Cliff Notes summary of MCPS boundary study fight?

[Anonymous]

If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

Bolded part is very true. I'm very for the boundary study. It's long over due. But the fact of the matter is that there aren't as many apartments around some of the W clusters.

However, I will argue that even if there were, the prices would be higher than the eastern part of the county simply because of demand. The only way to draw in low income families is to create tons of section 8 housing in the W clusters, but as stated, that's a county issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

Bolded part is very true. I'm very for the boundary study. It's long over due. But the fact of the matter is that there aren't as many apartments around some of the W clusters.

However, I will argue that even if there were, the prices would be higher than the eastern part of the county simply because of demand. The only way to draw in low income families is to create tons of section 8 housing in the W clusters, but as stated, that's a county issue.

Red-lining and restricting low-income housing to largely 1-2 areas may have also played a large part

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

Bolded part is very true. I'm very for the boundary study. It's long over due. But the fact of the matter is that there aren't as many apartments around some of the W clusters.

However, I will argue that even if there were, the prices would be higher than the eastern part of the county simply because of demand. The only way to draw in low income families is to create tons of section 8 housing in the W clusters, but as stated, that's a county issue.

People who have "Section 8" vouchers can use them anywhere a landlord is willing to accept them.

Also, most low-income families do not have vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

No, I won't.

The BoE is going to adjust the boundaries as it sees fit. Unless you're on the BoE, your personal opinion is not relevant. When the boundaries have been adjusted, you can then decide whether to send your child to their new assigned school - or to switch to a private school, homeschool, or move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The other dynamic in both Churchill and Wootten is that the elementary schools especially the younger grades are always under capacity and then the high schools end up over capacity. Part of this is that the houses are more expensive so you have more people moving out of their starter homes in other clusters and into their forever homes when their kids are older. The other part is people fleeing their bad cluster before high school or middle school.

I wouldn’t say Wood Acres and Bradley Hills are under capacity.

They are both under capacity. But neither is in Churchill or Wootton clusters.

Woodacres is one of the biggest elementary schools in MoCo

what? Are you talking physical space or enrollment?

It has 670+ kids.

Wims has 1200 kids!

Carson has a 1000.

Wims HAD 1200 kids, but then Snowden Farm ES opened.

Correct. Now Wims has 767.
Carson has 893.
Wood Acres has 649.

Ashburton is now the largest ES with 922.

Are there many schools with 200+ per grade?

No, only Takoma Park and Piney Branch have more than 200 students in any one grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

No, I won't.

The BoE is going to adjust the boundaries as it sees fit. Unless you're on the BoE, your personal opinion is not relevant. When the boundaries have been adjusted, you can then decide whether to send your child to their new assigned school - or to switch to a private school, homeschool, or move.

A new BOE could also adjust the boundaries as they see fit. See, there are some limits....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to call someone a classist for being opposed to your liberal dream that would be legitimate - but to consistently call someone who disagrees with you a racist is to to (ironically) show your own ‘racism’. (Defined by a bias towards a particular skin color) And by continuing to focus on skin color you miss the thousands of neurodiverse kids of all colors who have been ill served by MCPS. What will buses do to improve their skills? This is not 1974 - no matter how many times you repeat it. Also, sorry but if you want your liberal dream you are going to have to convince a person like me - who doesn’t want his kid to go to high school with an MS-13 member...that a school change benefits my kid. Otherwise you are going to exacerbate the economic segregation you are obsessed with. (Bright flight)

By the way, I would argue it was developers and the County itself who wanted higher property values in the Western part of the county who largely kept the socio-economic divide - they set this pattern, not homeowners.

No, I won't.

The BoE is going to adjust the boundaries as it sees fit. Unless you're on the BoE, your personal opinion is not relevant. When the boundaries have been adjusted, you can then decide whether to send your child to their new assigned school - or to switch to a private school, homeschool, or move.

A new BOE could also adjust the boundaries as they see fit. See, there are some limits....

Precisely.

[Anonymous]

This whole thing is about home values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

How will any of this change?

Even if we "brown out" the country, likes will attract likes. college educated? You'll have friends and colleagues who are also in white collar professions.

And if the schools are "leveled" by race and SES, you'll find ways to send your kids to private. And you'll still be in a neighborhood with others "like you." You'll find your people.

Humans are tribal by nature. We seek others who are like us. And sadly, money is one way to separate folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

+1 To root this as part of a larger and generations-long discussion, home values were absolutely deployed as an argument against residential and educational integration back in the mid-1900s as well. The thing is, this argument allows everyone to pretend they aren't racist, they are just worried about all those racists who would want to buy their home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

How will any of this change?

Even if we "brown out" the country, likes will attract likes. college educated? You'll have friends and colleagues who are also in white collar professions.

And if the schools are "leveled" by race and SES, you'll find ways to send your kids to private. And you'll still be in a neighborhood with others "like you." You'll find your people.

Humans are tribal by nature. We seek others who are like us. And sadly, money is one way to separate folks.

And everyone is also entitled to the same high-quality public education regardless where they live. Unfortunately, there are good and bad schools at least that’s what people on this board constantly say. Addressing this so all students can rise to their potential seem like the right thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

How will any of this change?

Even if we "brown out" the country, likes will attract likes. college educated? You'll have friends and colleagues who are also in white collar professions.

And if the schools are "leveled" by race and SES, you'll find ways to send your kids to private. And you'll still be in a neighborhood with others "like you." You'll find your people.

Humans are tribal by nature. We seek others who are like us. And sadly, money is one way to separate folks.

And everyone is also entitled to the same high-quality public education regardless where they live. Unfortunately, there are good and bad schools at least that’s what people on this board constantly say. Addressing this so all students can rise to their potential seem like the right thing to do.

I have no problem with the boundary study. However, I have watched the BOE meetings and there is a warped tendency to retaliate against W schools...I even heard one board member say something to the effect that she would like to see those W school students NEED to get more exposure to brown kids. That's paraphrasing, but it's pretty blatant where their heads are. I think mostly they are frustrated because they can't really touch the W schools like Churchill and Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is about home values.

That's a big part of it, but it's also strongly connected to racism.

How will any of this change?

Even if we "brown out" the country, likes will attract likes. college educated? You'll have friends and colleagues who are also in white collar professions.

And if the schools are "leveled" by race and SES, you'll find ways to send your kids to private. And you'll still be in a neighborhood with others "like you." You'll find your people.

Humans are tribal by nature. We seek others who are like us. And sadly, money is one way to separate folks.

And everyone is also entitled to the same high-quality public education regardless where they live. Unfortunately, there are good and bad schools at least that’s what people on this board constantly say. Addressing this so all students can rise to their potential seem like the right thing to do.

I have no problem with the boundary study. However, I have watched the BOE meetings and there is a warped tendency to retaliate against W schools...I even heard one board member say something to the effect that she would like to see those W school students NEED to get more exposure to brown kids. That's paraphrasing, but it's pretty blatant where their heads are. I think mostly they are frustrated because they can't really touch the W schools like Churchill and Whitman.

Wow. Exposure to brown kids is a form of retaliation from your perspective? That just says it all.

Signed,
A Whitman alum who wishes there had been more brown kids like her