10/16 Board of Ed meeting

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the program groupings for region 1?

Brand new and not up online yet. The changes I remember is that they are sending the criteria-based humanities program from BCC (bad) to Whitman (much worse), and that they are letting Einstein keep only the music part of the performing arts magnet (theater and dance at Northwood.)

Einstein also has medical science and healthcare

There’s no interest at Einstein to hold that magnet!

Speak for yourself. My kids would love that and as a parent of kids inbounds for Einstein, I think it’s a great switch!

Your future doctors and nurses need far more than the program they are offering.

Like college and medical/nursing school?

Those biomedical programs are more geared toward medical support staff. People angling to get admitted to premed will need much more rigor, like that found at Blair SMCS. I do not have faith that a Sherwood HS SMCS, for example, will offer that level of rigor.

Have you take organic chem? If you can’t handle the rigor of Blair SMCS, I would say you are not likely to be able to hang in there to do what is needed to become a doctor.

Cutting off region 5 access to Poolesville SMCS is similarly inequitable.

This is inaccurate and should not be spread around the community as fact. As someone noted, kids need four years of college (or the equivalent) and 4 years of medical school before they become a doctor. What a kid can handle at 14 does not equate to what they will know or be able to handle at 21. I'm not sure why folks feel that the entire college curriculum needs to be moved down to the HS level in order for kids to show rigor, interest, or ability. No one has to be taking organic chem in HS in order to be successful in pre-med at the collegiate level. A program like Biomedical science is suppose to expose kids to the variety of careers available in the medical field, while also giving the depth and rigor of skills to be college and career ready. I would prefer to see them having kids study Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Ethics.

PLTW has already developed a Biomedical Science curriculum for HS. https://www.pltw.org/curriculum/biomedical-science

College level is a big jump in difficulty level from HS. If you are wise, you would prepare your kids to handle the rigor through AP classes and Blair SMCS. Not the PLTW Biomedical Science curriculum or fake SMCS that would be at Springbrook or Gaithersburg HS. Any SMCS should have the exact same level of teachers, course offerings, and funding as Blair SMCS to be equitable.

If they have all the Blair SMCS teachers transfer to Gaithersburg HS, and set up the brand new SMCS program at Blair, then that would be fine.

What’s that I hear—no you would not want that fate for Blair? How surprising.

Access to the established renowned programs should not be cut off.

[Anonymous]

The slides say that the SMCS program to be implemented at Wootton will have 8 periods "to accommodate the interdisciplinary course sequence of the SCMS pathway". Does that mean all six of the schools that host SMCS programs will have 8-period days, while other schools will not? That will complicate transportation and staffing and raise some equity questions. Will they switch to block scheduling, as Blair does? Will non-SMCS students at those schools be allowed to take 8 periods? Does that mean local students who have an 8th period won't be able to ride buses home, since the regular buses would presumably leave after 7th period? So many questions...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the program groupings for region 1?

Brand new and not up online yet. The changes I remember is that they are sending the criteria-based humanities program from BCC (bad) to Whitman (much worse), and that they are letting Einstein keep only the music part of the performing arts magnet (theater and dance at Northwood.)

Einstein also has medical science and healthcare

There’s no interest at Einstein to hold that magnet!

Speak for yourself. My kids would love that and as a parent of kids inbounds for Einstein, I think it’s a great switch!

Your future doctors and nurses need far more than the program they are offering.

Like college and medical/nursing school?

Those biomedical programs are more geared toward medical support staff. People angling to get admitted to premed will need much more rigor, like that found at Blair SMCS. I do not have faith that a Sherwood HS SMCS, for example, will offer that level of rigor.

Have you take organic chem? If you can’t handle the rigor of Blair SMCS, I would say you are not likely to be able to hang in there to do what is needed to become a doctor.

Cutting off region 5 access to Poolesville SMCS is similarly inequitable.

This is inaccurate and should not be spread around the community as fact. As someone noted, kids need four years of college (or the equivalent) and 4 years of medical school before they become a doctor. What a kid can handle at 14 does not equate to what they will know or be able to handle at 21. I'm not sure why folks feel that the entire college curriculum needs to be moved down to the HS level in order for kids to show rigor, interest, or ability. No one has to be taking organic chem in HS in order to be successful in pre-med at the collegiate level. A program like Biomedical science is suppose to expose kids to the variety of careers available in the medical field, while also giving the depth and rigor of skills to be college and career ready. I would prefer to see them having kids study Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Ethics.

PLTW has already developed a Biomedical Science curriculum for HS. https://www.pltw.org/curriculum/biomedical-science

College level is a big jump in difficulty level from HS. If you are wise, you would prepare your kids to handle the rigor through AP classes and Blair SMCS. Not the PLTW Biomedical Science curriculum or fake SMCS that would be at Springbrook or Gaithersburg HS. Any SMCS should have the exact same level of teachers, course offerings, and funding as Blair SMCS to be equitable.

