Montoya is not fit for office

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

Not Blair, once they lose the influx of W kids from the programs and the motivated DCC kids looking to opt out of lesser environments. They will quickly see a culture shift and I suspect the Takoma Park and Silgo Park family's kids will quickly become interested in what ever program are located at BCC or Whitman. Hell Whitman doesn't send their kids in any measurable numbers to Magnets as it is with them at full strength, there is little chance they will opt in as the school falls apart.

Where do you live and where is "Silgo Park"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

Then they should stop spending like drunks because home values fund their excesses.

Trump has hollowed out the federal government, with Maryland losing tens of thousands of well-paying jobs, government and contractor alike. People who don't like where the school system is heading, they will leave. Why stay in this high priced area?

When Taylor finally delivers the invoice for these ill-conceived regional programs, the county will be unable to provide the funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

Maybe up to a certain degree.

We knew students at both schools both in the IB and magnet programs and students that were not.

This was a while back but both sets of students acknowledged that they never interacted with students that were or were not in the program. ie non IB students never interacted with the IB students and vice versa. And it sounded like the students in the special programs were in a separate wing of the schools and hardly left that wing.

So can't say that the programs were put in place to promote integration. It did help somewhat improve the school's scores and reputation.

Where you look at RM now, the school has improved overall and there are a lot of nice neighborhoods that go to RM. The areas feeding into RM was very high in our areas to live in, even though we knew that outside of the IB program, the school is probably just average, which we were okay with.

Did it work for Blair? I'm not so sure. Even with the magnet program, it ranks 13th in the US News rankings of top high schools in Montgomery County:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools-104047

Where it goes:
Whitman
Wootton
Poolesville
Churchill
Richard Montgomery
Walter Johnson
Bethesda Chevy Chase
Northwest
Quince Orchard
Magruder
Clarksburg
Springbrook
Blair

We do know people who live around Blair and are/were happy with the school even though their kids were not in the special programs there. But proximity to DC was a big factor for some of the families and some of the other families grew up in the area and were fine with it.

But don't think that Blair is that much of an example of success in integration and becoming a desirable area for families to choose to move to like you're describing. RM maybe a better example of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The fundamental idea behind the magnet model is:

[li]Bring in a bunch of high performing kids (who tend to white and/or Asian) and create a school within-a-school.[/li]
[li]This magnet cohort brings in demographic balance that offsets the rest of the school population (which tends to be Black and Hispanic, lower income and lower test scores)[/li]
[li]Supposedly, proximity to the mostly white and/or Asian magnet kids "rubs off" on the non-magnet kids, uplifting the academic performance of the entire school.[/li]

At this point, having seen the model play out for as long as it has, I think theory behind this model has proven false. They have succeeded in building out a desirable, high-performing program that draws middle-class white and Asian families to attend lower performing schools they otherwise would overlook, but it has not uplifted the non-magnet kids and the makeup of the cohort has not diversified racially in the ways MCPS has promised.

The only thing the regional model will do is limit the pool of white and/or Asian kids from dominating the countywide magnet programs, but this model does nothing to improve the quality of these programs or even to ensure racial diversity in the admissions process for these programs.

*NOTE: I'm only talking about criteria-based magnet. The "whole magnet" model that's available at the middle school level is a joke. Think of that really as just applying a veneer of a theme to a school by way of 1 or 2 elective classes kids can take. But the results of the whole magnet prove there's no rigor or quality coming from them. Sadly, the regional model looks more like the whole magnet model, which is why MCCPTA and MCEA raised their concerns about these being PINO (Programs in Name Only).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

The fundamental idea behind the magnet model is:

[*]Bring in a bunch of high performing kids (who tend to white and/or Asian) and create a school within-a-school.
[*]This magnet cohort brings in demographic balance that offsets the rest of the school population (which tends to be Black and Hispanic, lower income and lower test scores)
[*]Supposedly, proximity to the mostly white and/or Asian magnet kids "rubs off" on the non-magnet kids, uplifting the academic performance of the entire school.

At this point, having seen the model play out for as long as it has, I think theory behind this model has proven false. They have succeeded in building out a desirable, high-performing program that draws middle-class white and Asian families to attend lower performing schools they otherwise would overlook, but it has not uplifted the non-magnet kids and the makeup of the cohort has not diversified racially in the ways MCPS has promised.

The only thing the regional model will do is limit the pool of white and/or Asian kids from dominating the countywide magnet programs, but this model does nothing to improve the quality of these programs or even to ensure racial diversity in the admissions process for these programs.

