Where will new Sligo Creek ES be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SCES needs to be rezoned end of story and it will. The boundaries make zero aense and are inequitable.

What’s inequitable about it? Don’t know the boundaries.

It is one of the wealthiest schools in the immediate area. It directly borders a title 1 school (ESS) as well as two focus schools (Woodlin and highland view). French immersion definitely keeps farms down at SCES, but the disparity is greater than that. The border is also wonky in shape and not intuitive on its own. Tbh I don’t actually think there needs to be an ES in the current spot — kids who walk to SCES could mostly walk to ESS or HV.

First, Woodlin is not a Focus school. It's FARMS rate as compared to other Silver Spring schools has it only above Rock Creek Forest (which includes Spanish immersion) and below Pine Crest, Rosemary Hills, Piney Branch, and Takoma Park ES. Second, I've had kids in both the French Immersion and "academy" (neighborhood) program and it's absolutely true that the FI program brings the FARMS rate down considerably. Without FI the FARMS rate would likely be a bit higher than Woodlin's.

Not sure why else you think the boundaries make "zero sense" or are "inequitable" although it's true that on the easternmost edge of the catchment, ESS is slightly walkable. Oak View and Highland View are also sort of walkable from certain areas (if you consider a mile to be walkable) but that doesn't necessarily mean the boundaries are nonsensical. It means there are a lot of elementary-aged children concentrated in 20910 and environs. I don't think any of these schools are severely undercapacity.

I live on the ESS/SCES border and have had kids attend both schools. ESS is not slightly but highly walkable for the SCES zone south of Wayne. SCES is so much nicer than ESS (much nicer and better funded PTA) and it is absolutely tragic given the proximity. All the affordable housing complexes are zoned for ESS, which makes PP’s claim that SCES is THE elementary school serving the urban core of DTSS problematic. Of course FI changes the balance at SCES. Looking at the numbers, I don’t think it fully accounts for the inequity.

French Immersion is about 40-45% of the school and accounts for maybe 80% of the PTA fundraising. I also don't know if folks realize there is also a very highly regarded autism program and students come from outside the catchment to attend - while it's small, the FARMS rate for this group is likely lower as well.

Also, I don't know what your definition of "highly walkable" is, but we are "south of Wayne" and the walk to ESS is maybe 25 minutes? About 5 to SCES. If you're on Thayer or whatever the boundary is, sure, it's close.

ESS articulates to TPMS and Blair which is a huge advantage! You get to attend the best MS and HS in east county while paying no Takoma Park property taxes. I suspect folks wouldn't object to being rezoned to ESS if the articulation was the same for everyone, but knowing MCPS, it will probably result in some split articulation thing where some ESS kids go to Eastern. [no knock on Eastern, it's a great school, but outside of the magnet I would rather my kid attend TMPS].

If you're just looking on the boundary map, ESS looks close, but for a chunk of the ESS zone south of Wayne, Nolte Park gets in the way. There is a direct way to walk there which involves basically going through a path in the woods but I wouldn't want my older elementary schooler who walks by himself to SCES take that route alone. You can walk around it on city streets but it takes a lot longer.

Honestly looking at the zone you could just cede the little section north of Colesville but that includes the Parkside location which is one of the new school options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SCES needs to be rezoned end of story and it will. The boundaries make zero aense and are inequitable.

What’s inequitable about it? Don’t know the boundaries.

It is one of the wealthiest schools in the immediate area. It directly borders a title 1 school (ESS) as well as two focus schools (Woodlin and highland view). French immersion definitely keeps farms down at SCES, but the disparity is greater than that. The border is also wonky in shape and not intuitive on its own. Tbh I don’t actually think there needs to be an ES in the current spot — kids who walk to SCES could mostly walk to ESS or HV.

First, Woodlin is not a Focus school. It's FARMS rate as compared to other Silver Spring schools has it only above Rock Creek Forest (which includes Spanish immersion) and below Pine Crest, Rosemary Hills, Piney Branch, and Takoma Park ES. Second, I've had kids in both the French Immersion and "academy" (neighborhood) program and it's absolutely true that the FI program brings the FARMS rate down considerably. Without FI the FARMS rate would likely be a bit higher than Woodlin's.

