Cliff Notes summary of MCPS boundary study fight?

[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.

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

Indeed, which is why I stated that the housing question is a county issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

I just don't see how they can pull off exposing the Churchill kids to any diversity. They are tucked in to an area that is not adjacent to any diversity...they would truly have to bus across the county to accomplish that. I think that is why the PP considers it to be retaliation. And I do think the BOE has it out for the W schools...they use the term with such disdain in those meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I just don't see how they can pull off exposing the Churchill kids to any diversity. They are tucked in to an area that is not adjacent to any diversity...they would truly have to bus across the county to accomplish that. I think that is why the PP considers it to be retaliation. And I do think the BOE has it out for the W schools...they use the term with such disdain in those meetings.

It's easy to imagine how Churchill could pick up some diversity simply by adjusting the edges of its boundaries. It shares borders with both RMHS and Northwest HS. However, I suspect the most change will be around Woodward and the schools like Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and WJ that share boundaries. This will have an impact on other nearby schools like Churchill too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I just don't see how they can pull off exposing the Churchill kids to any diversity. They are tucked in to an area that is not adjacent to any diversity...they would truly have to bus across the county to accomplish that. I think that is why the PP considers it to be retaliation. And I do think the BOE has it out for the W schools...they use the term with such disdain in those meetings.

It's easy to imagine how Churchill could pick up some diversity simply by adjusting the edges of its boundaries. It shares borders with both RMHS and Northwest HS. However, I suspect the most change will be around Woodward and the schools like Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and WJ that share boundaries. This will have an impact on other nearby schools like Churchill too.

Take a closer look. Churchill's only boundaries are with Wootton, RM, WJ, and Whitman. I would say there is not much room for diversity there. In order to increase diversity, they would need to "bus across the county. Northwest HS is 13 miles away from Churchill.

[Anonymous]

Take a closer look. Churchill's only boundaries are with Wootton, RM, WJ, and Whitman. I would say there is not much room for diversity there. In order to increase diversity, they would need to "bus across the county. Northwest HS is 13 miles away from Churchill.

That may be true, but the part of Churchill's zone that is close to Northwest HS is basically equidistant between the two schools. Churchill HS itself is 13 miles from Northwest HS, but there are homes zoned for Churchill that are much closer than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Take a closer look. Churchill's only boundaries are with Wootton, RM, WJ, and Whitman. I would say there is not much room for diversity there. In order to increase diversity, they would need to "bus across the county. Northwest HS is 13 miles away from Churchill.

That may be true, but the part of Churchill's zone that is close to Northwest HS is basically equidistant between the two schools. Churchill HS itself is 13 miles from Northwest HS, but there are homes zoned for Churchill that are much closer than that.

You make no sense at all. There are another two clusters between Northwest and Churchill. Wootton and QO. Northwest should never be considered, especially with all the buzz that they plan to only use adjacent clusters. I know the area you are speaking about, and that area should never have been zoned for Churchill...so, yeah, they can go wherever...maybe Wootton or QO...but doubtful it would go to Northwest. I live pretty close to Churchill, so we are pretty protected I would imagine.

[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.

Are you for real??? No one is entitled to anything, you get what you pay for. Sad but true.

[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.

Who is putting crappy curriculum and bad teachers/staff in some schools and quality in others?

[Anonymous]

“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.”
Most students in MCPS get the same education, starting at K or pre-K. Some students learn better and faster than other students. It is not a schools that makes better students. It is the students who attend the school determine if it is a better school, or high-quality school.
A MC student from a W school or any school in MCPS cannot and should not carry the weight to lift other students’ academic achievement. That’s the job of teacher and school. The GAP didn’t appear yesterday or last year, and MCPS has been working to narrow the GAP by creating one initiate after another for decades. Mixing high achieve students woth low achieving students will generate mediocre schools but it cannot improve learning for either group.
If you have multiple sibilings or multiple children in your family, do you expect all the children or siblings favor same kind of food, achieve same academic success, earn same income, and marry to same types of persons?

[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.

Are you for real??? No one is entitled to anything, you get what you pay for. Sad but true.