*NOTE: I'm only talking about criteria-based magnet. The "whole magnet" model that's available at the middle school level is a joke. Think of that really as just applying a veneer of a theme to a school by way of 1 or 2 elective classes kids can take. But the results of the whole magnet prove there's no rigor or quality coming from them. Sadly, the regional model looks more like the whole magnet model, which is why MCCPTA and MCEA raised their concerns about these being PINO (Programs in Name Only).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

Blair has the same bell schedule for all students these days. And magnet students take classes with mainstream Blair students for all classes outside the magnet classes.

It's not the segregated school that you describe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

Blair has the same bell schedule for all students these days. And magnet students take classes with mainstream Blair students for all classes outside the magnet classes.

It's not the segregated school that you describe.

DP it isn't segregated in that way anymore, but the outcomes for Black, EML and FARMS students are just as bad as they are in other schools. The magnet does not help them, and it is not fair to the magnet kids to have them travel such long distances. Their families may want the bragging rights of having them attend a countywide magnet program but it is not what is best for the kids. I just wish they were taking a thoughtful and deliberative approach to the regional program model instead what they are doing now which is about shutting down public input and debate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

You’re proving her point by summarizing her incorrectly. She never said BIPOC and students living in poverty are the same group. As a BIPOC family in the DCC, we welcome any new initiatives that bring accountability to individual principals. I’m so tired of finding out that yet another course in our school’s signature program won’t be offered or that the school has created another fake pre requisite to classes they want to use to boost their report card.
Or even worse, asking 9th graders to retake 7th grade MCAPS “to boost the school’s scores”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

Blair has the same bell schedule for all students these days. And magnet students take classes with mainstream Blair students for all classes outside the magnet classes.

It's not the segregated school that you describe.

DP it isn't segregated in that way anymore, but the outcomes for Black, EML and FARMS students are just as bad as they are in other schools. The magnet does not help them, and it is not fair to the magnet kids to have them travel such long distances. Their families may want the bragging rights of having them attend a countywide magnet program but it is not what is best for the kids. I just wish they were taking a thoughtful and deliberative approach to the regional program model instead what they are doing now which is about shutting down public input and debate.

No, they are not. Stop making up $hit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school. We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute. Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987. These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.

The program was designed to stem the flow of white flight ripping though DC and close in MoCo in the 70s and 80s by injecting the kids who otherwise opted out of those areas. In those days to get them to come, Gainous gave them their own buses, building and schedule. There was a magnet bell that didn't overlap with the normal bell so the kids didn't even see the natives in the hallways and they had a sperate lunch period too. Most kids at the old Blair didn't ever meet a magnet kid during their 4 years, maybe if you were smoking out by Erters after school. Sure the schools metrics improved when inflated with other kids successes but did that aid in equity for the local kids? Maybe it helped keep it open long enough to get a new building.

Blair has the same bell schedule for all students these days. And magnet students take classes with mainstream Blair students for all classes outside the magnet classes.

It's not the segregated school that you describe.

DP it isn't segregated in that way anymore, but the outcomes for Black, EML and FARMS students are just as bad as they are in other schools. The magnet does not help them, and it is not fair to the magnet kids to have them travel such long distances. Their families may want the bragging rights of having them attend a countywide magnet program but it is not what is best for the kids. I just wish they were taking a thoughtful and deliberative approach to the regional program model instead what they are doing now which is about shutting down public input and debate.

No, they are not. Stop making up $hit.

DP but compare the 2025 ELA 10 numbers for FARMS between Gaithersburg HS and Blair:
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/Assessments/ElaPerformance/10ELA/10/6/3/3/15/0757/2025
https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/Assessments/ElaPerformance/10ELA/10/6/3/3/15/0551/2025

35.2 percent at Gaithersburg vs 40.3 percent at Blair

Math is a lot bit harder to compare because most of the higher performing students take Algebra I in middle school.

Compare the ELA 10 for Black/African Americans:
57.9 percent at Blair compared to 48.8 at Gaithersburg

Hispanic/Latino:
40.1 percent at Blair vs 33.2 percent at Gaithersburg

EML:
14.3 percent at Blair vs 5.9 percent at Gaithersburg

The numbers at Blair are higher but only by five to ten percent? That doesn't seem like that huge of a jump from having a special program at a school that one would've hoped and I purposely tried to pick a school that didn't have a special program to compare to.

ELA 10 numbers from Watkins Mill:
FARMS: 43.7
EML: 6.3
African American/Black: 48.6
Hispanic: 35.8


ELA 10 numbers from Springbrook:
FARMS: 46.8
EML: 7.3
African American/Black: 67.5
Hispanic: 40

[Anonymous]

Paint Branch has higher proficiency rates for FARMS and Hispanic/Latinos then Blair too:

ELA 10 numbers from Paint Branch:
FARMS: 46
EML: 6.7
African American/Black: 51.6
Hispanic: 49.1