AP classes are not the only means by ensure that students are prepared to handle college. And each level is supposed to be a little more difficult and a little more in depth. The point is to explore options, learn how to learn and study, and develop a work ethic. This is why folks continue to note how much more attention should be paid to the overall HS core content and not just these special programs. Also, no one said that the offerings between programs should be different. The actual problem here is that they did not make SMCS just a Computer Science focused program.

[Anonymous]

I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

People want their kids at schools within a reasonable distance to their homes. Come HS, kids often go back twice a day for sports and other activities and if you are not close, getting back and forth is an issue. Its also an issue having an hour or more commute back and forth to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

It seems like several Woodlin parents preferred the first round options sending them to BCC.

[Anonymous]

3 buses for regional program? It doesn't sound enough. How does it work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

We are just pissed that these options leave some DCC schools still over crowded (Wheaton and Kennedy) but not the richer schools, that there is tons of split articulation forcing our kids to go to different middle schools than their friends but almost none for the richer schools, and that DCC FARMS rates get worse rather than better. And all of this is in every single option so basically it's like MCPS is saying "we won't even consider doing anything that the richer schools wouldn't like, the only choices are around which DCC families will get hurt more, fight amongst yourselves." (And this combined with the way they are taking the DCC away from us and hurting some of our schools with the program changes is just adding insult to injury.)

Wr don't want anything crazy, just a basic sense of fairness. But that is apparently too much to ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

It seems like several Woodlin parents preferred the first round options sending them to BCC.

Woodlin has some quite wealthy families. They aren't that close to Einstein so I don't see the problem with bussing them to BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the program groupings for region 1?

Brand new and not up online yet. The changes I remember is that they are sending the criteria-based humanities program from BCC (bad) to Whitman (much worse), and that they are letting Einstein keep only the music part of the performing arts magnet (theater and dance at Northwood.)

Einstein also has medical science and healthcare

There’s no interest at Einstein to hold that magnet!

Speak for yourself. My kids would love that and as a parent of kids inbounds for Einstein, I think it’s a great switch!

Your future doctors and nurses need far more than the program they are offering.

Like college and medical/nursing school?

Those biomedical programs are more geared toward medical support staff. People angling to get admitted to premed will need much more rigor, like that found at Blair SMCS. I do not have faith that a Sherwood HS SMCS, for example, will offer that level of rigor.

Have you take organic chem? If you can’t handle the rigor of Blair SMCS, I would say you are not likely to be able to hang in there to do what is needed to become a doctor.

Cutting off region 5 access to Poolesville SMCS is similarly inequitable.

This is inaccurate and should not be spread around the community as fact. As someone noted, kids need four years of college (or the equivalent) and 4 years of medical school before they become a doctor. What a kid can handle at 14 does not equate to what they will know or be able to handle at 21. I'm not sure why folks feel that the entire college curriculum needs to be moved down to the HS level in order for kids to show rigor, interest, or ability. No one has to be taking organic chem in HS in order to be successful in pre-med at the collegiate level. A program like Biomedical science is suppose to expose kids to the variety of careers available in the medical field, while also giving the depth and rigor of skills to be college and career ready. I would prefer to see them having kids study Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Ethics.

PLTW has already developed a Biomedical Science curriculum for HS. https://www.pltw.org/curriculum/biomedical-science

College level is a big jump in difficulty level from HS. If you are wise, you would prepare your kids to handle the rigor through AP classes and Blair SMCS. Not the PLTW Biomedical Science curriculum or fake SMCS that would be at Springbrook or Gaithersburg HS. Any SMCS should have the exact same level of teachers, course offerings, and funding as Blair SMCS to be equitable.

AP classes are not the only means by ensure that students are prepared to handle college. And each level is supposed to be a little more difficult and a little more in depth. The point is to explore options, learn how to learn and study, and develop a work ethic. This is why folks continue to note how much more attention should be paid to the overall HS core content and not just these special programs. Also, no one said that the offerings between programs should be different. The actual problem here is that they did not make SMCS just a Computer Science focused program.

This statement implies that the offerings are the same, and they aren't. Nor has MCPS bothered to study what each school actually offers in terms of course offerings and what different schools do not offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

We are just pissed that these options leave some DCC schools still over crowded (Wheaton and Kennedy) but not the richer schools, that there is tons of split articulation forcing our kids to go to different middle schools than their friends but almost none for the richer schools, and that DCC FARMS rates get worse rather than better. And all of this is in every single option so basically it's like MCPS is saying "we won't even consider doing anything that the richer schools wouldn't like, the only choices are around which DCC families will get hurt more, fight amongst yourselves." (And this combined with the way they are taking the DCC away from us and hurting some of our schools with the program changes is just adding insult to injury.)

Wr don't want anything crazy, just a basic sense of fairness. But that is apparently too much to ask.

