timeline for Woodward/WJ decision?

[Anonymous]

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

I can’t imagine many students currently zoned for BCC live closer to Woodward than BCC. Maybe a few outside the beltway in Kensington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So it looks like they will be recommending the off-site option at tomorrow's BOE meeting.

Resolved, That the Northwood High School Classroom Addition and Facility Upgrade Capital Project be constructed with students off-site; and be it further

Resolved, That all possible solutions be considered for a holding school to include, but not be limited to, a newly constructed Charles W. Woodward High School, commercial property, and/or other Montgomery County Public Schools property

https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/B6Q3P973D496/$file/Northwood%20HS%20Add%20Fac%20Upgrade%20Cap%20Proj.pdf

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PP. Are there any other high school-sized holding schools or other MCPS properties available, I wonder -- taking Northwood to a newly-renovated Woodward seems like a great option for Northwood but kicks the can down the road for overcrowding at WJ and other schools that might be partially rezoned to Woodward.

[Anonymous]

I watched one BOE meeting where they were discussing options for off-site for Northwood. They expect MCPS staff to come up with some options for the Board to consider. There has been talk of looking at office space in Silver Spring. Pat O'Neill mentioned an MCPS or County property closer to Northwood (I don't remember the name of it) that Jill Ortman-Fouse and some others thought was worth looking into.

At the next decision point they will probably also expect the MCPS staff to have more concrete proposals for the Woodward option - would there be activity busses, how many at what times; what fields would Northwood teams use; would there be new/express Ride-On service so that families without cars can get from the Northwood area to Woodward in less than 2 hours - these kinds of questions.

The Northwood community is wary of Woodward, simply because of the challenges it presents for getting there and back for students and families. They would rather have a closer option if there is one to be had. But it may be more likely that the school system will work on what added supports they can provide that will make it workable for Northwood families to be commuting to Woodward for 2 years. Only time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched one BOE meeting where they were discussing options for off-site for Northwood. They expect MCPS staff to come up with some options for the Board to consider. There has been talk of looking at office space in Silver Spring. Pat O'Neill mentioned an MCPS or County property closer to Northwood (I don't remember the name of it) that Jill Ortman-Fouse and some others thought was worth looking into.

At the next decision point they will probably also expect the MCPS staff to have more concrete proposals for the Woodward option - would there be activity busses, how many at what times; what fields would Northwood teams use; would there be new/express Ride-On service so that families without cars can get from the Northwood area to Woodward in less than 2 hours - these kinds of questions.

The Northwood community is wary of Woodward, simply because of the challenges it presents for getting there and back for students and families. They would rather have a closer option if there is one to be had. But it may be more likely that the school system will work on what added supports they can provide that will make it workable for Northwood families to be commuting to Woodward for 2 years. Only time will tell.

The property mentioned at the recent BOE meeting was the former Broome Junior High School on Twinbrook Parkway. Unfortunately, that's not near Northwood either--it's 6.5 miles away from the school itself, and over 9 miles from the southern end of Northwood's service area. There really aren't any convenient options.

[Anonymous]

Well at least if Northwood could move into Broome or elsewhere, then Woodward's reopening wouldn't need to be pushed back 2 years.

[Anonymous]

They need the spaces at Northwood (DCC) more urgently than WJ needs the spaces. Really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They need the spaces at Northwood (DCC) more urgently than WJ needs the spaces. Really.

Not really. Northwood currently has a space deficit of 242, projected to grow to 584, and WJ a deficit of 273, projected to grow to 680.

Besides, it doesn't need to be an either/or. Northwood doesn't want to be bussed all the way to Woodward anyway. If MCPS can find commercial space close by that they can make work as a temporary high school site, that would probably work best for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need the spaces at Northwood (DCC) more urgently than WJ needs the spaces. Really.

Not really. Northwood currently has a space deficit of 242, projected to grow to 584, and WJ a deficit of 273, projected to grow to 680.

Besides, it doesn't need to be an either/or. Northwood doesn't want to be bussed all the way to Woodward anyway. If MCPS can find commercial space close by that they can make work as a temporary high school site, that would probably work best for all.

