Woodward HS boundary study - BCC, Blair, Einstein, WJ, Kennedy, Northwood, Wheaton, Whitman impacts

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Can anyone give a quick overview re what might happen with Takoma park schools? Any likelihood that TPMS or Blair boundaries will change for homes in Takoma Park.

I doubt TPMS boundaries will change. But Blair's are going to need to be trimmed back to relieve it from being 600ish students over capacity. No one knows where they will make the changes.

What if MCPS move the SMAC magnet and CAP from Blair Northwood, it would take 600+ students from Blair.

These programs are woven into the fabric of that school, so it's not a practical choice. It makes more sense to adjust the boundary on the edges near Northwood and possibly Einsten by creating space there with Woodward.

It's not impossible, but it would mean some specific design/build decisions that I've not seen on the table for Northwood. More recording spaces and expandable classrooms for the CAP kids (a pretty small design change), and more lab space for the SMCS kids.

A better idea is to incorporate Whitman and BCC into the DCC. They are both down county and we could offload more students while reducing the segregation at those schools.

This sounds logical. Not sure logistically how it would work. Whitman and B-CC would likely need to develop unique academic programs to qualify for membership in the DCC.

Offering some unique application programs at those schools to DCC students to create pull and improve diversity without forced busing at those schools does seem like a win.

The best thing would be to get rid of the DCC. The special DCC programs (other than CAP which also has non-DCC students who attended certain middle schools) are not strong and having students in a neighborhood scattered at different DCC schools decreases the sense of community. The DCC has not been successful.

The DCC should be expanded! Also, the DCC should be abolished!

Both are true. The fact that there is only one DCC- essentially school choice, available to a part of the county but not the rest is not right. Either create multiple DCCs to ensure equity or abolish it entirely.

You can move down county.

Unrealistic and stupid solution. Not everyone can or wants to or should move to down county. That's why there is housing in upcounty and mid-county. Make it available for all or get rid of it. MCPS is all about equity, right?

Make WHAT available for all? The DCC and the NEC?

No, not just DCC or the NEC. There should be additional consortiums in other parts of the county so that all MCPS students have SCHOOL CHOICE, not just students in Silver Spring or Takoma Park.

You have choice as you choose where you live. One issue is the cost of busing. If you are in a W school, you moved there to keep away from families like us. Remember?

Small-minded response. Hello-- Montgomery County is more than the Silver Spring schools and the W schools.

What are you complaining about? Do you want a UCC? You get to choose among QO, NW, SV, Clarksburg, and Watkins Mill? Why would you want that?

Same reason why you like the DCC. Why should Silver Spring/TP residents be the only people with school choice?

I live in the upcounty, I am indifferent to the DCC and the NEC, and I don't know what purpose a UCC would serve.

Same reason that the DCC serves its population. Choice of programs.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone give a quick overview re what might happen with Takoma park schools? Any likelihood that TPMS or Blair boundaries will change for homes in Takoma Park.

I doubt TPMS boundaries will change. But Blair's are going to need to be trimmed back to relieve it from being 600ish students over capacity. No one knows where they will make the changes.

What if MCPS move the SMAC magnet and CAP from Blair Northwood, it would take 600+ students from Blair.

These programs are woven into the fabric of that school, so it's not a practical choice. It makes more sense to adjust the boundary on the edges near Northwood and possibly Einsten by creating space there with Woodward.

It's not impossible, but it would mean some specific design/build decisions that I've not seen on the table for Northwood. More recording spaces and expandable classrooms for the CAP kids (a pretty small design change), and more lab space for the SMCS kids.

A better idea is to incorporate Whitman and BCC into the DCC. They are both down county and we could offload more students while reducing the segregation at those schools.

This sounds logical. Not sure logistically how it would work. Whitman and B-CC would likely need to develop unique academic programs to qualify for membership in the DCC.

Offering some unique application programs at those schools to DCC students to create pull and improve diversity without forced busing at those schools does seem like a win.

The best thing would be to get rid of the DCC. The special DCC programs (other than CAP which also has non-DCC students who attended certain middle schools) are not strong and having students in a neighborhood scattered at different DCC schools decreases the sense of community. The DCC has not been successful.

