Don't buy in MoCo until the school redistricting is setled?

[Anonymous]

I would wait at least 3 years and see what happens or be mentally prepared to lose 10%-20% of the homes value in a short time period. There are too many negatives in MOCO. The budget shortfall and no way to increase revenues is an even bigger problem than rezoning.

On the rezoning, very few areas will be "safe". MCPS clusters cover large geographic areas and few, if any schools are more than two clusters away from a low ranked school. Its fine for MCPS to say that it is not going to bus kids across the county from Poolesville to Kennedy but there are many moves from adjacent and second school over adjacent clusters that can send values tumbling. The neighborhoods in Paint Branch were not the closest or geographically adjacent to SV but the cluster was adjacent. Those residents were taken by surprise that their area is now an island feeding into a much lower ranked school. If MCPS is going to achieve an SES balance of getting schools into a 30% or 40% FARMS then its going to have to rezone by reaching deeper into "adjacent" clusters to move UMC neighborhoods north and/or east.

[Anonymous]

overall FARMs data
most recent report: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/annualreport/2019/#

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would wait at least 3 years and see what happens or be mentally prepared to lose 10%-20% of the homes value in a short time period. There are too many negatives in MOCO. The budget shortfall and no way to increase revenues is an even bigger problem than rezoning.

On the rezoning, very few areas will be "safe". MCPS clusters cover large geographic areas and few, if any schools are more than two clusters away from a low ranked school. Its fine for MCPS to say that it is not going to bus kids across the county from Poolesville to Kennedy but there are many moves from adjacent and second school over adjacent clusters that can send values tumbling. The neighborhoods in Paint Branch were not the closest or geographically adjacent to SV but the cluster was adjacent. Those residents were taken by surprise that their area is now an island feeding into a much lower ranked school. If MCPS is going to achieve an SES balance of getting schools into a 30% or 40% FARMS then its going to have to rezone by reaching deeper into "adjacent" clusters to move UMC neighborhoods north and/or east.

There are plenty of ways to increase revenues. This is the county that has repeatedly opted against taxing country clubs, so I pay a far higher rate for my house than a country club that counts millionaires and billionaires among its members.

[Anonymous]

MoCo Teaches Chinese to folks who already speak Chinese but won’t teach Spanish speakers to speak English

Get rid of immersion programs until everyone can speak and write English

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Teaches Chinese to folks who already speak Chinese but won’t teach Spanish speakers to speak English

Get rid of immersion programs until everyone can speak and write English

Esol is a federally required program

[Anonymous]

I do not think home values will drop. This area has a constant need for housing and a lot of employment.
If anything, home values will steadily increase. Some wealthier areas will remain stable, because the home values have already peaked. Oftentimes there is more demand for smaller, reasonable priced homes. These sell more quickly, tend to grow in value too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

On the rezoning, very few areas will be "safe". MCPS clusters cover large geographic areas and few, if any schools are more than two clusters away from a low ranked school. Its fine for MCPS to say that it is not going to bus kids across the county from Poolesville to Kennedy but there are many moves from adjacent and second school over adjacent clusters that can send values tumbling. The neighborhoods in Paint Branch were not the closest or geographically adjacent to SV but the cluster was adjacent. Those residents were taken by surprise that their area is now an island feeding into a much lower ranked school. If MCPS is going to achieve an SES balance of getting schools into a 30% or 40% FARMS then its going to have to rezone by reaching deeper into "adjacent" clusters to move UMC neighborhoods north and/or east.