Woodward is just over a mile away from WJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The property mentioned at the recent BOE meeting was the former Broome Junior High School on Twinbrook Parkway. Unfortunately, that's not near Northwood either--it's 6.5 miles away from the school itself, and over 9 miles from the southern end of Northwood's service area. There really aren't any convenient options.

Plus, wouldn't the former Broome Junior High School have to get renovated first?

http://www.peerlessrockville.org/historic-rockville/peerless-places-2/edwin-w-broome-jr-high-school/

Not to mention that there are ~1,800 students at Northwood, and enrollment at Broome, when it closed, was projected to be below 600. How would everyone fit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The property mentioned at the recent BOE meeting was the former Broome Junior High School on Twinbrook Parkway. Unfortunately, that's not near Northwood either--it's 6.5 miles away from the school itself, and over 9 miles from the southern end of Northwood's service area. There really aren't any convenient options.

Plus, wouldn't the former Broome Junior High School have to get renovated first?

http://www.peerlessrockville.org/historic-rockville/peerless-places-2/edwin-w-broome-jr-high-school/

Not to mention that there are ~1,800 students at Northwood, and enrollment at Broome, when it closed, was projected to be below 600. How would everyone fit?

Yes. Any of the sites--Woodward, Broome, or a commercial site--would need significant renovations first. MCPS typically adds a bunch of portables to holding schools. I believe Broome has 40-some classrooms already, so their capacity is much more than 600.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need the spaces at Northwood (DCC) more urgently than WJ needs the spaces. Really.

Not really. Northwood currently has a space deficit of 242, projected to grow to 584, and WJ a deficit of 273, projected to grow to 680.

Besides, it doesn't need to be an either/or. Northwood doesn't want to be bussed all the way to Woodward anyway. If MCPS can find commercial space close by that they can make work as a temporary high school site, that would probably work best for all.

Woodward is just over a mile away from WJ

The DCC doesn't work like the WJ Cluster - the overcapacity at Northwood is one piece of a multi-cluster over-capacity issue. So the numbers for Northwood itself underestimate the scope of the problem in the DCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need the spaces at Northwood (DCC) more urgently than WJ needs the spaces. Really.

Not really. Northwood currently has a space deficit of 242, projected to grow to 584, and WJ a deficit of 273, projected to grow to 680.

Besides, it doesn't need to be an either/or. Northwood doesn't want to be bussed all the way to Woodward anyway. If MCPS can find commercial space close by that they can make work as a temporary high school site, that would probably work best for all.

Woodward is just over a mile away from WJ

The DCC doesn't work like the WJ Cluster - the overcapacity at Northwood is one piece of a multi-cluster over-capacity issue. So the numbers for Northwood itself underestimate the scope of the problem in the DCC.

Well, yes, and that's a big part of why Woodward is being reopened, to alleviate the overcrowding at WJ and the DCC. So to delay that by using Woodward as a holding school for 2 years doesn't really serve WJ or the DCC all that well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The property mentioned at the recent BOE meeting was the former Broome Junior High School on Twinbrook Parkway. Unfortunately, that's not near Northwood either--it's 6.5 miles away from the school itself, and over 9 miles from the southern end of Northwood's service area. There really aren't any convenient options.

Plus, wouldn't the former Broome Junior High School have to get renovated first?

http://www.peerlessrockville.org/historic-rockville/peerless-places-2/edwin-w-broome-jr-high-school/

Not to mention that there are ~1,800 students at Northwood, and enrollment at Broome, when it closed, was projected to be below 600. How would everyone fit?

Yes. Any of the sites--Woodward, Broome, or a commercial site--would need significant renovations first. MCPS typically adds a bunch of portables to holding schools. I believe Broome has 40-some classrooms already, so their capacity is much more than 600.

According to the CIP, Broome has 45 rooms and is 135,210 SF. Woodward has 52 rooms and is 135,150 SF. Either would need some portables or a modular classroom addition to serve as a holding school for Northwood.

[Anonymous]

If Woodward ends up as the holding school for Northwood, it will be a brand new school. Current building will be knocked down and a brand new Woodward will be built. Then, it could be Northwood for 2 years (23-25), and Woodward will move in the fall of 2025, or Woodward will start in 2023.