Not sure why else you think the boundaries make "zero sense" or are "inequitable" although it's true that on the easternmost edge of the catchment, ESS is slightly walkable. Oak View and Highland View are also sort of walkable from certain areas (if you consider a mile to be walkable) but that doesn't necessarily mean the boundaries are nonsensical. It means there are a lot of elementary-aged children concentrated in 20910 and environs. I don't think any of these schools are severely undercapacity.

I live on the ESS/SCES border and have had kids attend both schools. ESS is not slightly but highly walkable for the SCES zone south of Wayne. SCES is so much nicer than ESS (much nicer and better funded PTA) and it is absolutely tragic given the proximity. All the affordable housing complexes are zoned for ESS, which makes PP’s claim that SCES is THE elementary school serving the urban core of DTSS problematic. Of course FI changes the balance at SCES. Looking at the numbers, I don’t think it fully accounts for the inequity.

French Immersion is about 40-45% of the school and accounts for maybe 80% of the PTA fundraising. I also don't know if folks realize there is also a very highly regarded autism program and students come from outside the catchment to attend - while it's small, the FARMS rate for this group is likely lower as well.

Also, I don't know what your definition of "highly walkable" is, but we are "south of Wayne" and the walk to ESS is maybe 25 minutes? About 5 to SCES. If you're on Thayer or whatever the boundary is, sure, it's close.

ESS articulates to TPMS and Blair which is a huge advantage! You get to attend the best MS and HS in east county while paying no Takoma Park property taxes. I suspect folks wouldn't object to being rezoned to ESS if the articulation was the same for everyone, but knowing MCPS, it will probably result in some split articulation thing where some ESS kids go to Eastern. [no knock on Eastern, it's a great school, but outside of the magnet I would rather my kid attend TMPS].

Good points. I also would prefer for SCES to stay where it is, for what it is worth, but I do think there are real equity concerns. I think there could be some boundary tweaking, but I get that FI is going to skew things. Maybe FI is actually at the wrong school. From what I can tell, SCES has the lowest FARMS rate of any of the immersion schools, so there are multiple things going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SCES needs to be rezoned end of story and it will. The boundaries make zero aense and are inequitable.

What’s inequitable about it? Don’t know the boundaries.

It is one of the wealthiest schools in the immediate area. It directly borders a title 1 school (ESS) as well as two focus schools (Woodlin and highland view). French immersion definitely keeps farms down at SCES, but the disparity is greater than that. The border is also wonky in shape and not intuitive on its own. Tbh I don’t actually think there needs to be an ES in the current spot — kids who walk to SCES could mostly walk to ESS or HV.

First, Woodlin is not a Focus school. It's FARMS rate as compared to other Silver Spring schools has it only above Rock Creek Forest (which includes Spanish immersion) and below Pine Crest, Rosemary Hills, Piney Branch, and Takoma Park ES. Second, I've had kids in both the French Immersion and "academy" (neighborhood) program and it's absolutely true that the FI program brings the FARMS rate down considerably. Without FI the FARMS rate would likely be a bit higher than Woodlin's.

Not sure why else you think the boundaries make "zero sense" or are "inequitable" although it's true that on the easternmost edge of the catchment, ESS is slightly walkable. Oak View and Highland View are also sort of walkable from certain areas (if you consider a mile to be walkable) but that doesn't necessarily mean the boundaries are nonsensical. It means there are a lot of elementary-aged children concentrated in 20910 and environs. I don't think any of these schools are severely undercapacity.

I live on the ESS/SCES border and have had kids attend both schools. ESS is not slightly but highly walkable for the SCES zone south of Wayne. SCES is so much nicer than ESS (much nicer and better funded PTA) and it is absolutely tragic given the proximity. All the affordable housing complexes are zoned for ESS, which makes PP’s claim that SCES is THE elementary school serving the urban core of DTSS problematic. Of course FI changes the balance at SCES. Looking at the numbers, I don’t think it fully accounts for the inequity.

