Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please stop threatening everyone with “many will leave”. Yes, some will leave and many will stay!

+1 plenty of UMC families send their kids to DCC schools, and not just the magnet programs. Their kids go on to college and successful careers. UMC families will continue to do this even if they complain about it.

What is more important for protecting the tax base is stopping grade inflation, enforcing attendance and addressing behavior issues in all schools.

Not seeing grade inflation. If you are, that’s your school only.

C- trolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is our plan of action besides the survey to let BOE and County Council know these are all crap options. None of them solve capacity issues and they create more problems for kids in certain areas, especially current 4th graders that will get shuffled around. MCPS is also rushing through the program study with one sad survey and no discussion with parents and students about what they actually want.

I see tomorrow’s BOE meeting has been moved to the middle of the day, so many working parents can’t go. My child, a current 4th graders, is ready to rally with posters and their peers on this issue. They watched their older peers rally after losing Title 1 status and experience the fallout in the classroom daily from that devestation.

People should testify throughout the summer, in person or online. The BOE is always interested in what students themselves have to say. Keep the pressure up during the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is our plan of action besides the survey to let BOE and County Council know these are all crap options. None of them solve capacity issues and they create more problems for kids in certain areas, especially current 4th graders that will get shuffled around. MCPS is also rushing through the program study with one sad survey and no discussion with parents and students about what they actually want.

I see tomorrow’s BOE meeting has been moved to the middle of the day, so many working parents can’t go. My child, a current 4th graders, is ready to rally with posters and their peers on this issue. They watched their older peers rally after losing Title 1 status and experience the fallout in the classroom daily from that devestation.

There will be another round of options in September. And possibly more in October/November.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If parents feel public schools aren't meeting their needs, many will leave for private options or other districts. This exodus will shrink your tax base, as property values drop and fewer residents stay. Less tax revenue means less funding for those same schools, creating a downward spiral. Be careful what you wish for—dismissing concerns could cost you more than you think.

Please stop threatening everyone with “many will leave”. Yes, some will leave and many will stay!

Historically accurate that those that leave change the school district permanently. And that’s only with busing in poor kids to higher income neighborhoods. Not the reverse busing proposed in option 3.

Is there any historical antecedent to the reverse busing they are proposing (eg Farmland to Kennedy)? Like has any other school district done this successfully?

[Anonymous]

Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly if these schools are not good enough for your precious snowflakes please for f—k’s sake go to a private exclusive school! What you don’t seem to understand is that this is a PUBLIC school system. Just because you bought in an area thinking the schools are one way you are not entitled at all to decide who goes to school where. There is a simple solution - LEAVE!

If parents feel public schools aren't meeting their needs, many will leave for private options or other districts. This exodus will shrink your tax base, as property values drop and fewer residents stay. Less tax revenue means less funding for those same schools, creating a downward spiral. Be careful what you wish for—dismissing concerns could cost you more than you think.

It’s also that the social engineering of busing does not do what progressive think it will do. Try to help poor kids, for crying out loud, versus thinking that gleefully punishing the rich accomplishes the goal.

How do you think we should help the poor kids?

Improving their schools. Offering the classes they demand. Not having them think that they can only get a good education by shipping them to ‘white’ schools. Please. The ideas have been around for generations.

I don’t think the extreme busing proposed in option 3 is the answer, but what you are suggesting is pretty simplistic too. Can you be more specific or point to some successful examples? You make it sound like it’s obvious, and yet it hasn’t happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Garrett Park and Tilden will get $300k cheaper soon.

Even redrawn portion of WJ has 30% FARMS in one option. Prices will go down there as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

Doesn’t the BOE/mcps take some sort of oath or something that they will use taxpayer funds wisely or at least not waste funds? Busing kids WHO CAN AND SHOULD WALK is wasteful and harmful to the environment.

They are spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

Doesn’t the BOE/mcps take some sort of oath or something that they will use taxpayer funds wisely or at least not waste funds? Busing kids WHO CAN AND SHOULD WALK is wasteful and harmful to the environment.

They are spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars after all.

But if proximity were the overarching value here, wouldn’t they have built down county where a school was needed? Unfortunately they didn’t so the solution is going to have some problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

Doesn’t the BOE/mcps take some sort of oath or something that they will use taxpayer funds wisely or at least not waste funds? Busing kids WHO CAN AND SHOULD WALK is wasteful and harmful to the environment.

They are spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars after all.

