranging look at the issues created across the district while acknowledging the vast problems and complaints this seeks to solve.

This is a petition written by people from a particular part of the county trying to organize other folks from their part of the county so of course it is going to mention issues relevant to the people they are focusing on trying to get to sign... that's not malicious or oppositional and doesn't imply not caring about other parts of the county, it's just standard organizing. You're acting like it was designed to be a countywide petition when it obviously wasn't? Like, the authors have said that people from anywhere are welcome to sign it, but if you want a countywide petition you should write one, not complain that other people didn't and that it must mean that they hate other parts of the county or are super self-centered or something.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bullshit letter. We see right through this hey keep all the rich white school is the same and don’t rush anything else. GTFO

Huh? How'd you get that from the petition? It's not about favoring rich white schools at all. Did you read it?

NP- As an upcounty resident who read the petition and the comments about 50 MCCPTA delegates, I won’t be signing this petition despite agreeing with some of its points. Why? Because it seems to overwhelming focus on certain areas and not take into account the needs of many others parts of the county. This is evident by calling out Silver Spring and the DCC without even a bit of acknowledgement that others in the boundary studies experience split articulations. Further, 50 MCCPTA delegates when there is more than 200 schools, mean there vote represents less than 1/4 of the districts schools.

Folks are constantly talking about MCPS needing to reach out and communicate more and better. Seems the same can be said for this effort against MCPS.

I"m an MCCPTA delegate and there were over 130 people at the delegates meeting representing over 50 schools and all the clusters.

I voted for the resolution. I don't like the DCC, but I don't think this model has been thought through yet. I'd much rather see strong local schools.

They aren’t offering to make all the DCC schools strong so what do you consider strong? We will have to bail. This is a nightmare. We choose our home school for one child and will not for the second due to the lack of course offerings. My kid has to go to MC or somewhere else in in two years as there are not enough classes to graduate. I cannot even figure out how to make Mc work with sports and transport without me quitting my job and child dropping out of sports they’ve been doing for years.

The East county schools are strong. However, we can’t change the students who live close to them to give the demographics that you seem to want. Everyone is opposed to longer bussing. Therefore the schools are going to reflect the students in that neighborhood. If your student is an outlier, then you will need to figure out MC. If you really believe that other schools are so much better, then MOVE. Otherwise, appreciate that MCPS is working hard to make sure that all schools offer some high level classes.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real issue is the DCC has masked all the east county neighborhoods zoned to bellow avg schools that when perspective buyers look at the zoned schools young parents think they can pick a better school even though all the choices are meh and the best of what is available is often over capacity. I bet if you looked under the covers here you would find a bunch of sacred home owners using poor kids as their proxies even though they will never use any of the advanced programs or choices in measurable percentages.

The lowest ranked DCC schools would do a little better when more kids stay home and the middle ranked schools like Blair will do much worse when the influx dries up. Its funny the DCC doesn't want to empower the equity bounce internally within its system that they want from the richer schools. I always said be careful what you wish for in redistricting which the East county has cried for years for, Slice up Whitman all you want in any direction you will only get different rich kids, a few blocks can completely change an east county schools makeup and rarely for the better. Truth is the strongest gerrymandering is in the east county when it comes to SFH areas vs Apts.

+1

Sounds like west county folk trying to silence advocacy from east county folk. 50% of this thread is this foolishness. It's very transparent.

Most rich kids are not advanced. Most poor kids are not advanced. The specific percentages are different, certainly, but all advanced kids should have access to challenging coursework. Still, when talking about criteria based magnet programs which is where a lot of the concerns about the regional program proposal lie, we're not talking about the majority of kids at any school, nor are we talking about programs that are aimed at or likely to improve math or literacy proficiency rates. So in the end this entire discussion is not about addressing MCPS's fundamental problems, but it is about programs that serve kids of all backgrounds,.though certainly a group that is disproportionately wealthy, White and Asian and in which Black and Latino kids and kids with lower incomes are underrepresented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is such a bullshit letter. We see right through this hey keep all the rich white school is the same and don’t rush anything else. GTFO

Huh? How'd you get that from the petition? It's not about favoring rich white schools at all. Did you read it?