The DCC should be expanded! Also, the DCC should be abolished!

Both are true. The fact that there is only one DCC- essentially school choice, available to a part of the county but not the rest is not right. Either create multiple DCCs to ensure equity or abolish it entirely.

You can move down county.

Unrealistic and stupid solution. Not everyone can or wants to or should move to down county. That's why there is housing in upcounty and mid-county. Make it available for all or get rid of it. MCPS is all about equity, right?

Make WHAT available for all? The DCC and the NEC?

No, not just DCC or the NEC. There should be additional consortiums in other parts of the county so that all MCPS students have SCHOOL CHOICE, not just students in Silver Spring or Takoma Park.

"SCHOOL CHOICE" is a right-wing talking point used by people who want to dismantle the public school system.

Good thing school choice as it relates to this discussion isn't about dismantling the public school system. All that's being suggested is establishing a consortium for the mid-county and upcounty schools just like they've done for down-county. Is that too right-wingish for you?

You haven't explained why you want this.

So students in upcounty and mid-county can also choose a high school within a consortium based on their interests, just like students in the DCC and NEC. Why is this hard to comprehend?

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone give a quick overview re what might happen with Takoma park schools? Any likelihood that TPMS or Blair boundaries will change for homes in Takoma Park.

I doubt TPMS boundaries will change. But Blair's are going to need to be trimmed back to relieve it from being 600ish students over capacity. No one knows where they will make the changes.

What if MCPS move the SMAC magnet and CAP from Blair Northwood, it would take 600+ students from Blair.

These programs are woven into the fabric of that school, so it's not a practical choice. It makes more sense to adjust the boundary on the edges near Northwood and possibly Einsten by creating space there with Woodward.

It's not impossible, but it would mean some specific design/build decisions that I've not seen on the table for Northwood. More recording spaces and expandable classrooms for the CAP kids (a pretty small design change), and more lab space for the SMCS kids.

A better idea is to incorporate Whitman and BCC into the DCC. They are both down county and we could offload more students while reducing the segregation at those schools.

This sounds logical. Not sure logistically how it would work. Whitman and B-CC would likely need to develop unique academic programs to qualify for membership in the DCC.

Offering some unique application programs at those schools to DCC students to create pull and improve diversity without forced busing at those schools does seem like a win.

The best thing would be to get rid of the DCC. The special DCC programs (other than CAP which also has non-DCC students who attended certain middle schools) are not strong and having students in a neighborhood scattered at different DCC schools decreases the sense of community. The DCC has not been successful.

The DCC should be expanded! Also, the DCC should be abolished!

Both are true. The fact that there is only one DCC- essentially school choice, available to a part of the county but not the rest is not right. Either create multiple DCCs to ensure equity or abolish it entirely.

You can move down county.

Unrealistic and stupid solution. Not everyone can or wants to or should move to down county. That's why there is housing in upcounty and mid-county. Make it available for all or get rid of it. MCPS is all about equity, right?

Make WHAT available for all? The DCC and the NEC?

No, not just DCC or the NEC. There should be additional consortiums in other parts of the county so that all MCPS students have SCHOOL CHOICE, not just students in Silver Spring or Takoma Park.

"SCHOOL CHOICE" is a right-wing talking point used by people who want to dismantle the public school system.

Good thing school choice as it relates to this discussion isn't about dismantling the public school system. All that's being suggested is establishing a consortium for the mid-county and upcounty schools just like they've done for down-county. Is that too right-wingish for you?

You haven't explained why you want this.

So students in upcounty and mid-county can also choose a high school within a consortium based on their interests, just like students in the DCC and NEC. Why is this hard to comprehend?

Why do you want this? Other than that it exists in the DCC and the NEC?

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone give a quick overview re what might happen with Takoma park schools? Any likelihood that TPMS or Blair boundaries will change for homes in Takoma Park.

I doubt TPMS boundaries will change. But Blair's are going to need to be trimmed back to relieve it from being 600ish students over capacity. No one knows where they will make the changes.

What if MCPS move the SMAC magnet and CAP from Blair Northwood, it would take 600+ students from Blair.

These programs are woven into the fabric of that school, so it's not a practical choice. It makes more sense to adjust the boundary on the edges near Northwood and possibly Einsten by creating space there with Woodward.

