MCPS and Starr will probably need to change boundaries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I know that MoCo is a huge school district and not a town. The fact remains, however, that MoCo makes the ongoing choice to segregate people by housing prices. It is a choice not to locate affordable housing in e.g. Bethesda, Potomac, Chevy Chase. In making that choice, MoCo also chooses the achievement gap.

You're the type of fool that would cut off your nose to spite your face. The revenues that fund schools come from property taxes. The county is declining in revenue not growing- which is very bad. The close in areas don't see it but compared to Howard, Frederick, and VA the north and west of Montgomery County is stagnating, no appreciation and no increased revenues while the east is dropping fast.

You will not close the achievement gap by adding a few low income housing units to White Flint but its a good sound bite for the stupid. You will loe revenues that fund the schools.

Why do you think property taxes would decline if housing were mixed? Do you think that mixing socioeconomic groups in the same neighborhood would have a negative impact on housing values? This is not the case in the town I referred to above. On the contrary, property values are stable and rising. Housing has always been mixed. It is just a given.

I didn't say anything about "a few low income housing units to White Flint." I'm talking about massive policy overhaul.

Segregated housing is not a default. It is not the case everywhere. It is a choice.

Then if your town is truly Eden, give up the name. People segregate by race, culture and SES. So even if Josephine is living next to Gina, if Gina is a millionaire and Josephine is relying on her government check, it's unlikely they will be bonding anytime soon.

Not my town (because I'm not going to out myself), but e.g. Arlington, MA is a town with a similar profile:

Public housing:

http://arlingtonhousing.org/residents_family.php

Affordable housing:

http://housingcorparlington.org/affordable-apartment-program/capitol-square-apartments/

In the same town:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/83-Cutter-Hill-Rd_Arlington_MA_02474_M34028-94614?row=2

And in-between, economically:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/15-Hazel-Ter_Arlington_MA_02474_M41693-54626?row=3

Kids from all of these situations attend the SAME schools.

It's not Eden, but it's not segregated either.

So funny. I know someone who grew up in Arlington, MA during the 1970s. they ended up sending one kid to private school and in the end they moved to a more expensive neighborhood to get better schools. The school in the better neighborhood was much, much better. I know this was a long time ago and perhaps the town has changed since then but...

That is so funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

So if we make policy changes to enable low- and middle-income families to move into housing in e.g. Bethesda, there will be drive-by shootings there?

Given all of the apartment buildings in downtown Bethesda, it's amazing that people aren't already dodging bullets right and left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why will affordable housing in wealthy areas make dcc or NEC better? It'll just make the richer areas worse. What is the point? I'd rather focus efforts on serving middle class kids needs in these zones (in the form of a consortium or otherwise) through tracking more magnet better teacher etc. or just showing middle class families that they are also an important part of the dcc/NEC landscape. Sure you can jiggle to boundaries a bit but you'll just punish families who chose to stay and make a go in SS

How will affordable housing in e.g. Bethesda and Potomac make those areas "worse"?

Because "affordable housing" means "the projects", and Bethesda and Potomac will turn into Cabrini-Green. Everybody knows that!

In fact, in Montgomery County, "affordable housing" is based on the HUD Area Median Household Income (AMI), which for 2014 is $107,000. One of the county's affordable housing programs is workforce housing, which is housing affordable to households with up to 120% of the AMI ($128,400 in 2014). Another of the county's affordable housing programs is Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs), for which the minimum household income is $35,000, and the maximum household income this year ranges from $52,500 for a household of 1 to $81,000 to a household of 5.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/housing/singlefamily/mpdu/programsales.html#Are you Eligible?

Yes, I'm eligible and have been living in an MPDU through the City of Rockville for the last 12 years - in a well-off neighborhood that goes to a good school district. I do think that increasing affordable housing within mixed-use communities will help with this problem of segregation and will give more children the opportunity to go to schools that are better performing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

Post a link where the police indicated that it was a drive by???? Everything I have read just says shooting -- you just can't make it a drive-by just to fit your agenda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer a question that was asked earlier: in my experience, the white/Asian schools do not have better teachers or facilities or curricula or class sizes. (In fact they usually have larger class sizes.) They have children who are, generally, easier to teach and more likely to achieve high test scores. They are more likely to have 2-parent families with time and money to spend supporting their education, and they are more likely to have had quality preschool. I don't want people to think there is some magic teaching formula in the schools in the western part of the county that just needs to be brought east. My children are in a school kind of in the middle of those worlds, with a majority of middle class families and some working class families, and the balance seems to work well for everyone. I wish more schools could achieve that balance.

We moved from a DCC school to a "W" school and this was our experience. The DCC school had smaller class sizes, many more paraeducators and reading specialists. The "W" elem. school had larger class sizes and fewer kids were pulled out for help with reading etc. Teachers were equally good in both schools, the curriculum was the same although there might have been more time for enrichment activities. The main difference was how much money the PTA could raise in the "W" school for toys like Promethean boards but I don't think that makes much difference (if any) in educational outcomes. I agree with the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In small places where everyone can go to one or two high schools..not comparable to large county based systems.

You are missing the point, which is: Socioeconomic residential integration is achievable.

Why would you believe that when MoCo's recent history shows the opposite. You basically have the higher-income families hanging on to a few areas, a bunch of older homeowners without kids aging in place in areas with poor schools, and a county government more interested in abstract social policy than shoring up the tax base? If the goal is to turn both Whitman and Kennedy into replicas of Rockville, people might as well move to DC and just take their chances with Wilson.