French Immersion is about 40-45% of the school and accounts for maybe 80% of the PTA fundraising. I also don't know if folks realize there is also a very highly regarded autism program and students come from outside the catchment to attend - while it's small, the FARMS rate for this group is likely lower as well.

Also, I don't know what your definition of "highly walkable" is, but we are "south of Wayne" and the walk to ESS is maybe 25 minutes? About 5 to SCES. If you're on Thayer or whatever the boundary is, sure, it's close.

ESS articulates to TPMS and Blair which is a huge advantage! You get to attend the best MS and HS in east county while paying no Takoma Park property taxes. I suspect folks wouldn't object to being rezoned to ESS if the articulation was the same for everyone, but knowing MCPS, it will probably result in some split articulation thing where some ESS kids go to Eastern. [no knock on Eastern, it's a great school, but outside of the magnet I would rather my kid attend TMPS].

If you're just looking on the boundary map, ESS looks close, but for a chunk of the ESS zone south of Wayne, Nolte Park gets in the way. There is a direct way to walk there which involves basically going through a path in the woods but I wouldn't want my older elementary schooler who walks by himself to SCES take that route alone. You can walk around it on city streets but it takes a lot longer.

Honestly looking at the zone you could just cede the little section north of Colesville but that includes the Parkside location which is one of the new school options.

If it is Parkside, I think ultimately that is the section of SCES that gets served by the new school. If the current location is out, does the population of DTSS currently zoned for Sligo prefer Parkside to (potentially long) walking to ESS or HVES? Keeping in mind the zoning changes the demographics of those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new SCES will be at Parkside.

Take the hint people.

This is what they said in the 2018 report-- do we think it would still be considered less desirable/too expensive?

"Parkside Elementary School is a former elementary school site and closed in 1976. The 11.60-acre
portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site was deeded to Montgomery County Government the same
year. The remaining approximately 4-acre portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site is owned by
M-NCPPC. The publicly-owned candidate site is one of the more challenging to develop as a new
elementary school primarily because of steep slopes, forested areas, limited access, and wetlands.
Any new school on this site would have to include use of the heavily forested County-owned portion
of the site; the eastern portion houses a child care center and the western portion houses the M-NCPPC
Parks Division Headquarters. As a result of the environmental issues and site constraints, the SSAC
believed this site would be costly and difficult to redevelop as a new elementary school."

and with $10 million going to a new pool. This is more than MCPS intends to invest in the entire SSIMS/SCES facility to make it functional for the next 5 years and then turn it into a holding school indefinitely.

And yeah, Parkside was considered to be not ideal for environmental reasons. I don't know how you fix that.
It's amazing how just a few short years can change perspectives, as is the case now with SCES.

This happens elsewhere. In 2017, MCPS was going to put an addition onto Piney Branch ES. There was no problem with the classroom and floor configurations back then. MCPS decided not to make the addition because the school population predictions did not warrant it. Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the school is a poorly designed mess of a school and must be rebuilt.

Years of refusing to invest in SSIMS/SCES while proposing to fund a new pool for Piney Branch ($10m plus some upkeep) really pisses me off. There was heartfelt testimony during the BOE CIP meetings about how the Piney Branch pool was the only opportunity some kids had to learn to swim (I guess they couldn't afford the county pools). And yet, PBES is NOT a low-income school! At least for the last year in which there is public data, posted elsewhere on DCUM, they are in the "low moderate" FARMS rate tier along with other illustrious "poor" schools such as Rock Creek Forest and North Chevy Chase ES. They also seem to have a dedicated, well-funded PTA. Meanwhile, during those same BOE meetings, other folks testified about low-income high schools not even having very basic sports equipment. SMH.

[Anonymous]

Did Taylor publish the holding schools report as promised?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new SCES will be at Parkside.

Take the hint people.

This is what they said in the 2018 report-- do we think it would still be considered less desirable/too expensive?