NP- As an upcounty resident who read the petition and the comments about 50 MCCPTA delegates, I won’t be signing this petition despite agreeing with some of its points. Why? Because it seems to overwhelming focus on certain areas and not take into account the needs of many others parts of the county. This is evident by calling out Silver Spring and the DCC without even a bit of acknowledgement that others in the boundary studies experience split articulations. Further, 50 MCCPTA delegates when there is more than 200 schools, mean there vote represents less than 1/4 of the districts schools.

Folks are constantly talking about MCPS needing to reach out and communicate more and better. Seems the same can be said for this effort against MCPS.

I"m an MCCPTA delegate and there were over 130 people at the delegates meeting representing over 50 schools and all the clusters.

I voted for the resolution. I don't like the DCC, but I don't think this model has been thought through yet. I'd much rather see strong local schools.

They aren’t offering to make all the DCC schools strong so what do you consider strong? We will have to bail. This is a nightmare. We choose our home school for one child and will not for the second due to the lack of course offerings. My kid has to go to MC or somewhere else in in two years as there are not enough classes to graduate. I cannot even figure out how to make Mc work with sports and transport without me quitting my job and child dropping out of sports they’ve been doing for years.

This is crazy catastrophizing. There are not enough classes to graduate? You could only possibly be talking about math? Standard advanced level around here is calc junior year. Then can take AP stats senior year. Or a two year IB math sequence.

[Anonymous]

I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

[Anonymous]

How come no-one mentions AI and the influence it will have on our kids? I feel like MCPS is 10 years late ib doing this program analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

MCPS should be spending the money it gets from the state for FARMS kids to serve FARMS kids. It does not. Schools with more needs should have more funding to address the needs of the 90%. We shouldn't have schools that can't serve the 10% because every penny is being spent on other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need. [/quote

Oops- 90% are ON or below!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

MCPS should be spending the money it gets from the state for FARMS kids to serve FARMS kids. It does not. Schools with more needs should have more funding to address the needs of the 90%. We shouldn't have schools that can't serve the 10% because every penny is being spent on other kids.

They are meeting the needs of most students. But trying to meet the needs of every disability, every child with trauma, every child without English, every advanced learner is not easy. You are only trying to get your child into ridiculously advanced classes that do not need to be taken during high school- but if they are can be taken at MC. Every group has their wants. MCPS is trying to meet the majority. It's not as easy as you seem to think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

MCPS should be spending the money it gets from the state for FARMS kids to serve FARMS kids. It does not. Schools with more needs should have more funding to address the needs of the 90%. We shouldn't have schools that can't serve the 10% because every penny is being spent on other kids.

They are meeting the needs of most students. But trying to meet the needs of every disability, every child with trauma, every child without English, every advanced learner is not easy. You are only trying to get your child into ridiculously advanced classes that do not need to be taken during high school- but if they are can be taken at MC. Every group has their wants. MCPS is trying to meet the majority. It's not as easy as you seem to think.

You're confusing me with someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

MCPS should be spending the money it gets from the state for FARMS kids to serve FARMS kids. It does not. Schools with more needs should have more funding to address the needs of the 90%. We shouldn't have schools that can't serve the 10% because every penny is being spent on other kids.

They are meeting the needs of most students. But trying to meet the needs of every disability, every child with trauma, every child without English, every advanced learner is not easy. You are only trying to get your child into ridiculously advanced classes that do not need to be taken during high school- but if they are can be taken at MC. Every group has their wants. MCPS is trying to meet the majority. It's not as easy as you seem to think.