+1!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In small places where everyone can go to one or two high schools..not comparable to large county based systems.

You are missing the point, which is: Socioeconomic residential integration is achievable.

Why would you believe that when MoCo's recent history shows the opposite. You basically have the higher-income families hanging on to a few areas, a bunch of older homeowners without kids aging in place in areas with poor schools, and a county government more interested in abstract social policy than shoring up the tax base? If the goal is to turn both Whitman and Kennedy into replicas of Rockville, people might as well move to DC and just take their chances with Wilson.

+1!!

+1 to *what*? As 14:53 pointed out,

Montgomery County's recent history of policies promoting socioeconomic residential integration shows that socioeconomic residential integration is not achievable? Please explain, referring to specific county policies on housing.

What precisely are you saying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

Post a link where the police indicated that it was a drive by???? Everything I have read just says shooting -- you just can't make it a drive-by just to fit your agenda.

The gazette newspaper for montgomery county has the headline: "police investigating drive by shooting in silver spring." Should be pretty easy to find. Not sure whose agenda it advances. I really used to like this area of silver spring, but just a week ago a neighbor was assaulted getting into her car and it seems like the crime has escalated. Part of this May be the area's proximity to a couple of major highways. Or maybe people are just getting wacky because it's summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In small places where everyone can go to one or two high schools..not comparable to large county based systems.

You are missing the point, which is: Socioeconomic residential integration is achievable.

Why would you believe that when MoCo's recent history shows the opposite. You basically have the higher-income families hanging on to a few areas, a bunch of older homeowners without kids aging in place in areas with poor schools, and a county government more interested in abstract social policy than shoring up the tax base? If the goal is to turn both Whitman and Kennedy into replicas of Rockville, people might as well move to DC and just take their chances with Wilson.

+1!!

+1 to *what*? As 14:53 pointed out,

Montgomery County's recent history of policies promoting socioeconomic residential integration shows that socioeconomic residential integration is not achievable? Please explain, referring to specific county policies on housing.

What precisely are you saying?

Sorry. +1 to the sentence in bold.

[Anonymous]

I think Rockville is great. If we could really could do that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

Post a link where the police indicated that it was a drive by???? Everything I have read just says shooting -- you just can't make it a drive-by just to fit your agenda.

The gazette newspaper for montgomery county has the headline: "police investigating drive by shooting in silver spring." Should be pretty easy to find. Not sure whose agenda it advances. I really used to like this area of silver spring, but just a week ago a neighbor was assaulted getting into her car and it seems like the crime has escalated. Part of this May be the area's proximity to a couple of major highways. Or maybe people are just getting wacky because it's summer?

This was not near sligo middle school. Closer to ssims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

Post a link where the police indicated that it was a drive by???? Everything I have read just says shooting -- you just can't make it a drive-by just to fit your agenda.

The gazette newspaper for montgomery county has the headline: "police investigating drive by shooting in silver spring." Should be pretty easy to find. Not sure whose agenda it advances. I really used to like this area of silver spring, but just a week ago a neighbor was assaulted getting into her car and it seems like the crime has escalated. Part of this May be the area's proximity to a couple of major highways. Or maybe people are just getting wacky because it's summer?

This was not near sligo middle school. Closer to ssims.





Actually it's really close to flower ave and highland view elementary -on Bradford road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a drive-by shooting in Silver Spring last night, not all that far from Sligo Middle School. In front of an apartment complex. I think it's this sort of thing that gets people up in arms and not how it will affect the composition of the student body.

Post a link where the police indicated that it was a drive by???? Everything I have read just says shooting -- you just can't make it a drive-by just to fit your agenda.

The gazette newspaper for montgomery county has the headline: "police investigating drive by shooting in silver spring." Should be pretty easy to find. Not sure whose agenda it advances. I really used to like this area of silver spring, but just a week ago a neighbor was assaulted getting into her car and it seems like the crime has escalated. Part of this May be the area's proximity to a couple of major highways. Or maybe people are just getting wacky because it's summer?

This was not near sligo middle school. Closer to ssims.





Actually it's really close to flower ave and highland view elementary -on Bradford road

Great. It probably bears mentioning that highland view is a success story in terms of attracting middle class families. If I lived in the area I would gladly send my kids. And I think some families are attracted to the area for that very reason. I doubt this event changes that attitude of loving the school, but hopefully more aggressive steps can be taken to prevent some of the crime that seems to be increasing in the area. Traditionally it's just been dumb stealing stuff out of cars, but a drive by shooting? That's insane and hopefully this will give the police an excuse to devote more resources to crime prevention.

[Anonymous]

The shooting post does not have anything to do with the point of this thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The shooting post does not have anything to do with the point of this thread

Yes, it does.

in terms of perceptions

same with schools
a bomb threat at Northwest and Northwood - newsworthy

bomb threat at BCC - huh?

Yet all three schools had scares.

So while SS may have more crime, the crime hits the news b/c it can. There's no bubble protecting SS.

Money is power. Money is protection. But there are still problems in the wealthy schools. There may not be gang-related incidents, but Johnny's daddy is conveniently overlooking the fact that Johnny cheated on his final exam and shares the same values as Madoff.

So take your pick. This is where the county is heading - a two-tiered system with no middle class to support the top or the bottom.