"Parkside Elementary School is a former elementary school site and closed in 1976. The 11.60-acre
portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site was deeded to Montgomery County Government the same
year. The remaining approximately 4-acre portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site is owned by
M-NCPPC. The publicly-owned candidate site is one of the more challenging to develop as a new
elementary school primarily because of steep slopes, forested areas, limited access, and wetlands.
Any new school on this site would have to include use of the heavily forested County-owned portion
of the site; the eastern portion houses a child care center and the western portion houses the M-NCPPC
Parks Division Headquarters. As a result of the environmental issues and site constraints, the SSAC
believed this site would be costly and difficult to redevelop as a new elementary school."

and with $10 million going to a new pool. This is more than MCPS intends to invest in the entire SSIMS/SCES facility to make it functional for the next 5 years and then turn it into a holding school indefinitely.

And yeah, Parkside was considered to be not ideal for environmental reasons. I don't know how you fix that.
It's amazing how just a few short years can change perspectives, as is the case now with SCES.

This happens elsewhere. In 2017, MCPS was going to put an addition onto Piney Branch ES. There was no problem with the classroom and floor configurations back then. MCPS decided not to make the addition because the school population predictions did not warrant it. Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the school is a poorly designed mess of a school and must be rebuilt.

Years of refusing to invest in SSIMS/SCES while proposing to fund a new pool for Piney Branch ($10m plus some upkeep) really pisses me off. There was heartfelt testimony during the BOE CIP meetings about how the Piney Branch pool was the only opportunity some kids had to learn to swim (I guess they couldn't afford the county pools). And yet, PBES is NOT a low-income school! At least for the last year in which there is public data, posted elsewhere on DCUM, they are in the "low moderate" FARMS rate tier along with other illustrious "poor" schools such as Rock Creek Forest and North Chevy Chase ES. They also seem to have a dedicated, well-funded PTA. Meanwhile, during those same BOE meetings, other folks testified about low-income high schools not even having very basic sports equipment. SMH.

The primary users of the PBES school are Boomers who don't want to drive to the Y or to the new swim center in DTSS. Piney Branch kids literally use it once per quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new SCES will be at Parkside.

Take the hint people.

This is what they said in the 2018 report-- do we think it would still be considered less desirable/too expensive?

"Parkside Elementary School is a former elementary school site and closed in 1976. The 11.60-acre
portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site was deeded to Montgomery County Government the same
year. The remaining approximately 4-acre portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site is owned by
M-NCPPC. The publicly-owned candidate site is one of the more challenging to develop as a new
elementary school primarily because of steep slopes, forested areas, limited access, and wetlands.
Any new school on this site would have to include use of the heavily forested County-owned portion
of the site; the eastern portion houses a child care center and the western portion houses the M-NCPPC
Parks Division Headquarters. As a result of the environmental issues and site constraints, the SSAC
believed this site would be costly and difficult to redevelop as a new elementary school."

and with $10 million going to a new pool. This is more than MCPS intends to invest in the entire SSIMS/SCES facility to make it functional for the next 5 years and then turn it into a holding school indefinitely.

And yeah, Parkside was considered to be not ideal for environmental reasons. I don't know how you fix that.
It's amazing how just a few short years can change perspectives, as is the case now with SCES.

This happens elsewhere. In 2017, MCPS was going to put an addition onto Piney Branch ES. There was no problem with the classroom and floor configurations back then. MCPS decided not to make the addition because the school population predictions did not warrant it. Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the school is a poorly designed mess of a school and must be rebuilt.

Years of refusing to invest in SSIMS/SCES while proposing to fund a new pool for Piney Branch ($10m plus some upkeep) really pisses me off. There was heartfelt testimony during the BOE CIP meetings about how the Piney Branch pool was the only opportunity some kids had to learn to swim (I guess they couldn't afford the county pools). And yet, PBES is NOT a low-income school! At least for the last year in which there is public data, posted elsewhere on DCUM, they are in the "low moderate" FARMS rate tier along with other illustrious "poor" schools such as Rock Creek Forest and North Chevy Chase ES. They also seem to have a dedicated, well-funded PTA. Meanwhile, during those same BOE meetings, other folks testified about low-income high schools not even having very basic sports equipment. SMH.

