timeline for Woodward/WJ decision?

[Anonymous]

People stating what "affluent people" and "they" want shouldn't speak for others. You are projecting on the "theys" and "affluent people."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People stating what "affluent people" and "they" want shouldn't speak for others. You are projecting on the "theys" and "affluent people."

Do some affluent people believe those things? Yes. Do all? No. If you're an affluent person and you don't believe those things, good for you. If it's not about you, it's not about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CIP comes out tomorrow, maybe there will be an actual answer about the timeline for Woodward, rather than speculation, in there.

So, it's still TBD. But if they do elect to use Woodward as a holding school for Northwood, then students won't be rezoned there until 2025 (at the earliest).

Woodward High School
Capital Project: To address the urgent space needs at Walter
Johnson High School and the Downcounty Consortium high
schools, an FY 2019 appropriation was approved for planning
funds to reopen Woodward High School. With respect to North-
wood High School, an internal analysis has been completed
that evaluated a) the possibility of doing a phased construction
of Northwood High School, with students on site and b) an
approach where a newly constructed and reopened Woodward
High School be used as a holding school, starting in September
2023, for Northwood High School for two years. The evaluation
compared the costs for each option, impact to students, impact
on the building design, and the timeline of the project. This
evaluation will be presented to the Board of Education during
the CIP process in November 2018, for consideration and action
on the approach for Northwood High School.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP20_Chap4_WJ.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CIP comes out tomorrow, maybe there will be an actual answer about the timeline for Woodward, rather than speculation, in there.

So, it's still TBD. But if they do elect to use Woodward as a holding school for Northwood, then students won't be rezoned there until 2025 (at the earliest).

Woodward High School
Capital Project: To address the urgent space needs at Walter
Johnson High School and the Downcounty Consortium high
schools, an FY 2019 appropriation was approved for planning
funds to reopen Woodward High School. With respect to North-
wood High School, an internal analysis has been completed
that evaluated a) the possibility of doing a phased construction
of Northwood High School, with students on site and b) an
approach where a newly constructed and reopened Woodward
High School be used as a holding school, starting in September
2023, for Northwood High School for two years. The evaluation
compared the costs for each option, impact to students, impact
on the building design, and the timeline of the project. This
evaluation will be presented to the Board of Education during
the CIP process in November 2018, for consideration and action
on the approach for Northwood High School.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP20_Chap4_WJ.pdf

I think Option B will be unpopular with both Northwood and WJ communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CIP comes out tomorrow, maybe there will be an actual answer about the timeline for Woodward, rather than speculation, in there.

So, it's still TBD. But if they do elect to use Woodward as a holding school for Northwood, then students won't be rezoned there until 2025 (at the earliest).

Woodward High School
Capital Project: To address the urgent space needs at Walter
Johnson High School and the Downcounty Consortium high
schools, an FY 2019 appropriation was approved for planning
funds to reopen Woodward High School. With respect to North-
wood High School, an internal analysis has been completed
that evaluated a) the possibility of doing a phased construction
of Northwood High School, with students on site and b) an
approach where a newly constructed and reopened Woodward
High School be used as a holding school, starting in September
2023, for Northwood High School for two years. The evaluation
compared the costs for each option, impact to students, impact
on the building design, and the timeline of the project. This
evaluation will be presented to the Board of Education during
the CIP process in November 2018, for consideration and action
on the approach for Northwood High School.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP20_Chap4_WJ.pdf

I think Option B will be unpopular with both Northwood and WJ communities.

Yeah, what happens to relieve all the overcrowding in the meantime?

[Anonymous]

Option B may be worthwhile if the phased construction makes the project at Northwood drag on for several years vs. a 2-year inconvenience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Option B may be worthwhile if the phased construction makes the project at Northwood drag on for several years vs. a 2-year inconvenience

These options were shared with Northwood cluster parents:
Option 1: On Site Renovation
In this option, Northwood would undergo a phased renovation that would take 4-5 years. A large number of portable classrooms would be used while sections of the school are torn down and rebuilt. As each section is completed, students would cycle out of the portables into the newer sections of the building. Construction would begin between 2020-2022, and be completed between 2024-2027. Sports fields would be unavailable for the duration of the renovation, so teams would use sports fields at other nearby schools. Site constraints do not permit building a new school on the field as has been done for other schools.
Pros:
- Renovation would start relatively quickly.
- Northwood students would remain together
- Bell times would not change
- Students would remain at the Northwood site, with the same transportation options they have now
- Others (parents, staff, community) would be coming to the same site they are now
- Students would be able to occupy new sections of building as they are completed.