It's not impossible, but it would mean some specific design/build decisions that I've not seen on the table for Northwood. More recording spaces and expandable classrooms for the CAP kids (a pretty small design change), and more lab space for the SMCS kids.

A better idea is to incorporate Whitman and BCC into the DCC. They are both down county and we could offload more students while reducing the segregation at those schools.

This sounds logical. Not sure logistically how it would work. Whitman and B-CC would likely need to develop unique academic programs to qualify for membership in the DCC.

Offering some unique application programs at those schools to DCC students to create pull and improve diversity without forced busing at those schools does seem like a win.

The best thing would be to get rid of the DCC. The special DCC programs (other than CAP which also has non-DCC students who attended certain middle schools) are not strong and having students in a neighborhood scattered at different DCC schools decreases the sense of community. The DCC has not been successful.

The DCC should be expanded! Also, the DCC should be abolished!

Both are true. The fact that there is only one DCC- essentially school choice, available to a part of the county but not the rest is not right. Either create multiple DCCs to ensure equity or abolish it entirely.

You can move down county.

Unrealistic and stupid solution. Not everyone can or wants to or should move to down county. That's why there is housing in upcounty and mid-county. Make it available for all or get rid of it. MCPS is all about equity, right?

Make WHAT available for all? The DCC and the NEC?

No, not just DCC or the NEC. There should be additional consortiums in other parts of the county so that all MCPS students have SCHOOL CHOICE, not just students in Silver Spring or Takoma Park.

You have choice as you choose where you live. One issue is the cost of busing. If you are in a W school, you moved there to keep away from families like us. Remember?

Small-minded response. Hello-- Montgomery County is more than the Silver Spring schools and the W schools.

What are you complaining about? Do you want a UCC? You get to choose among QO, NW, SV, Clarksburg, and Watkins Mill? Why would you want that?

Same reason why you like the DCC. Why should Silver Spring/TP residents be the only people with school choice?

I live in the upcounty, I am indifferent to the DCC and the NEC, and I don't know what purpose a UCC would serve.

Same reason that the DCC serves its population. Choice of programs.

The choice programs are all lottery. So is the dcc. It’s not really choice.

[Anonymous]

Would you rather go to your W school or get to pick between Springbrook, paint branch and Blake? The reason consortiums exist is to spread out the few white people. This is why Sherwood said No Way when asked to join. They didn’t want more black and brown skin kids picking their school.

[Anonymous]

Transportation costs and times make a consortium choice system only feasible in a really dense area.

[Anonymous]

Walter Johnson and BCC may become part of DCC. Yes, distance will be more, but some programs can be added.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walter Johnson and BCC may become part of DCC. Yes, distance will be more, but some programs can be added.

Doubtful

[Anonymous]

MCPS should provide school choice in Bethesda/Potomac area just like they do in DCC. Just make a new group.

[Anonymous]

Bethesda and Potomac don't want to be in a consortium- they want to go to their neighborhood school

[Anonymous]

Transportation costs and times make a consortium choice system only feasible in a really dense area.

[Anonymous]

Does the DCC actually do anything beneficial for the county or does it just exacerbate segregation issues? I truly don’t know as my kids are young, but I would have intuitively preferred the neighborhood school concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the DCC actually do anything beneficial for the county or does it just exacerbate segregation issues? I truly don’t know as my kids are young, but I would have intuitively preferred the neighborhood school concept.

If you rank your home school #1, you can go there, so you don't have to deal with the consortium if you don't want to. My family found it a bonus to be able to have some high school choice, and we were able to send two kids to a different school than our home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walter Johnson and BCC may become part of DCC. Yes, distance will be more, but some programs can be added.

They should remake the DCC just to include the schools that serve areas inside the beltway where it's dense so it's an actual down-county consortium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the DCC actually do anything beneficial for the county or does it just exacerbate segregation issues? I truly don’t know as my kids are young, but I would have intuitively preferred the neighborhood school concept.

Yes. The schools develop specialties. All the kids I knew who were really tech oriented chose Wheaton, all who were really arts oriented chose Einstein. With specialty programs and a significant enough group of interested kids, they can offer more classes in that subject area.