The primary users of the PBES school are Boomers who don't want to drive to the Y or to the new swim center in DTSS. Piney Branch kids literally use it once per quarter.

SSIMS/SCES families take note - this is Kate Stewart's thumb on the scale that got Piney Branch ES that $10 million pool and another $2 million to build a HS-size gym in the school. She is back-dooring these recreation facilities into Takoma Park, where she used to be mayor. I guess the county would have said no to a TP pool through recreation funds because of the new DTSS swim center. Stewart is your district 4 council member. Vote accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new SCES will be at Parkside.

Take the hint people.

This is what they said in the 2018 report-- do we think it would still be considered less desirable/too expensive?

"Parkside Elementary School is a former elementary school site and closed in 1976. The 11.60-acre
portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site was deeded to Montgomery County Government the same
year. The remaining approximately 4-acre portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site is owned by
M-NCPPC. The publicly-owned candidate site is one of the more challenging to develop as a new
elementary school primarily because of steep slopes, forested areas, limited access, and wetlands.
Any new school on this site would have to include use of the heavily forested County-owned portion
of the site; the eastern portion houses a child care center and the western portion houses the M-NCPPC
Parks Division Headquarters. As a result of the environmental issues and site constraints, the SSAC
believed this site would be costly and difficult to redevelop as a new elementary school."

and with $10 million going to a new pool. This is more than MCPS intends to invest in the entire SSIMS/SCES facility to make it functional for the next 5 years and then turn it into a holding school indefinitely.

And yeah, Parkside was considered to be not ideal for environmental reasons. I don't know how you fix that.
It's amazing how just a few short years can change perspectives, as is the case now with SCES.

This happens elsewhere. In 2017, MCPS was going to put an addition onto Piney Branch ES. There was no problem with the classroom and floor configurations back then. MCPS decided not to make the addition because the school population predictions did not warrant it. Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the school is a poorly designed mess of a school and must be rebuilt.

Years of refusing to invest in SSIMS/SCES while proposing to fund a new pool for Piney Branch ($10m plus some upkeep) really pisses me off. There was heartfelt testimony during the BOE CIP meetings about how the Piney Branch pool was the only opportunity some kids had to learn to swim (I guess they couldn't afford the county pools). And yet, PBES is NOT a low-income school! At least for the last year in which there is public data, posted elsewhere on DCUM, they are in the "low moderate" FARMS rate tier along with other illustrious "poor" schools such as Rock Creek Forest and North Chevy Chase ES. They also seem to have a dedicated, well-funded PTA. Meanwhile, during those same BOE meetings, other folks testified about low-income high schools not even having very basic sports equipment. SMH.

The primary users of the PBES school are Boomers who don't want to drive to the Y or to the new swim center in DTSS. Piney Branch kids literally use it once per quarter.

SSIMS/SCES families take note - this is Kate Stewart's thumb on the scale that got Piney Branch ES that $10 million pool and another $2 million to build a HS-size gym in the school. She is back-dooring these recreation facilities into Takoma Park, where she used to be mayor. I guess the county would have said no to a TP pool through recreation funds because of the new DTSS swim center. Stewart is your district 4 council member. Vote accordingly.

If the board doesn't want the pool included, they can remove it from the CIP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new SCES will be at Parkside.

Take the hint people.

This is what they said in the 2018 report-- do we think it would still be considered less desirable/too expensive?

"Parkside Elementary School is a former elementary school site and closed in 1976. The 11.60-acre
portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site was deeded to Montgomery County Government the same
year. The remaining approximately 4-acre portion of the 15.60-acre candidate site is owned by
M-NCPPC. The publicly-owned candidate site is one of the more challenging to develop as a new
elementary school primarily because of steep slopes, forested areas, limited access, and wetlands.
Any new school on this site would have to include use of the heavily forested County-owned portion
of the site; the eastern portion houses a child care center and the western portion houses the M-NCPPC
Parks Division Headquarters. As a result of the environmental issues and site constraints, the SSAC
believed this site would be costly and difficult to redevelop as a new elementary school."

and with $10 million going to a new pool. This is more than MCPS intends to invest in the entire SSIMS/SCES facility to make it functional for the next 5 years and then turn it into a holding school indefinitely.