Cons:
- Inconvenience, dust, and noise caused by ongoing construction
- Athletic fields would not be available for construction period
- Many more classes would be moved to portables than now

Option 2: Holding School at Woodward
In this option, Woodward High School (currently housing Tilden Middle School) would be renovated as a holding school for Northwood. The Woodward renovation would begin in approximately 2020, after Tilden leaves, and be completed about 2023 for Northwood to be moved to the renovated Woodward holding facility. Students would be bused from their neighborhoods to the holding school at 11211 Old Georgetown Rd. in Rockville, MD. Northwood would be completely rebuilt over the period of 2-3 years, with an approximate move in date of 2025 or 2026. Sports fields would be unavailable at the holding facility and at Northwood while Northwood is off-site; teams would use sports fields at other schools.
Pros:
- Holding facility would be newly renovated when Northwood students move in
- Northwood would be renovated all at once instead of in sections, and construction would be completed in 2-3 years
- Northwood students would remain together

Cons:
- Students would be bused to and from the holding school (approx. 20-35 min ride each way), making a longer day
- Bell times would change (move later) because of additional transit time
- Holding school not easily accessible by public transportation; public bus ride is over an hour
- Later bell times and added transit time may affect student jobs or off-site extracurriculars
- Others (parents, staff, community) would have to find means to get to the holding facility
- Students would remain in the old building until at least 2023
- Northwood athletic fields would be unavailable from 2023-2026, no athletic fields at the holding school

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Option B may be worthwhile if the phased construction makes the project at Northwood drag on for several years vs. a 2-year inconvenience

These options were shared with Northwood cluster parents:
Option 1: On Site Renovation
In this option, Northwood would undergo a phased renovation that would take 4-5 years. A large number of portable classrooms would be used while sections of the school are torn down and rebuilt. As each section is completed, students would cycle out of the portables into the newer sections of the building. Construction would begin between 2020-2022, and be completed between 2024-2027. Sports fields would be unavailable for the duration of the renovation, so teams would use sports fields at other nearby schools. Site constraints do not permit building a new school on the field as has been done for other schools.
Pros:
- Renovation would start relatively quickly.
- Northwood students would remain together
- Bell times would not change
- Students would remain at the Northwood site, with the same transportation options they have now
- Others (parents, staff, community) would be coming to the same site they are now
- Students would be able to occupy new sections of building as they are completed.

Cons:
- Inconvenience, dust, and noise caused by ongoing construction
- Athletic fields would not be available for construction period
- Many more classes would be moved to portables than now

Option 2: Holding School at Woodward
In this option, Woodward High School (currently housing Tilden Middle School) would be renovated as a holding school for Northwood. The Woodward renovation would begin in approximately 2020, after Tilden leaves, and be completed about 2023 for Northwood to be moved to the renovated Woodward holding facility. Students would be bused from their neighborhoods to the holding school at 11211 Old Georgetown Rd. in Rockville, MD. Northwood would be completely rebuilt over the period of 2-3 years, with an approximate move in date of 2025 or 2026. Sports fields would be unavailable at the holding facility and at Northwood while Northwood is off-site; teams would use sports fields at other schools.
Pros:
- Holding facility would be newly renovated when Northwood students move in
- Northwood would be renovated all at once instead of in sections, and construction would be completed in 2-3 years
- Northwood students would remain together

Cons:
- Students would be bused to and from the holding school (approx. 20-35 min ride each way), making a longer day
- Bell times would change (move later) because of additional transit time
- Holding school not easily accessible by public transportation; public bus ride is over an hour
- Later bell times and added transit time may affect student jobs or off-site extracurriculars
- Others (parents, staff, community) would have to find means to get to the holding facility
- Students would remain in the old building until at least 2023
- Northwood athletic fields would be unavailable from 2023-2026, no athletic fields at the holding school

Not included in this list is that the building plan choice will affect the final design of the school. Building with students on site means that they have to define distinct building stages that don't require larger, more unsafe building equipment. Moving all students off-site would mean that they could design a new, fully integrated school - not one built in pieces. 2 years off-site and a really nice new high school seems better to me than 5 years on-site of construction h#ll and a piecemeal building.

[Anonymous]

If there are architects working on potential designs for these schools, those plan options should be made public. I see neither Northwood nor Woodward included here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/projects.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there are architects working on potential designs for these schools, those plan options should be made public. I see neither Northwood nor Woodward included here:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/facilities/construction/project/projects.aspx

They are not yet far along on feasibility planning. I don’t think there are any architectural plans yet. I don’t think architects have been chosen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Pull a map from the internet that outlines MCPS boundaries. Woodward HS is on Old Georgetown Rd. Imagine pulling from surrounding areas to create a whole new cluster.

MCPS just got the go ahead to weigh geographic diversity a little more than other criteria when determining a school's make-up, which means that some wealthy fringes might find themselves in the downcounty consortium with the less wealthy areas in Silver Spring and Wheaton. MCPS has said, however, that they will not return to lengthy bus rides. So to be completely safe, buy a little west of Old Georgetown Rd / Wisconsin Ave.

Safe from what? Going to Woodward HS instead of Walter Johnson HS?

No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.

Doubtful, since BCC is in East Bethesda. And your side is wealthier - therefore more likely you’ll have a different HS path. Honestly, no one knows!

[Anonymous]

The only ones who will make out in this deal are the people moved out of Einstein. Everyone else is getting the short straw

[Anonymous]

As a rule of thumb if you live closer to Woodward than BCC, you'll probably end up there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only ones who will make out in this deal are the people moved out of Einstein. Everyone else is getting the short straw

Don't forget Wheaton. Some of Wheaton HS is definitely going to Woodward.