The most savings from boundary studies comes from maximizing capacity. That typically means bussing certain kids to further schools. The walk zones are 2 miles which is enormous. Even if there was an extra school in the DCC you still couldn't have every potential walker assigned to the school closest to them. It is simply impossible to locate the schools perfectly in this way. And buying land and building schools is $$$$$$$ so stop pretending you care about being responsible with taxpayers dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If parents feel public schools aren't meeting their needs, many will leave for private options or other districts. This exodus will shrink your tax base, as property values drop and fewer residents stay. Less tax revenue means less funding for those same schools, creating a downward spiral. Be careful what you wish for—dismissing concerns could cost you more than you think.

Please stop threatening everyone with “many will leave”. Yes, some will leave and many will stay!

Historically accurate that those that leave change the school district permanently. And that’s only with busing in poor kids to higher income neighborhoods. Not the reverse busing proposed in option 3.

Is there any historical antecedent to the reverse busing they are proposing (eg Farmland to Kennedy)? Like has any other school district done this successfully?

I’ve been looking and I don’t think so. Maybe it originally got proposed but then it was stopped due to outcry.

[Anonymous]

If someone has a safe walk within a mile of the school they should walk. That’s not what option 3 proposes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

Doesn’t the BOE/mcps take some sort of oath or something that they will use taxpayer funds wisely or at least not waste funds? Busing kids WHO CAN AND SHOULD WALK is wasteful and harmful to the environment.

They are spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars after all.

The most savings from boundary studies comes from maximizing capacity. That typically means bussing certain kids to further schools. The walk zones are 2 miles which is enormous. Even if there was an extra school in the DCC you still couldn't have every potential walker assigned to the school closest to them. It is simply impossible to locate the schools perfectly in this way. And buying land and building schools is $$$$$$$ so stop pretending you care about being responsible with taxpayers dollars.

I think most have conveniently forgotten that the Woodward family bequethed the land for Woodward to MCPS, and required it to always be used as a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still can’t get over the fact that Option 3 is going to bus kids who live in the walk zone for one school to another school far away.

Doesn’t the BOE/mcps take some sort of oath or something that they will use taxpayer funds wisely or at least not waste funds? Busing kids WHO CAN AND SHOULD WALK is wasteful and harmful to the environment.

They are spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars after all.

The most savings from boundary studies comes from maximizing capacity. That typically means bussing certain kids to further schools. The walk zones are 2 miles which is enormous. Even if there was an extra school in the DCC you still couldn't have every potential walker assigned to the school closest to them. It is simply impossible to locate the schools perfectly in this way. And buying land and building schools is $$$$$$$ so stop pretending you care about being responsible with taxpayers dollars.

I think most have conveniently forgotten that the Woodward family bequethed the land for Woodward to MCPS, and required it to always be used as a school.

I actually had no idea about this. Thank you for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly if these schools are not good enough for your precious snowflakes please for f—k’s sake go to a private exclusive school! What you don’t seem to understand is that this is a PUBLIC school system. Just because you bought in an area thinking the schools are one way you are not entitled at all to decide who goes to school where. There is a simple solution - LEAVE!

If parents feel public schools aren't meeting their needs, many will leave for private options or other districts. This exodus will shrink your tax base, as property values drop and fewer residents stay. Less tax revenue means less funding for those same schools, creating a downward spiral. Be careful what you wish for—dismissing concerns could cost you more than you think.

It’s also that the social engineering of busing does not do what progressive think it will do. Try to help poor kids, for crying out loud, versus thinking that gleefully punishing the rich accomplishes the goal.

How do you think we should help the poor kids?

Improving their schools. Offering the classes they demand. Not having them think that they can only get a good education by shipping them to ‘white’ schools. Please. The ideas have been around for generations.

I don’t think the extreme busing proposed in option 3 is the answer, but what you are suggesting is pretty simplistic too. Can you be more specific or point to some successful examples? You make it sound like it’s obvious, and yet it hasn’t happened.

I realize I’m not proposing in depth solutions on DCUM. There’s a ton of literature investigating school improvement and it often boils down to school- or community-specific solutions. But overarching themes would be hire more teachers and cut administrators, pay teachers more, provide specific training to help with challenges specific to school (eg could be cultural, wrap around services, etc). I realize that things cost money so that’s the primary challenge.

But what you won’t find is the suggestion to bus kids around. And if they have the money to bus everyone around the county then they have some money to implement more targeted solutions.