And yeah, Parkside was considered to be not ideal for environmental reasons. I don't know how you fix that.
It's amazing how just a few short years can change perspectives, as is the case now with SCES.

This happens elsewhere. In 2017, MCPS was going to put an addition onto Piney Branch ES. There was no problem with the classroom and floor configurations back then. MCPS decided not to make the addition because the school population predictions did not warrant it. Fast forward to 2025, and suddenly the school is a poorly designed mess of a school and must be rebuilt.

Years of refusing to invest in SSIMS/SCES while proposing to fund a new pool for Piney Branch ($10m plus some upkeep) really pisses me off. There was heartfelt testimony during the BOE CIP meetings about how the Piney Branch pool was the only opportunity some kids had to learn to swim (I guess they couldn't afford the county pools). And yet, PBES is NOT a low-income school! At least for the last year in which there is public data, posted elsewhere on DCUM, they are in the "low moderate" FARMS rate tier along with other illustrious "poor" schools such as Rock Creek Forest and North Chevy Chase ES. They also seem to have a dedicated, well-funded PTA. Meanwhile, during those same BOE meetings, other folks testified about low-income high schools not even having very basic sports equipment. SMH.

The primary users of the PBES school are Boomers who don't want to drive to the Y or to the new swim center in DTSS. Piney Branch kids literally use it once per quarter.

SSIMS/SCES families take note - this is Kate Stewart's thumb on the scale that got Piney Branch ES that $10 million pool and another $2 million to build a HS-size gym in the school. She is back-dooring these recreation facilities into Takoma Park, where she used to be mayor. I guess the county would have said no to a TP pool through recreation funds because of the new DTSS swim center. Stewart is your district 4 council member. Vote accordingly.

If the board doesn't want the pool included, they can remove it from the CIP.

I hope they do. It NEVER should have been in there in the first place. Know the genesis of how it got in there in the first place.

[Anonymous]

This whole thing is rigged by Takoma park. Why doesn’t highland view get to use sces as a holding school, and instead drive to fairland, when they are walkable? Bc the whole reason this is happening is to give pbes a holding school. It’s so transparent and so ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is rigged by Takoma park. Why doesn’t highland view get to use sces as a holding school, and instead drive to fairland, when they are walkable? Bc the whole reason this is happening is to give pbes a holding school. It’s so transparent and so ridiculous.

It's rigged by Thomas Taylor on behalf of Takoma Park, because County Council member Kate Stewart, from Takoma Park, is council president and controls how the budget discussion goes for MCPS within the county council.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park has earned some hate to be sure, but I just want to channel that hate principally towards the Wards 1 and 3 people that run the show. They have no shame. The pool that they use? Think of the (handful) of children that use it; you’re racist and don’t care about equity if you don’t keep my almost exclusively boomer access pool. Other kids should be sacrificed at the altar of my excesses.

It’s outrageous. And every issue is the same: you’re racist and don’t care about equity if you disagree with the thing they want.

These people really don’t care about the nearby folks that will be harmed. They barely care about their closer neighbors in Takoma Park! On MCPS issues, our Council is going to roll over when Taylor comes to carve up the parts of Takoma Park Ward 1’s power players do not care about. Go ask the few Ward 1 folks that are zoned for ESS. They’ve been trying to get help keeping ESS assigned to Montgomery Blair. The Ward 1 aristocracy is eerily silent.

[Anonymous]

Taylor should assert dominance by building a replacement elementary on Silver Spring Intermediate Park or buy the old John Nevins school just south of Carroll, which conveniently for sale right now. Then carve up the Takoma/Piney Branch ES catchment. Split the Takoma Park electorate, enjoy the infighting and meltdown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SCES needs to be rezoned end of story and it will. The boundaries make zero aense and are inequitable.

