Making sense of MCPS regional program transportation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hold on. What does this mean:

What will happen to school choice in the DCC and NEC?

The current Choice Process will be phased out for current 7th graders and younger. Students will attend their home high school but may apply to regional programs within their assigned region.

Does this mean all students will attend their home schools and ONLY attend the schools that are hosting regional programs for those periods a la Edison? I really hope that's not the case....cause if it is, that's even more reason to be opposed to this proposal.

Huh. That seems logistically difficult (how do you fit transportation to and from each school into the school day and still let students get transportation home from their home schools?). But would reduce impacts on the home schools of taking the highest performing students away.

Who tf knows if this is their plan but they should definitely clarify that.

Precisely. Which is why I fear this is exactly the path MCPS is headed toward....

No way this is what they're thinking. It contradicts everything they've said so far, and there's nothing in the quoted answer that suggests this at all.

They lie about pretty much everything. This contradicting what they’re saying, means it’s exactly what is happening.

Either that, or they’ve now decided to be transparent and sincere, which I doubt is the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was on the design team and they told us the goal was to make sure that kids would have to travel 30 minutes or less to get to programs, and that based on the spring survey the majority of families thought that more than 30 minutes was too much. That doesn't seem to line up with this? How will kids walk to their local high school and then take the bus from there and have it only take 30 minutes or less? For some kids the walk alone would take more than 30 minutes...

Our regular bus takes over 30 minutes to get home from HS. This makes no sesne.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hold on. What does this mean:

What will happen to school choice in the DCC and NEC?

The current Choice Process will be phased out for current 7th graders and younger. Students will attend their home high school but may apply to regional programs within their assigned region.

Does this mean all students will attend their home schools and ONLY attend the schools that are hosting regional programs for those periods a la Edison? I really hope that's not the case....cause if it is, that's even more reason to be opposed to this proposal.

Huh. That seems logistically difficult (how do you fit transportation to and from each school into the school day and still let students get transportation home from their home schools?). But would reduce impacts on the home schools of taking the highest performing students away.

Who tf knows if this is their plan but they should definitely clarify that.

Precisely. Which is why I fear this is exactly the path MCPS is headed toward....

Its not going to reduce the impact as families will move or go private. They don't have enough offerings at all home schools.

[Anonymous]

MCPS says this about central stop transportation. There are apparently no guarantees of a stop within walking distance. How is this possibly equitable? The programs will only be for kids whose parents can drive them to a central stop?

"According to MCPS Regulation EEA-RA, Student
Transportation, Section II.B.2, “Centralized bus
service, defined as transportation from a central
location such as a neighborhood elementary
school, to the program site, may be provided to
students attending specific programs as identi-
fied in the MCPS Options (Guide to Countywide
Programs) booklet, in accordance with Board
action, attendance areas, transportation services,
and funding levels. Parents/guardians are respon-
sible for students’ transportation to and from
centralized bus stops, whether or not there is an
appropriate walking route.” Central stops are
placed at MCPS schools and other government
facilities. Not all students will have a bus stop
within walking distance of their home."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS says this about central stop transportation. There are apparently no guarantees of a stop within walking distance. How is this possibly equitable? The programs will only be for kids whose parents can drive them to a central stop?

"According to MCPS Regulation EEA-RA, Student
Transportation, Section II.B.2, “Centralized bus
service, defined as transportation from a central
location such as a neighborhood elementary
school, to the program site, may be provided to
students attending specific programs as identi-
fied in the MCPS Options (Guide to Countywide
Programs) booklet, in accordance with Board
action, attendance areas, transportation services,
and funding levels. Parents/guardians are respon-
sible for students’ transportation to and from
centralized bus stops, whether or not there is an
appropriate walking route.” Central stops are
placed at MCPS schools and other government
facilities. Not all students will have a bus stop
within walking distance of their home."

Yeah, I live in the NEC and have a kid who goes to Blair. The central bus stop is not within walking distance of our house, so it's our responsibility to get our kid to and from the bus stop so they can get to Blair. It's a pain, and it was a major consideration when deciding whether the kid would accept the Blair spot. Being in the NEC, we know a lot of people with kids at the Springbrook regional IB program. Currently, that works well because there are neighborhood bus stops as part of NEC transportation. If that stops, I imagine that many kids whose home school is Blake or Paint Branch will find it harder to attend the Springbrook IB program than it currently is, reducing accessibility. (Blake is not a very walkable high school location, so its utility as a central bus stop is limited).

[Anonymous]

Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

It's probably the latter which looks really bad for him, though the former would be even worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

Who from CO were at Blair tonight other than Mamoon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

Who from CO were at Blair tonight other than Mamoon?

Given the spread-out format it was hard to tell for sure, but I saw Mamoon and Swiatocha in the boundaries area and Jeannie Franklin in the program analysis area, plus a lot of tables with staff answering questions about the details of specific programs (I did not go to those.) Did not see Essie Maguire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

Who from CO were at Blair tonight other than Mamoon?

Who wasn't there would be the better question. Chief of staff, chief academic officer, communications director, There appeared to be about 50 people from central office there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

Who from CO were at Blair tonight other than Mamoon?

Given the spread-out format it was hard to tell for sure, but I saw Mamoon and Swiatocha in the boundaries area and Jeannie Franklin in the program analysis area, plus a lot of tables with staff answering questions about the details of specific programs (I did not go to those.) Did not see Essie Maguire.

Essie was in the feedback room telling parents not to be argumentative because she wasn't going to argue with them.

[Anonymous]

These stupid bureaucrats are just sitting happy on their fat salaries and do not give one single F about how they are screwing with so many kids and families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

It's probably the latter which looks really bad for him, though the former would be even worse.

Either one is bad. I have had an open mind to the creation of these regional programs, but telling parents of kids who would be entitled to a school bus at their host schools that they need to figure out how to pick up and drop off kids 2x a day at their host high school if they want their kids to attend a regional program is incredibly inequitable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

It's probably the latter which looks really bad for him, though the former would be even worse.

Either one is bad. I have had an open mind to the creation of these regional programs, but telling parents of kids who would be entitled to a school bus at their host schools that they need to figure out how to pick up and drop off kids 2x a day at their host high school if they want their kids to attend a regional program is incredibly inequitable.

They are rebranding inequity as equity. They are being creative, give them some credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talked to Adnan Mamoon, Chief Operations Officer (oversees transportation among other things), about this at Blair tonight.

He said that the final plan for how buses will work has not been decided, but that the budget presented to the Board is based on students having to get to their local high school to catch a bus to the program school.

Did the "that's a very good point for us to think about" when the equity issues around that were mentioned, although it was unclear whether he hadn't thought of it or if that is just his standard line when people provide feedback/criticism.

It's probably the latter which looks really bad for him, though the former would be even worse.

Either one is bad. I have had an open mind to the creation of these regional programs, but telling parents of kids who would be entitled to a school bus at their host schools that they need to figure out how to pick up and drop off kids 2x a day at their host high school if they want their kids to attend a regional program is incredibly inequitable.

Me too. Been really trying to see the positive but this is such a glaring issue how could they be this far along and not have addressed this???