That makes sense but the FARMS rate went down or stayed the same in several of the round 1 options at BCC so their arguments are flawed. Whitman went up but it required distance busing.

It would be much easier if communities advocated for specifically what they want like keep all of (insert school) together.

As for fairness, it’s too bad FLO didn’t highlight recent 2023 boundary study areas. It would clarify a lot of issues with the maps and fairness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

We are just pissed that these options leave some DCC schools still over crowded (Wheaton and Kennedy) but not the richer schools, that there is tons of split articulation forcing our kids to go to different middle schools than their friends but almost none for the richer schools, and that DCC FARMS rates get worse rather than better. And all of this is in every single option so basically it's like MCPS is saying "we won't even consider doing anything that the richer schools wouldn't like, the only choices are around which DCC families will get hurt more, fight amongst yourselves." (And this combined with the way they are taking the DCC away from us and hurting some of our schools with the program changes is just adding insult to injury.)

Wr don't want anything crazy, just a basic sense of fairness. But that is apparently too much to ask.

But you make no sense and talk out of both sides of your mouth. You look down on people who chose “wealthy schools” and say you would never want to buy there or send your kids to that environment but then right here you whine that your FARMS rate might go up. So which is it, you are cool with socioeconomic diversity or you’re only cool with it when it’s the exact amount you think is appropriate? You lament your kids possibly being sent to middle schools away from friends but you simultaneously love and want to keep your current DCC set up and have no problem when all those kids shuffle up and separate from friends in high school. You’re worried about overcrowding at 2 schools (Wheaton and Kennedy) that I don’t even think your child attends or will attend and to which you are not zoned. No one knows what you really want because all you actually say is harm the wealthier schools and not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched the video public testimony from the BOE meeting on Thursday. I’m a bit puzzled by some of the comments from people about equity. I absolutely want equity for others and am fortunate to live in a wealthier area, but those comments from people, what do they want? Are they asking for MCPS to bus them from BCC and Woodlin ES 30 minutes away to schools to mix wealthy families with those who aren’t? Are they wanting poorer kids to be bussed 30 mins to their schools?

I get it on the margins like Kensington could be mixed with Einstein, or parts of Silver Spring could go to BCC, but to bring kids to Whitman from Silver Spring or from Churchill to Crown or from Darnestown to Crown just doesn’t make sense.

So what are these people really seeking?

We are just pissed that these options leave some DCC schools still over crowded (Wheaton and Kennedy) but not the richer schools, that there is tons of split articulation forcing our kids to go to different middle schools than their friends but almost none for the richer schools, and that DCC FARMS rates get worse rather than better. And all of this is in every single option so basically it's like MCPS is saying "we won't even consider doing anything that the richer schools wouldn't like, the only choices are around which DCC families will get hurt more, fight amongst yourselves." (And this combined with the way they are taking the DCC away from us and hurting some of our schools with the program changes is just adding insult to injury.)

Wr don't want anything crazy, just a basic sense of fairness. But that is apparently too much to ask.

That makes sense but the FARMS rate went down or stayed the same in several of the round 1 options at BCC so their arguments are flawed. Whitman went up but it required distance busing.

It would be much easier if communities advocated for specifically what they want like keep all of (insert school) together.

As for fairness, it’s too bad FLO didn’t highlight recent 2023 boundary study areas. It would clarify a lot of issues with the maps and fairness.

We are arguing to keep our schools together, but the problem is that they set it up to put DCC schools against eachother. For example, option C is the only one that keeps our ES together, but splits others and they hate it. Other people like option B because it keeps their school together, but it is the absolute worst for our ES by far and we hate it. Yes, at the individual school level we could focus on on what benefits our individual school the most. But I am just really mad that if we do that, it's at the expense of making things worse for other economically diverse or overwhelmingly poor schools in our part of the county. If they are not going to make significant shifts in FARMS rates west of us, the least they could do is make those schools bear the bigger brunt of split articulation rather than our schools. But instead they just get everything they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rita Montoya is ripping into their community engagement efforts. Thank you Ms. Montoya.

She rarely finds her footing on issues as her learning curve has been steep. And she is usually angry when she does find that footing.

I wish she could get her arms around the quality and logistic issues concerning the proposed regional programs. We need her to get those parts of the issue.

A steep learning curve means that she is learning quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The slides say that the SMCS program to be implemented at Wootton will have 8 periods "to accommodate the interdisciplinary course sequence of the SCMS pathway". Does that mean all six of the schools that host SMCS programs will have 8-period days, while other schools will not? That will complicate transportation and staffing and raise some equity questions. Will they switch to block scheduling, as Blair does? Will non-SMCS students at those schools be allowed to take 8 periods? Does that mean local students who have an 8th period won't be able to ride buses home, since the regular buses would presumably leave after 7th period? So many questions...

Does eveyrone at Blair have 8 period days, or just the SMCS kids?