No, the public school system is not set up as a fee-for-service system. And especially not on a housing-fee-for-school-service system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Are you for real??? No one is entitled to anything, you get what you pay for. Sad but true.

No, the public school system is not set up as a fee-for-service system. And especially not on a housing-fee-for-school-service system.

Very true but I think many of the posters here fail to grasp this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I just don't see how they can pull off exposing the Churchill kids to any diversity. They are tucked in to an area that is not adjacent to any diversity...they would truly have to bus across the county to accomplish that. I think that is why the PP considers it to be retaliation. And I do think the BOE has it out for the W schools...they use the term with such disdain in those meetings.

It's easy to imagine how Churchill could pick up some diversity simply by adjusting the edges of its boundaries. It shares borders with both RMHS and Northwest HS. However, I suspect the most change will be around Woodward and the schools like Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and WJ that share boundaries. This will have an impact on other nearby schools like Churchill too.

Take a closer look. Churchill's only boundaries are with Wootton, RM, WJ, and Whitman. I would say there is not much room for diversity there. In order to increase diversity, they would need to "bus across the county. Northwest HS is 13 miles away from Churchill.

That's actually not true. Churchill borders Northwest on its SW edge and BCC on its SE. Further, Wootton's boundary is kind of oddly shaped and far from optimal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Are you for real??? No one is entitled to anything, you get what you pay for. Sad but true.

No, the public school system is not set up as a fee-for-service system. And especially not on a housing-fee-for-school-service system.

Very true but I think many of the posters here fail to grasp this.

My issue is that I bought my house by making an agreement with a bank. I got a loan for a house in a W cluster. I agreed to leverage my time and treasure to buy a house zoned for a school that was good for my child. I do not approve of the Montgomery county Board of Education deciding that my bank should charge me the same for a now cheaper house. All so the BoE can say they “ we got revenge on the W schools for being too homogeneous.” The bank doesn’t care and will still charge me the same every month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I just don't see how they can pull off exposing the Churchill kids to any diversity. They are tucked in to an area that is not adjacent to any diversity...they would truly have to bus across the county to accomplish that. I think that is why the PP considers it to be retaliation. And I do think the BOE has it out for the W schools...they use the term with such disdain in those meetings.

It's easy to imagine how Churchill could pick up some diversity simply by adjusting the edges of its boundaries. It shares borders with both RMHS and Northwest HS. However, I suspect the most change will be around Woodward and the schools like Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and WJ that share boundaries. This will have an impact on other nearby schools like Churchill too.

Take a closer look. Churchill's only boundaries are with Wootton, RM, WJ, and Whitman. I would say there is not much room for diversity there. In order to increase diversity, they would need to "bus across the county. Northwest HS is 13 miles away from Churchill.

That's actually not true. Churchill borders Northwest on its SW edge and BCC on its SE. Further, Wootton's boundary is kind of oddly shaped and far from optimal.

A. The fact that there is such a thing as "W" schools is pretty messed up and that term should be used with disdain
B. The fact that people are freaking out about a study because they think looking at diversity is bad speaks volumes about how ignorant you all are about the history of racism in the US and in MoCo. Or you are not ignorant and have a vested interest in maintaining the current system. Probably a little bit of both.

[Anonymous]

My issue is that I bought my house by making an agreement with a bank. I got a loan for a house in a W cluster. I agreed to leverage my time and treasure to buy a house zoned for a school that was good for my child. I do not approve of the Montgomery county Board of Education deciding that my bank should charge me the same for a now cheaper house. All so the BoE can say they “ we got revenge on the W schools for being too homogeneous.” The bank doesn’t care and will still charge me the same every month.

You made an agreement with the bank, but the Board of Education didn't make an agreement with YOU to keep the attendance boundaries exactly the same in perpetuity just because you paid a premium to live in a more segregated neighborhood.

School zones are allowed to change. They need to change in order to respond to density, demographic turnover, development, and a ton of other factors. I'm sorry if you truly believe you will lose money on this, but take heart: the next generation appears to care less about maintaining racially and economically segregated schools, so you can sell to them eventually.