Paint Branch had nothing to do with this study. You're thinking of Cabin Branch. And it isn't an "island." The southern part of the Clarksburg zone is adjacent to the northern part of the Seneca Valley zone. Also, MCPS has never said they will get every school to 30-40% FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MoCo Teaches Chinese to folks who already speak Chinese but won’t teach Spanish speakers to speak English

Get rid of immersion programs until everyone can speak and write English

I assume this is some sort of a rant against the move away from self-contained ESOL classrooms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On the rezoning, very few areas will be "safe". MCPS clusters cover large geographic areas and few, if any schools are more than two clusters away from a low ranked school. Its fine for MCPS to say that it is not going to bus kids across the county from Poolesville to Kennedy but there are many moves from adjacent and second school over adjacent clusters that can send values tumbling. The neighborhoods in Paint Branch were not the closest or geographically adjacent to SV but the cluster was adjacent. Those residents were taken by surprise that their area is now an island feeding into a much lower ranked school. If MCPS is going to achieve an SES balance of getting schools into a 30% or 40% FARMS then its going to have to rezone by reaching deeper into "adjacent" clusters to move UMC neighborhoods north and/or east.

Paint Branch had nothing to do with this study. You're thinking of Cabin Branch. And it isn't an "island." The southern part of the Clarksburg zone is adjacent to the northern part of the Seneca Valley zone. Also, MCPS has never said they will get every school to 30-40% FARMS.

Seneca Valley will most likely be a very different school once the building is complete
It already has some good programs. Perhaps it is too soon to judge. People are just being snobbish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would wait at least 3 years and see what happens or be mentally prepared to lose 10%-20% of the homes value in a short time period. There are too many negatives in MOCO. The budget shortfall and no way to increase revenues is an even bigger problem than rezoning.

On the rezoning, very few areas will be "safe". MCPS clusters cover large geographic areas and few, if any schools are more than two clusters away from a low ranked school. Its fine for MCPS to say that it is not going to bus kids across the county from Poolesville to Kennedy but there are many moves from adjacent and second school over adjacent clusters that can send values tumbling. The neighborhoods in Paint Branch were not the closest or geographically adjacent to SV but the cluster was adjacent. Those residents were taken by surprise that their area is now an island feeding into a much lower ranked school. If MCPS is going to achieve an SES balance of getting schools into a 30% or 40% FARMS then its going to have to rezone by reaching deeper into "adjacent" clusters to move UMC neighborhoods north and/or east.


There are plenty of ways to increase revenues. This is the county that has repeatedly opted against taxing country clubs, so I pay a far higher rate for my house than a country club that counts millionaires and billionaires among its members.

This is exactly why MOCO is doing so poorly. People are stupid. Do you really think that you can raise 100M from the few country clubs? You can't plus the budget deficit of 100M is just one of the financial problems. The massive debt service is another. The warning from Moody's was because this wasn't the first year that the county avoided paying into its pension fund, Leggett did it too and now its underfunded right when a large bubble of employees are about to retire. The wealth in MOCO is mostly passive wealth due to the age demographics. The county doesn't have a mechanism to go after passive wealth.

Politically the county can't cut any county jobs and the debt service only grows so the expenses will not be lowered. If the county raises sales tax it risks sending the large population of economically at risk people into poverty. Property and income tax increases are the only way for the county to raise for money but this will further devalue the real estate.

[Anonymous]

If a house you love comes on the market and it’s within your price range and the current schools are within walking distance go for it.

Otherwise- everything is going to be higher in 10 years. Barring a nuclear fallout.

[Anonymous]

You folks do know SALT is only a ten year thing and expires. And VA will have high taxes soon. Maybe 5-10 years. Cant keep building like crazy with no infrastructure

[Anonymous]

I haven’t read the previous threads but I think you should wait and see what happens. The moco show had a boundary analysis podcast with a realtor. She described the huge price differences from house is located directly across from each other due to different school questers. It’s worth a listen if you’re in the market and have a specific school in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read the previous threads but I think you should wait and see what happens. The moco show had a boundary analysis podcast with a realtor. She described the huge price differences from house is located directly across from each other due to different school questers. It’s worth a listen if you’re in the market and have a specific school in mind.

link?

[Anonymous]

At the bottom of this page, the BOUNDARIES entry: https://www.mocoshow.com/