What’s inequitable about it? Don’t know the boundaries.

It is one of the wealthiest schools in the immediate area. It directly borders a title 1 school (ESS) as well as two focus schools (Woodlin and highland view). French immersion definitely keeps farms down at SCES, but the disparity is greater than that. The border is also wonky in shape and not intuitive on its own. Tbh I don’t actually think there needs to be an ES in the current spot — kids who walk to SCES could mostly walk to ESS or HV.

First, Woodlin is not a Focus school. It's FARMS rate as compared to other Silver Spring schools has it only above Rock Creek Forest (which includes Spanish immersion) and below Pine Crest, Rosemary Hills, Piney Branch, and Takoma Park ES. Second, I've had kids in both the French Immersion and "academy" (neighborhood) program and it's absolutely true that the FI program brings the FARMS rate down considerably. Without FI the FARMS rate would likely be a bit higher than Woodlin's.

Not sure why else you think the boundaries make "zero sense" or are "inequitable" although it's true that on the easternmost edge of the catchment, ESS is slightly walkable. Oak View and Highland View are also sort of walkable from certain areas (if you consider a mile to be walkable) but that doesn't necessarily mean the boundaries are nonsensical. It means there are a lot of elementary-aged children concentrated in 20910 and environs. I don't think any of these schools are severely undercapacity.

I live on the ESS/SCES border and have had kids attend both schools. ESS is not slightly but highly walkable for the SCES zone south of Wayne. SCES is so much nicer than ESS (much nicer and better funded PTA) and it is absolutely tragic given the proximity. All the affordable housing complexes are zoned for ESS, which makes PP’s claim that SCES is THE elementary school serving the urban core of DTSS problematic. Of course FI changes the balance at SCES. Looking at the numbers, I don’t think it fully accounts for the inequity.

French Immersion is about 40-45% of the school and accounts for maybe 80% of the PTA fundraising. I also don't know if folks realize there is also a very highly regarded autism program and students come from outside the catchment to attend - while it's small, the FARMS rate for this group is likely lower as well.

Also, I don't know what your definition of "highly walkable" is, but we are "south of Wayne" and the walk to ESS is maybe 25 minutes? About 5 to SCES. If you're on Thayer or whatever the boundary is, sure, it's close.

ESS articulates to TPMS and Blair which is a huge advantage! You get to attend the best MS and HS in east county while paying no Takoma Park property taxes. I suspect folks wouldn't object to being rezoned to ESS if the articulation was the same for everyone, but knowing MCPS, it will probably result in some split articulation thing where some ESS kids go to Eastern. [no knock on Eastern, it's a great school, but outside of the magnet I would rather my kid attend TMPS].

If you're just looking on the boundary map, ESS looks close, but for a chunk of the ESS zone south of Wayne, Nolte Park gets in the way. There is a direct way to walk there which involves basically going through a path in the woods but I wouldn't want my older elementary schooler who walks by himself to SCES take that route alone. You can walk around it on city streets but it takes a lot longer.

Honestly looking at the zone you could just cede the little section north of Colesville but that includes the Parkside location which is one of the new school options.

If it is Parkside, I think ultimately that is the section of SCES that gets served by the new school. If the current location is out, does the population of DTSS currently zoned for Sligo prefer Parkside to (potentially long) walking to ESS or HVES? Keeping in mind the zoning changes the demographics of those schools.

I don't foresee the ESS boundary moving. That school is one classroom under enrollment currently. That boundary will likely remain as it is currently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taylor should assert dominance by building a replacement elementary on Silver Spring Intermediate Park or buy the old John Nevins school just south of Carroll, which conveniently for sale right now. Then carve up the Takoma/Piney Branch ES catchment. Split the Takoma Park electorate, enjoy the infighting and meltdown.

HVES might have some interesting changes coming in the future, but I don't see ESes within the City of Takoma Park having any changes made. Perhaps we can claw back the $12 million in recreational facilities (pool/HS-size gym) currently planned in the new Piney Branch ES to pay for critically needed HVAC replacements elsewhere in the county.