You're saying middle class families are selfish for wanting their kids to access the same classes at their home school that rich kids have a their home school because there are too many low income kids that need to take priority. I call BS. MCPS needs to prioritize low income high income kids by using the money they get from the state for FARMS kids on FARMS kids. They do not do that at the high school level. MCPS just wants to keep rich families happy. Trying to make middle class families the scapegoats for MCPS's cowardice is gross and offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real issue is the DCC has masked all the east county neighborhoods zoned to bellow avg schools that when perspective buyers look at the zoned schools young parents think they can pick a better school even though all the choices are meh and the best of what is available is often over capacity. I bet if you looked under the covers here you would find a bunch of sacred home owners using poor kids as their proxies even though they will never use any of the advanced programs or choices in measurable percentages.

The lowest ranked DCC schools would do a little better when more kids stay home and the middle ranked schools like Blair will do much worse when the influx dries up. Its funny the DCC doesn't want to empower the equity bounce internally within its system that they want from the richer schools. I always said be careful what you wish for in redistricting which the East county has cried for years for, Slice up Whitman all you want in any direction you will only get different rich kids, a few blocks can completely change an east county schools makeup and rarely for the better. Truth is the strongest gerrymandering is in the east county when it comes to SFH areas vs Apts.

+1

Sounds like west county folk trying to silence advocacy from east county folk. 50% of this thread is this foolishness. It's very transparent.

Most rich kids are not advanced. Most poor kids are not advanced. The specific percentages are different, certainly, but all advanced kids should have access to challenging coursework. Still, when talking about criteria based magnet programs which is where a lot of the concerns about the regional program proposal lie, we're not talking about the majority of kids at any school, nor are we talking about programs that are aimed at or likely to improve math or literacy proficiency rates. So in the end this entire discussion is not about addressing MCPS's fundamental problems, but it is about programs that serve kids of all backgrounds,.though certainly a group that is disproportionately wealthy, White and Asian and in which Black and Latino kids and kids with lower incomes are underrepresented.

it's fun that the petition was co-authored by a BCC parent (one of those demonic west county folk trying to silence advocacy by.....writing a petition to advocate).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a school that currently feeds into the DCC. We do have some high children and they will have access to higher classes as they continue through MCPS. However, the numbers are way (way, way) lower than at other elementary schools, and it is not due to a lack of good teaching. We have amazing and dedicated educators, a fantastic principal, wonderful parents. Really, it's a great place to work. But the majority of the very well-intentioned parents are not educated themselves. It's not a situation of them not knowing English- that's an easy fix. But they were never educated in their home countries. Children are starting at such a disadvantage between lack of language, but also since we know that parents are their first and most important teacher. Parents can't teach what they don't know themselves. So schools fit their population. As 90% of our school is below grade level, then most of our resources are used in that way. Advanced kids will still have acccess to the advanced classes, but not the same peer group which is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Kids in the DCC will have access to the higher classes, but the resources need to be spent on the 90% and not the 10%. If your child is in that 10% and need higher than what is offered, then yes, you will need to be creative. Which means community college. How amazing is it that MCPS students can take dual enrollment classes for FREE so that every student can get the challenge they need.

Community college isn’t a workable option for all families. Transportation, scheduling, and other barriers make it inaccessible for many — being free doesn’t mean it’s truly accessible. It's not amazing for most of our kids.

Teaching is also part of the problem. Many students aren’t being taught in ways that actually help them learn. For ESOL students, core classes should be taught in their native language while they receive intensive English instruction. Expecting them to sit through classes entirely in English and somehow “figure it out” is unrealistic. These students are capable and intelligent, but the current approach and curriculum set them up to fail. Classes taught in a language they can’t understand are simply ineffective.

The broader teaching methods are also deeply flawed. Teachers often ignore textbooks for classes that have them, relying instead on random handouts. AP classes frequently don’t align with AP exams because the official materials aren’t used. In elementary school, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, writing, and math facts aren’t being properly taught. Learning disabilities often go untested and unaddressed, leaving many students behind when they could be helped with early identification and support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How come no-one mentions AI and the influence it will have on our kids? I feel like MCPS is 10 years late ib doing this program analysis.

Everything will change. This has been going on with each new invention. But, MCPS will not keep up with the changes and it will take them many years to figure it out. AI is a great tool but its not advanced enough to be fully effective but great for teachers to use and can be a good tool to guide students.